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Looking up family history.

EVILDR235EVILDR235 Member Posts: 4,398 ✭✭
edited August 2002 in General Discussion
Anybody got into looking up family history? Someone else in my family started this,now they got me into it.Have my Mothers family going back to 1807 Germany.At this point the family name was Steffens.Don't really know much about my Fathers side.He left our house in 1952 to get a pack camels,and never came back.I have had no contact with him since that time.Went to the Social Security Death Index on the web,and found out he died 4 years ago.His family name was Small.There is a lot of web sites with information,but a lot of them cost money to sign up.It is very time consuming but fun.Anybody else done this with any success,or know some good free sites for info?
Dr.Evil
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Comments

  • DancesWithSheepDancesWithSheep Member Posts: 12,938 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Did he leave a will? You may be entitled to estate or other benefits.

    Why does man kill? He kills for food. But not only for food; frequently, he must have a beverage.
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  • agloreaglore Member Posts: 6,012
    edited November -1
    My cousin traced our family back to getting off the boat in Virginia in 1713 from Belgium. I used to belong to a website that was into genea=ology. When it went out of business, it sent all of the members CD's of a lot of historical data on different ports of entry. I have never used the CD's. They cover such things as property, wills and such. Different states and counties of different time frames. Naturalization records from PA. Isle of Wight County wills 1647-1800. Norfolk County wills 1752-1825. Augusta County wills 1748-1850. Lancaster County wills 1729-1825. Lancaster County land records 1729-1825. 1910 nYC Census, Richmond County. Passenger list 1820-1830. Cumberland County wills 1750-1825Bucks County wills 1682-1800. Bucks County Land records 1682-1800. Augusta County wills 1743-1800. Augusta County Deeds 1743-1800. Berks County Church records 1752-1825. New Orleans Passenger List 1840-1849. Lancaster County Church records 1729-1825. Spotsylvania County Land records 1722-1751. Berks County wills 1752-1825. Adams County Church records 1745-1825. Then it has a Master File.

    AlleninAlaska

    http://www.outdoor-o-rama.com

    He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
    -- Thomas Paine



    Edited by - aglore on 08/26/2002 01:52:50
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  • EVILDR235EVILDR235 Member Posts: 4,398 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Today was my first day looking up info.on him.My wife talked to him about 15 years ago.Said he was not my father,but mom says he is.I guess she should know.This is gonna take some time to nail down.Gonna get a phone book for his hometown,and see if he has got any other kin there.Have had no luck with the town newspapers obits.He lived in Orange Park,Flordia.
    Wish me luck,
    Dr.Evil
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  • Brth729Brth729 Member Posts: 1,231 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If you just want to trace your line, I've had a lot of luck using a site called familysearch.org. So far I've been able to trace my family back to 1665.

    ***I'm in the hi-fidelity first class travelling section I think I need a Leer jet***
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  • twinstwins Member Posts: 647 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Lucky for me my mom has been doing geneology for over 25 years. She has got about as far as a person can go. Someday I will have to sit with her and get the details on it. Its funny, but none of us kids are interested in it. Must be because we spent so much time hearing it and going to cemeteries, yes, even on vacations.
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  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427 ✭
    edited November -1
    Evil
    Try the Mormon church... The one in Salt Lake City has an extensive library of family histories as every member than joins the church MUST do a family history as far back as they can go, then the church will take over and get back further.... its to find out what lineage you are from... and all the info is stored on disc in Salt Lake City... if any member of your family was a member of the Church, the records will be there... and the search is free...
    You can contact them online at
    www.lds.org.. the click family history...


    Lil' Stinker's Opinion
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  • HAIRYHAIRY Member Posts: 23,606
    edited November -1
    After considerable digging and searching, I was able to get back to Adam and Eve. They left some notes under a rock that was found by an explorer. Boy, was I ever surprised!!!

    It's not what you know that gets you in trouble, it's what you know that just ain't so!
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Dr. Evil, if you really get into it, you can also do some research through the Library of Congress. We've been able to trace back to 1630 & 1640 (when they arrived here) for two ancestral branches. My 'job,' I guess, is to pick up on some of the other ones.

    Good luck and have fun - it can be very fascinating.
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  • ndbillyndbilly Member Posts: 1,573 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I've had a lot of luck with ancestry.com but there is a charge. I got in on a promo they were running and it wasn't awful. They do a good job with the census records but they are far from complete.

