Many thanks to everyone who sent in a top tip. Your own discovery may prove a lifeline to one or both of our competitors. Here they are:
Don't forget to search for a Will of an ancestor - a Will may mention other family members. (From David Hawkings of Taunton, Somerset).
Join RootsChat (its free), there will be a whole army of folk who will be able to help and advise, record lookups are always available 24hrs, when the Brits go to bed the Aussie genealogists are wide awake. All the competitor will have to do is make themselves known. (From Simon in Preston).
Freebmd very, very useful especially used in conjunction with census records. Really speeded up my research. (From Sue)
When using a site like www.ancestry.com and viewing original records turn the pages in both directions, relatives quite often live close to each other. (From Sue again – thanks Sue!)
Join www.Rootschat.com . Ask for help and you will be e-mailed when there is a response. Many boards where you can post your request for help with a look-up (especially if you say that you are one of the two "trace your Roots" contestants.) We have a discussion going already in the Common Roon (Lighter Side) P.S Matt Pinsent is one of our members..it is very respectable!! (From Jane)
I happened to tune in this afternoon and heard about the two people who are going to try researching their family history on the internet and otherwise. I started 'messing about' with mine on the internet during the summer and have been fortunate to meet two distant family members on the Genes Reunited website. Gaining access to their trees has given me a wealth of additional information. So my tip would be to get yourself on that site. (From Penny Merrett, Sheffield)
Our Top Tip for new family history researchers is to ensure they speak to the oldest member of their family first to find out what they know and then draft ytheir first family tree from this information. (From Sarah and James White)
My top tip for people starting out on researching their family history would be to visit the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints web site www.familysearch.org. I managed to trace my branch of the Francis family back to 1596 in about 5 mins! This provided a framework for my research. It also gave the name and address of the person who had submitted the info so I wrote to him and he put me in touch with lots of other family members. (From David Francis Dalton)
Due to illiteracy and mistransciptions surnames are subject to vast spelling fluctuations in records! Kemp becomes Camp, Wilden becomes Wilding/Wileden/ Wildon, Dunthorne becomes Dunton, Bartaby becomes Batterby. (From Lynn Sharpe– guest on Programme 2)
Don’t be fazed if your ancestors put down a different birthplace for each census year! (From Lynn Sharpe again, thanks Lynn!)
Can I suggest that they join the Rootschat forum? www.rootschat.com It's free, friendly and fun. Advice, look-ups, even photos of graves and old homes if you are lucky. There are Rootschatters world-wide, so very helpful if you are researching long distance. (From J Spink)
Internet records are sometimes misspelled; look at names that are similar, not just exact matches. (From Pat Blalock)
A good port of call to find out your family history (is) a Public Library in the area in which an interesting member of the family came from. (From Simon George Spratt)
If there is no birth certificate for your ancestor, check the Births Register for the nearest workhouse (at the local County Record Office). I found my illegitimate g-g-grandfather this way, I guess his mother being a pauper had no money to pay the legal registration fee (1845). (From Lynne, in Fleet, Hants)
I started my family history search by taking old family photos into the local pub in the village where my great-grandfather lived. From this I met someone who had lived in the area all his life and he was able to tell me more about where my ancestors had lived. Although the house had been demolished, I was able to visit the site where the family home had once stood next to the Chesterfield canal. I found out much more than I would have done on the internet! (Jane Hamilton)
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