Best Software and Online Site
 

Hi Guys

I started my tree a number of years ago and have come back to it now, I was wondering what you think is currently the best software to use to build a tree and which is the best online site or resource to join for looking up official records without having to head out to the registry offices etc. (I know I will probably have to eventually)

Thanks

John

Welcome to the site, John. A lot of people on here use Family Tree Maker but there are some other good ones too - hopefully people who use other programs will recommend them.

Good sites to use - FamilySearch has loads of baptisms, marriages and burials and is free. Findmypast and Ancestry both have BMD indexes and all the British censuses from 1841 through to 1911 but each of them also has lots of records that the other doesn't, including images of parish registers for various places (for instance, Findmypast has all the Welsh parish registers while ancestry has London). So you would be best to have a look at both of those and see which covers the counties that you are most interested in. Also both ancestry and findmypast offer free trials, usually 14 days, so you could sign up for those and see which you like best. If you do, make sure to cancel in plenty of time if you decide not to go ahead and subscribe.

Also worth checking whether your local library offers free access to either or both of those sites (ancestry / Findmypast).

You can order any English or Welsh certificate from 1837 onwards from the GRO, so you don't have to visit register offices in person unless you want to. Also quite a few local register offices have their own websites now that you can use to order from.

If you have Scottish ancestors then search on FamilySearch first and use Scotland's People to view original records (you have to buy credits on there as there is no subscription system.)

thanks kiterunner - it'll be mainly the north east of england that I am looking at to begin with - is there anywhere online you can search electoral rolls historic ones that is

I'm not sure that you will find many online e-rolls for the NE - Though I don't know offhand what is currently available at Origins -

http://www.origins.net/

This is what TNA has to say on the subject:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/r...gistration.htm

If you just need the odd lookup, often the local library will check an address for you without charge.

There are some North-Eastern electoral rolls which are free to browse on FamilySearch although not indexed yet (mostly Northumberland and mostly the early part of the 20th century):
https://familysearch.org/search/imag...8635/waypoints
Also includes a few parish registers etc.

Ancestry has poll books and electoral registers for England up to 1893, which are searchable, but of course most people didn't have the vote in those days.
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2410

I believe that findmypast is currently working on digitising the electoral registers (i.e. historical, but more recent than 1893) but not sure when this is due to go online.

I forgot to mention before that FreeBMD has most of the BMD indexes available for free now:
http://www.freebmd.org.uk/

Also quite a few of the register offices in the North East have their own sites:
Darlington
Durham
Gateshead
Newcastle
Sunderland
Tees Valley (Middlesbrough)
Also North East BMD may be helpful:
http://www.northeastbmd.org.uk/

http://www.middlesbrough-indexes.co.uk/search.php

http://www.middlesbrough-indexes.co.uk/search.php

depends what part of thed North East your after and welcome to the site John
I use FT Maker and also family historian

There are definitely worth looking at as many have more info than on the GRO indexes (age at death before 1866, mother's maiden name before 1912 etc)

I use Brother's Keeper for my tree - It's not very popular, peobably because it's an old program, but it does everythinng I want it to. The trial version is free - I've been using it for about 12 years, I think.

There are a lot of North Eastern Bishops' Transcripts (copied from parish registers) on FamilySearch but again, not yet indexed, so you have to browse parish by parish:
https://www.familysearch.org/search/...9819/waypoints

Thanks Guys for all the feedback thus far I have an old copy of Family Tree Maker I think boxed as 'who do you think you are?' but it's quite old I lost the tree I did previously though I didn't get very far.

A few people have recomended Gramps to me - http://gramps-project.org/ is anyone using that?

I also found quite a useful site that I think most of you probably already know about but here is the link anyway http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/