Has this ever happened to you?

[7igerby7he7ail]

Researching my tree over the years, I have had many twists and turns, brick walls, blind alleys, wrong turnings etc.etc.
I searched for many years, before the internet age, down to London’s record offices, Kew and beyond. Lots of painstaking work, but now I can feel quite satisfied, that I have a fairly comprehensive and organised tree.

A friend was very interested in starting her tree and asked me to give her a start and a few pointers in the right direction.
She had some certs which was handy and both her maternal and paternal great grandparents were married in 1910, which was also a good start.

So straight away I went to the 1911 census and found them. To cut a long story short, I have traced both her lines back to the ’41 census and found lots of ancestors for her to ‘start’ on.

What took me about 5 years to search for my own, has taken me an afternoon to locate hers!
Maybe in this internet age searching is easier [to start with anyway]

A least she didn’t say something like ‘that was easier than I imagined’

[patrexjax]

Hello!  YES, I had a very similar thing happen to me...only searching in the USA!  It's amazing what the internet now offers us all....BUT I have had to caution a few newcomers to be cautious of family trees on line.  Some new searchers have a tendency to want to instantly merge those trees in to theirs without trying to verify the information.  Nevertheless, the internet is AMAZING!     Pat

[heywood]

I helped a rootschatter with what was quite a vague request (he won't mind my saying it  ) for Irish information. I was interested because it was just a few miles alway from my family origins.
Through the easy access to Irish censuses of 1901 and 1911 (no pay  ) and then Family Search pilot, we were able to get back a  bit further. The Ellis Island site also had info re emigration to USA.
This enabled the gentleman to contact new found USA relatives who were able to confirm and add slightly more.
The amazing thing was that we then found out his direct ancestor was the sister-in-law to my gt gt grandmother. (The sister married my ancestor's brother).
It all just flowed but trying to sort out my Staffordshire family- with mispellings in the censuses etc is a bit of a nightmare 

[kathb]

Hi, Gensleuth, I have also helped others with the assistance of data on the internet.  It has made it all look so easy for them compared to my many hours spent in the local record and archives office still trying to break down brick walls of many years duration.
The internet is a wonderful tool, but does not replace handling original documents and finding information in unusual sources with reference to your ancestors. Finding a reference previously unknown is a great boost to the research and a great feeling
Regards
Kathb

[Gartag]

I'm with you there Kath, although with my mobility problems the internet has been an enormous help I still like to make the field trip to Derbyshire every 5 years or so.  To find the actual documents, graves, buildings, is the cream of research.  Of course the plodding and blind alleys are all part of it too, and they meke the results even more satisfying.

Garth

[Matt R]

I was in Nottingham RO just last week and can remember saying to a fello researcher in there that I seem to manage to find everyone elses relatives in a flash, and when it comes to my own...it takes me days if not weeks to even think of what may turn out to be a lead.

Maybe it's the fact all my lot were in every other county apart from Notts 

It does make you wonder though...I guess this is what turns genealogy from a curiousity into a hobby!

Reayboy

[aniph]

I spent 8 years in lds centres and other places trawling microfiche for my Croatian ancestors, translating and relying heavily on my school Latin!

Last December I did 2 family trees for friends going back 6 generations in 2 weeks! The power of the internet.

Annie

[davidft]

I have only been doing my tree on and off (mostly off) for the last five years but even in that short time I'm amazed at the number of records that have become available to people.

I do wonder if people starting now who can trace their ancestors back to 1841 in one afternoon on the computer are perhaps missing something. I recall the trips to archives sitting there for hours and being delighted to have unearthed one new fact. have the attraction of this hobby is the chase, finding everything too easily is no fun.

That said wish I could break my wall down 

[little alison]

I'm not very keen on travelling these days (69) and the internet is wonderful! And so many people very helpful, lookup, tips, even taking photos for me.

Has anyone else, though, found a relative in two places at once on a census? I found Alice Galllimore (9) in Newton-le Willows and in Everton, miles away - where she was staying with her uncle as there was a new baby at home, in 1911.

And very useful she was too, this was a breakthrough!
                                                                                - Alison.