Ancestry.com or find mypast?

[macwil]

Easy to do and just what the commercial sites hope will happen.

There are plenty of free sites about, check out the county board resources here on RC.
And don't forget many libraries have subscriptions to one or other of the big commercial sites that you can access for free just by being a library member or a small fee if not.

[Floss]

I've used both and personally I prefer Ancestry but I will swap to FindMyPast if it has a good offer on the subscription.

[glenclare]

I buy one main subscription when it is on offer and then pay for a month on the other site may be a couple of times a year, or keep my fingers crossed that there is a free weekend .

[Tom Piper]

Hi, Just wonder if your James Edward GOSLING that you are researching was a lorry driver, because if so I have found some articles about him in some newspapers.

I have used Ancestry for some time now, that is Ancestry co.uk, at first when I started my Family History research in 1995 I would ask someone who had an account with the organisation to do some cook ups for me but in 2005 I decided to open my own account with them and found it very successful, mainly because I could load several family trees on the site as public trees. A friend of mine has Find my past account but some things aren't always successful on look ups.

Tom

[cristeen]

I use both. I like the Lancashire parish records on Ancestry in particular, great backup to Lancs OPC, and original images. I also find it easier to search and being able to hover over the record description can give a good idea if it's worth opening. I like FindMyPast for the newspaper archives, many a time I have found details of an ancestor's death which has saved ordering the DC. I also like the Yorkshire parish records and Merchant Navy records on there. I'm not keen on their search parameters though, having to open every record to determine it's pertinence can be time consuming. I suppose it all depends on your geographical/occupational/ otherwise areas of interest. I pay for both monthly so can cancel at any time.

[dawnsh]

If you still haven't decided, check your local library to see if they offer free access in-house to either or both.

[matthewj64]

... twice recently things have been found in newspaper articles.

The British Newspaper Archive is free in some libraries and has a range of paying options inc. pay as you go - and a few free pages when you join

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/