    One interesting note - Found out that greatx2grandfathers on Dad's side were in the Civil War. It is time-consuming, as someone else noted, but a lot of fun.
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  • NighthawkNighthawk Member Posts: 12,022 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have my fathers side on his mother back to the Cherokee Indians.I have a few pictures of course not that far back.His father came from England.There is alot of free web sites to help you out just do a search.My mothers side both ways are English but I have not had as much luck tracing hers back.Good luck,

    Best!!

    Rugster


    Toujours Pret
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  • AlerionAlerion Member Posts: 61 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Evil,

    If there is a LDS (Mormon) church in your area check with them to see if they have a Family History Center (FHC) there. Even if you're not Mormon they'll help you get started and you can use their facility (and advice) for free. The primary repository for their information is in Salt Lake City and if you need any information from there you can get it for a small cost to cover duplication and shipping. It's not meant to be a "for-profit" operation so any costs are pretty reasonable. And again, there's no cost for any information that's already at the FHC.

    If you start getting interested in geneology, get a good software program right away. It makes organizing your info easy as opposed to being very confusing if you try to do it on paper. I use Family Tree Maker but there are several other good programs as well. Try to stay away from the freeware programs. They tend to be pretty limited and are a pretty good example of "you get what you pay for."

    The Mormons are the geneology experts. In fact, most of the geneology software comes from cities near SLC. Actually the reason for this is pretty simple. Mormons believe that you can't get into heaven without being baptised in the Mormon church. And they are big believers in families and families being reunited in heaven but your non-Mormon ancestors aren't going to be there. BUT! You can be baptised in the Mormon church for your ancestors making them Mormon thereby gaining them eternal salvation! Such a Deal! Naturally, in spite of LDS teachings, I'm hoping that a few Lutherans can slip in as well! BTW, they do NOT try to convert you as you use the FHC. The only thing they'll do is to encourage you to share your family tree with them if you develop any new connections. It's not required however, I have one cousin who's a geneologist and she refuses to share anything with the Mormons. She's got over 6000 people in her/our family tree (see where the software comes in handy?) Personally I'm just a rookie at geneology, I've only got about 4500 people in my tree. But I've actually only got one branch that goes back as far as a great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (is that 10 greats yet?) grandmother.

    As you might guess, this can become somewhat of a compulsion. In any event, it tends to be a lot of fun.

    Enjoy!

    Tom

    So, just how does rendering me defenseless protect you from violent criminals?
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  • dhdh Member Posts: 127 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I started on mine a couple years ago,but I had asked my great aunt for any info she might have back in 1980 and she had a lot.My moms side started in Georgia across to Alabama and all my kin were on the Confederate side of the war,even with a couple heros.I am related to a Confederate officer named Gordon whom has a street named after him in my town of Alvin Texas,where all the streets are named after Civil War officers on both sides. My fathers side begins in Mineral Wells Texas and the oldest headstone in the cemetery there with my birth name says came to Texas in 1840 from Tennessee.
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  • dhdh Member Posts: 127 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I started on mine a couple years ago,but I had asked my great aunt for any info she might have back in 1980 and she had a lot.My moms side started in Georgia across to Alabama and all my kin were on the Confederate side of the war,even with a couple heros.I am related to a Confederate officer named Gordon whom has a street named after him in my town of Alvin Texas,where all the streets are named after Civil War officers on both sides. My fathers side begins in Mineral Wells Texas and the oldest headstone in the cemetery there with my birth name says came to Texas in 1840 from Tennessee.
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  • ccasey612ccasey612 Member Posts: 901 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I keep trying and keep running into dead ends.

    If you will blame gun makers for every shooting then blame car maker for every car accident.
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  • EVILDR235EVILDR235 Member Posts: 4,398 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thank you all for the helpful info.I think i will try the Mormons.They have 3 places in town here you can go to to do research.
    Dr.Evil
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  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    We have just a few old documents. My last name is Towsley. Apparently this comes from the European name Touslee.

    What we believe is that we are originally related to two brothers who came over on a ship from England. I have a relative named Nathaniel Towsley who fought in the French & Indian War and died after drinking water from a poisoned stream.

    I also have one ancestral document which appears to be a military or militia commission of some kind, which pleases me.

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
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