I am having trouble

tavia'smom

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With doing a family tree you have to pay so much for ancestry.com and I can't find any other sites. I know a few of my family's names but not many I cannot remember my Grandmothers father's name due to a family scandal although I do know 'his last name but I know he wouldn't be on her birth certificate because her maiden name is the same as my great grandmother's. And actually my grandpa's last name is the same as well they were from different bunches I think but they were like third cousins or something I am not sure though. And on my mom's side I know my grandma's maiden name but I cannot remember her dad's name and I don't even have the first clue about her mother she died before my grandma had even married and I am guessing that her step mom would be the one who showed up on any cenuses. I know my grandpa's name and his mother's name but not his father's so I really don't know what to do I want to find out about my family so that my niece and nephew will know and I guess so can simply know more about who I am and where I come from. Can anyone help me.
 

mews2much

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I am glad you posted this. I need help to and have tried sites. My Mom was Adopted but we know her real name and my Granmas real name. Ancestry.com didnt help and i paid before. I want to look up my dads side too. I look like my Mom did and would like to know about her side. I hope you find info on your family.
 

lillekat

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Do you not have public records available to you somewhere? A lot of libraries have information like this in archives.... perhaps that would be somewhere to check?
 

marianjela

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I absolutely LOVE genealogy!!!! Have you tried looking up their obituary? Or visiting (or calling) the cemetery they are in? Have you checked to see if they had a will?

As for looking them up in a census. If you have a library card, you can gain FREE access to Heritage Quest if you library subscribes. If they dont... PM me, there are other libraries out there that will offer this service for free.

Cant wait to see how you do - I absolutely love researching my family tree, but had little time to research on my own lately.
 

mom of 4

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Take everything you find on ancestry or other websites with caution.
The genealogy class class I took talked about some of the contributors will change some of the information just a bit, just enough it "could" have been a typo, so that others won't have the correct info.
Just use the info as a starting point and verify it yourself.
Many libraries have geneology sections. Look for geneolgy societies in your area, historical societies, and Latter Day Saints Centers.
 

marianjela

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Originally Posted by Mom of 4

Take everything you find on ancestry or other websites with caution.
The genealogy class class I took talked about some of the contributors will change some of the information just a bit, just enough it "could" have been a typo, so that others won't have the correct info.
Just use the info as a starting point and verify it yourself.
Many libraries have geneology sections. Look for geneolgy societies in your area, historical societies, and Latter Day Saints Centers.
You are so right, besides what fun is it if you just copy someone else's answer? I always gather my own facts - it's half the puzzle!
 

gailc

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There is a website that I found that could help geneanet.org I believe is the website.
 

gemlady

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Make sure you document where you acquired information.

Check local/county libraries to see if they have a genealogy section. I have been able to get some census records from ancestry.com through Evansville's Willard Library because they subscribe to the site.

I have my own scandals do deal with. In fact there is a noose in one family tree.


If you know where ancestors lived, you can try http://usgenweb.org/ to find sites set up by US counties. You can also give www.cyndislist.com a try.
 

pat

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It is a long shot but you can try googling one of the family last names that you know of.

We found an extensive public site for the name Fisk (and all the spelling variations) which was my grandmother's maiden name which was extremely helpful. You might get as lucky


Good luck!
 

cococat

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I didn't use the net to research my family history, rather I networked in the family. I found out a secret, that one of my male relatives changed their last name and didn't tell anyone. That male produced several offspring that had no idea their last name wasn't their real last name, taking his last name, and those offspring kept the last name, carrying it to the next generation, and made more children too (my generation). Only after I found the birth certificate did he own up to changing his family tree as far as names and not telling anyone.
 

marianjela

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Originally Posted by cococat

I found out a secret, that one of my male relatives changed their last name and didn't tell anyone. That male produced several offspring that had no idea their last name wasn't their real last name, taking his last name, and those offspring kept the last name, carrying it to the next generation, and made more children too (my generation).
Cococat, I had the same issues in my lines. On my mother's side, my grandfather is Italian, when his father came over in the early 1900's he Anglicized their surname - from Marchionna to Marx!

They had 5 children, 3 boys, and 2 girls.

When he passed away in 1920, the boys took their father's real name back, but they didnt know how to spell it. Each of the boys each took a different spelling so they could cover all bases. Shortly after my grandfather passed away, I found out the real spelling - none of them took on the correct version!

I also found that he had a brother that passed away as an infant and no one ever knew about it.

In another case, on my husband's father's side, his paternal grandmother was polish. She was so embarrassed about being polish that she never used her real last name. DH's father had 10 siblings, on each and every one of them the maiden name is listed as something different. It took me forever to break that brick wall.

In any case... I enjoy genealogy. Hope you have fun... if any of you wanna talk shop - send me a PM - I love digging!
 
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tavia'smom

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Trouble is most of my family are gone and the ones that are alive are either full of snot or I don't associate with them for various reasons for instance one of my dad's sisters decided to point a loaded gun at my dad and try to shoot him and tried to have him falsy imprisioned for abusing my grandma because she wanted the farm my dad had bought and a small portion inherited. and my Grandma on dad's side was born because her mother got pregnant by her brother in law and so she was given her mother's maiden name. And my father isn't interested in it so I very rarily can get him to talk about it and he doesn't even know his father's mother's name. or he won't tell me not sure which one.
 

gemlady

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One great grandmother had a child out of wedlock and another ran off and married only to have new hubby run off by her father (with a rifle).

So you are not alone in family scandals.
Just record what info you can get (and don't forget to document!). I think there are more scandals out there than most will admit.
 

blueyedgirl5946

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Genealogy is a wonderful hobby. I traced my family back to 1790. I wrote a book on them and published it about six years ago. I found a lot of information at the Latter Day Saints website. Is there anyone in your family you can talk to and ask some questions. US Genweb has good information, also Rootsweb.
 

goldenkitty45

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I'd be cautious about the online ones and their accuracy. You might want to check into how much it would cost for a person who specializes in geneology to really get the more accurate info. Good luck.
 

marianjela

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Originally Posted by Tavia'smom

And my father isn't interested in it so I very rarily can get him to talk about it and he doesn't even know his father's mother's name. or he won't tell me not sure which one.
Ok, I was thinking about this last night while I was laying in bed...


Can you order your grandfather's birth certificate? The obit might not be very useful if there were riffs in the family, but the birth record will tell you his mother's name. Or possibly even a baptism record! Our history center has a book of local early baptisms, unless it's a catholic baptism, then you have to go to the individual's church. At least that's how it is in our county.

Still thinking... Good luck!!!
 
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