Thread: subscribing to ancestry

Can anyone give me feedback on whether it is worthwhile subscribing to Ancestry.com?

I am struggling with my research BUT At $299 per annum Australian , it is a lot of money and I would appreciate any info as to whether they are as good as they say with access to records etc. Thank you in advance.

Terri brown

Hi Terri,



If you google free trial @ancestry.com you should find a 2 week trial. You will have to give your credit card details but if it is not for you, you can unsubscribe before the trial ends and not be charged. If you miss the day of the end of the trial then you will be charged.

Whatever site you join, no one has access to every record. The period from around 1912-1983 is covered by the 100 year privacy laws so is still hard to research. Before 1837 is also hard as these records are on parish records. Although some are being added slowly, large areas are still uncovered. Maybe you will see by the trial if it is going to help you.

You can always add requests for help on our forums as the members here have access to many different types of records between them.

thanks Starlight.

That is pretty much what I thought although I didn't realize about the pre- 1837 records being mainly on Parish records.. I do get lots of help from Forums like this. Ancestry seems to promise a lot but the cost is a bit steep.

Terri Brown

Hi Terri,



If your ancestors are from the London/Middlesex area you will have access to more pre 1837 BMD records. Really there are too many things that they do have to list. There are many family trees which could possibly connect to you. The only way of finding out if it is going to help you is to give it a try.

I wouldn't have got very far without Ancestry! And although the sub seems pricey, its very reasonable considering I am on the site most days.



As well as the censuses 1841-1901 and GRO birth marriage and death indexes, it also has Pallot's baptism and marriage indexes. These are mainly around London but also elsewhere, for the early period pre-1837. In many cases where the original registers have been destroyed or damaged, its the only record of an event.



The latest release is the London Metropolitan Archives collection, where you can see actual marriage certificates for many London parishes (cheaper than forking out £7 a time for the certs) and baptism and burial registers online. If you have London rellies this could save you a fortune in time and travel to the LMA. The actual registers often have more information than on www.familysearch.org and are terrific if you have London ancestors.



Ancestry also has the WW1 service and pension records for many soldiers (although about 2/3rds of the service records were destroyed by fire, so you won't necessarily find who you are looking for). Personally these were brilliant for me as I found details of a gt uncle's marriage and children here which I'd been unable to do ordinarily as he had a common name. But I had his regiment from an army photo, so I knew I'd found the right chap.



As Starlight suggests, you can take out a trial sub and play about, check what records would be useful to you and see if the places and dates have the coverage you want.

Thanks Jeuel (Helen) and everyone else for your info.

I took the big leap and subscribed to the full package (World heritage) and I don't think I will be cancelling anytime soon.

You might say I am in genealogy research heaven!!!!.

I won't stop visiting this site of course - the help here is amazing--I hope I am able to help someone here sometime



Terri Brown

[quote name='terribrown']

I won't stop visiting this site of course - the help here is amazing--I hope I am able to help someone here sometime



Terri Brown[/quote]



Hi Terri,



I should think not too. I have been a member since 1990 or just after. I have found that although many records have been added since then, there are still a lot that members with their own records are still needed for. My ancestors are mainly from counties not yet covered on Ancestry and the parishes are ones that missed getting onto the IGI. I like to help with the parish records I have, and once you have had enough of reading your offer of help around the boards is welcome.