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How to Search for Wills and Probate in England

An ancestor's will can be very useful for discovering or confirming family relationships where they are missing in other records - but even when they don't give this information, they are an essential resource if you want to know more about how your ancestor lived. However, probate in England can be a complicated affair, and you need to know your way around the range of wills indexes and registers that exist both online and in archives. Whether your ancestors were aristocracy, rich merchants, middle class tradesmen or working class labourers, it is always worth checking to see if a will was left. While it is far more likely that you will find wills within wealthy families, they do crop up within the lower classes more often than you might imagine. They can tell you a great deal about your ancestor's family, his relationship with his family, friends and community, his religion, his possessions, land and property, and, quite often, his attitude to life. If you want a closer ...

3 Super Easy Ways to Sidestep the Challenge of Finding Ancestors Online

In the many years that I've been climbing the family tree I'm amazed at how much can be found online. And, even more genealogy information comes online with each passing year. However, I'm surprised at how often I hear people tell me that they can never find any genealogy information about their family. Nothing could be further from the truth. You see, I think there's information online about everyone's family - - but people just don't know how or where to look. If you'd like to get started discovering your ancestors, here are 3 super easy way to sidestep the challenges. 1. Have a plan. This sounds simple, doesn't it? But, like anything else, you'll achieve far more if you have a game plan. Here's an analogy: Think of genealogy searches like family vacations. If you don't have an end destination and a map or GPS, it's guaranteed you will wander around and around. In terms of genealogy, when you go online to search for ancestors, know wha...

The Meaning of Your Name - Understanding the Origins of Names Can Aid in Your Genealogy Research

In the earliest days of human history people rarely needed more than a few grunts or whistles to call each other in times of danger. But as populations grew, sounds were combined and as language evolved, words or complex combinations of sounds were assigned, or assumed, by individuals to be able to not only call each other, but to be able to tell each other apart. After all, every one in an animal skin with long hair probably looked somewhat alike. We needed to be able to lay claim to property and land, our spouses and children. Names were one of the ways we did this, and one of the ways we kept records that ultimately were supposed to help avoid disputes. How confusing it must have been in those very early days. The first Johan or John, thousands of years ago, may have fathered a male child whom he named John. This child may soon have become known as The son of John or John's son. Perhaps even little john. If your surname ends with 'son' as in Johnson, Jackson, Albertson,...

404 - Life Not Found: Combating The Digital Dark Ages

Stop. Now take a moment and think about your life...pre-internet. Hard to remember, isn't it? Like a growing number of people today, one of the first places I log into when going online is Facebook. It's almost a natural reflex now when I turn on the computer. It's even found a way into my face-to-face conversations when discussing other individual's status updates from that day. I'm sure, like you, a scary amount of my life has become almost entirely digital. In the 21st century, people practically live and die through electronic means: Texts, email, instant messaging, digital documents, mp3s, blogs, forums, videos, pictures, cell phones. At this moment there are 826 photos on Facebook in which I am tagged. And with one hack of that site, the crash of several key servers or simply the person who posted them deleting the albums that stores them, all those pictures could be gone in an instant. The average life of a website is 44 to 75 days-just about twice the lengt...

How Can I Find My Family Tree Without The Frustration?

If you are interested in discovering your past relatives, there are many ways to achieve this task. If you are not sure if you want to devote the necessary time to such a task while asking yourself "How can I find my family tree?" The answer is simple; you will not discover facts about your ancestors unless you perform the research needed. Even if you believe that merely asking relatives will lead you in the right direction, you are partially correct however, that avenue will only lead you so far in your search for your ancestors. The following are tips that can help you in finding your family tree: Start with yourself . Contemplate the milestones of your life. Who was present to celebrate them? What relatives used to come over for dinner on Sunday? What relatives do you hear your parents speaking about in casual conversation? Annotate these facts and names and begin your search. Create a system that works for you . Create Family group sheets and pedigree charts. The FGS she...

A Free Family Tree Search Is The Beginning Of Self Discovery

Interest in researching one's family history is rapidly growing worldwide. Many people are diving into their family backgrounds for numerous reasons. Some people are on a quest of feeling as if they belong to something; some might have the desire to discover pertinent family information and others are just nosy. There is nothing wrong with any of these factors in discovering your family roots and the history that comes along with it. To get you started, you might want to perform a free family tree search before purchasing a membership. This will allow you to feel out particular websites as you travel on your journey of discovering the magnificent history of your former relatives. Genealogy research has never been easier, especially with the help of the internet. One great piece of advice for first time researchers is that you should not purchase tons of family tree software or purchase expensive website memberships until you have performed your research in determining precisely wh...

Performing Trace Family Tree Searches Proves Easier With These Helpful Tips

Tracing family history and finding long-lost relatives is very rewarding. Fascinating facts are in abundance with trace family tree searches, which prove fun and emotional at times. Due to the ever-increasing information available with Internet search engines and other means, it is now easier than ever before for people who want to perform these types of searches. There are numerous Internet websites available to help with this task. Some websites charge fees that prove helpful but there are free methods available for anyone who is currently strapped for cash. Performing Trace Family Tree Searches Proves Easier With These Helpful Tips Tracing family history is sometimes a hobby for most however; some researchers are on a mission as they prepare themselves in finding long-lost relatives. Fascinating facts are in abundance with these types of searches, which prove fun and emotional at times. Due to the ever-increasing information available with Internet search engines and other means, i...