Free-Genealogy - Discover genealogy & Ancestry Archives

Welcome to the June Genealogy Archives. Search below for past articles and news.

Articles of the month - June 2006

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Abbreviations & Genealogy: A dictionary of genealogical acronyms.

Researching Belfast Ancestry: Rare glimpse of life on the Shankill and Falls in 1911 now available online..

Get to grips with your ancestors' wealth with a new online conversion tool from the National Archives.

In 1680, employing a craftsman for 13 days would cost you the equivalent of just one hour with a modern plumber. In 1270, for the same amount, you could add five extra days of craftsman work, 14 lbs of wool and a bale of wheat. More...

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Genealogy and Ancestry– How to search the internet for your Family Tree

If you ever wanted to research your family tree and trace your ancestry, the internet has made this much easier than ever before. There are both paid websites and free websites that let you search birth records, military records, immigration records and other information as well.

If you are new to researching your family tree, you will see how complex it can become. It becomes necessary to research your family tree back as far as you can with your living relatives and then you can further add to it by searching on the internet from there. More...

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You never know what’s lurking in family tree

I’ve never really been interested in tracing my family’s genealogy like many of my friends. I’m too afraid of what I might discover about my ancestors. You never can tell what scoundrels you might find lurking in the branches of your family tree – horse thieves, mobsters, serial killers and, heaven forbid, even politicians. Gasp!

Actually, I am allegedly kin, on my father’s side of the family, to a long-dead, famous politician – I prefer to call him a statesman. But I have no documentation to prove it, only the claims of puffed-up kinfolk at family reunions held in the Old Dominion State of Virginia. They swear that Patrick Henry of “Give me liberty, or give me death” fame is our cousin.

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1911 Census Online

Plans are already underway to release the 1911 census online on the first working day of 2012. The National Archives is committed to making census data available online. We know from our own experience the huge excitement generated by the release of any new census and recognise the great historical and research value of census information. So we are already making plans to make the 1911 census available online in just under six years' time, on the first working day of 2012. More...

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Getting Started

You might think that starting out building your family tree is going to be a daunting task. Well, it doesn't have to be. Below you will find the most common sets of records to help you start or finish your genealogy research and build that family tree. See Getting Started with Genealogy for more information

Census Records

A census is an official enumeration of the population in a particular area. In addition to counting the inhabitants of an area, the census generally collects other vital information, such as names, ages, citizenship status, and ethnic background. Each census can prove to be invaluable in painting a portrait of a family at a particular place and time.

Civil vital records—for Births, Marriage and Deaths —mark the milestones of our lives, and are the foundation of family history research. Chronicling the personal moments of our lives through the objective perspective of the public record, vital records can offer details often found through no other genealogical resource. They can be useful in proving or disproving other sources, give you a more complete picture of your ancestor, help you distinguish between two people with the same name, and help you find clues to earlier life events.

With these records, you can gain access to information regarding your ancestor's lives, such as the locations and causes of their deaths, the names of children or parents, their wedding dates and locations, and the many other details that help us record and remember the important moments in the lives of our families.

Church records contain information about baptisms, marriages, burials, and membership. In addition to the name of the person, church records often provide information about family members.

Some of the cemetery records included are tombstone inscriptions, burial permits, and death indexes. These records usually show names, birth and death dates; sometimes, they include information on surviving family members.