It really depends on which record sets you need. I subscribe to all of these sites. I do most of my UK research on findmypast as I find it easier to search and it has more reliable transcriptions. However, there are records on Ancestry which are not on FindMyPast. I very rarely need to check out anything using MyHeritage records.
You can access old newspapers via FindMyPast which I find especially useful :)
If you are finding AncestryDNA not very useful then you may need to spend more time figuring out how it works. Learn how to group matches with colour coding and how to leverage the Common Ancestors functionality. It is the easiest of all of the DNA sites to when it comes to identifying how your matches fit into your tree.
When you are aware of an illegitimate birth then you need to start grouping matches that could lie in that part of your tree and then analyse their trees to look for their common ancestors. This can give you clues as to the ancestral lines for the father of the illegitimate child.
When you are aware of an illegitimate birth then you need to start grouping matches that could lie in that part of your tree and then analyse their trees to look for their common ancestors. This can give you clues as to the ancestral lines for the father of the illegitimate child.
Hi Emma,
If you’re looking at which site to subscribe to in order to access records (separate from questions about DNA research) then some of the key points for me are as follows:
- Ancestry is great because it syncs with Family Tree Maker, which I use like Chas, who posted earlier.
- FindMyPast has a better search facility, and also benefits from including the British Newspaper Archive.
Then, it comes down to coverage of different counties for parish records. Ancestry has comprehensive coverage of West Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and London. FindMyPast is essential if you’re researching for ancestors in Devon or Cheshire.
I started out with just Ancestry but for the last few years I’ve subscribed to both as my tree has grown.
I have not tried MyHeritage yet, as I thought many records there are American but I stand corrected. I always use Ancestry or FindMyPast. So glad Ancestry have released Essex records.
Thanks for getting back to me. I think it is more that most people I share DNA with don't have common surnames in their tree and we can't find out how we match, also I have alot of illegitimate births in my tree and the father could be anyone :(
So glad Ancestry have released Essex records.Ancestry don't have the images for Essex, just links to the pay site. So it's effectively useless.
Interestingly, in the description of the records (added in June), it states:So glad Ancestry have released Essex records.Ancestry don't have the images for Essex, just links to the pay site. So it's effectively useless.
Thanks for getting back to me. I think it is more that most people I share DNA with don't have common surnames in their tree and we can't find out how we match, also I have alot of illegitimate births in my tree and the father could be anyone :(
What I have done in the past with illegitimacy is, if I have an inkling of whom the father might be, then to put him into my online ancestry tree as if he is the true ancestor (albeit with a note) and then let thrulines and dna matches take their course and see if they link you with somebody else. You can keep deleting these putative fathers and trying another person and seeing if anything different comes up. Doing this has, in two cases, helped me overcome brickwalls.
Pheno