Find Ancestors

Please don't just post a name and expect the floodgates to open. At least add a year, if only approximate, and a geographical area or place name with county and country. These are far better than "John Smith married Ann Jones, they had 3 children" or "Fred Bloggs died 1930, I cannot find his brothers and sisters". Also, please tell us where and when you found who you are looking for. In fact, posting any information you know helps us to narrow down the search parameters and means not wasting our time. After all, we are volunteers.

Furthermore: what are you looking for? Is it the registration of a birth or baptism, death or marriage, a family group, military record, emigration, occupation, spouse?

thanks for that robert. Some people think we're psychic and sometimes we only get the first name of people. if this is the case, i just dont bother replying any more

I blame GR, the site!


They don't give any advice on how to use these boards.

They don't tell people that any postings on the Surnames Board, also appear on Trying To Find ..... this is the main reason for surnames not showing up Jenna. Peeps are posting on the Elliott thread on Surnames, and think they don't need to repeat the surname!

They also don't tell people that the ones who help are NOT paid employees of GR, but members like themselves, using their own subscriptions to other sites (as well as sometimes paying out for pay per view) to help others.


And, of course, so many peeps are so caught up in their own research that they just plain forget that others are not!




sylvia

Most threads get answered very quickly but the poster disappears,

All the census info is posted and then you find out they had it all but want to trace family after 1901?

Or you find out after several question that they do actually have the birth or marriage cert.


Any piece of information, however small, is so useful.

Maureen

Yesterday I deleted all my replies in threads over a week old for those who did not respond to the information I sent them. People are not coming back to me to let me know if the information was correct or even answering my questions such as 'What area?' or 'Do you have an approximate dob?' I know that we all have busy lives but if you are going to ask for help the best thing to do is ask at a time when you are sitting at your pc and can answer questions from those trying to help, or get back to the thread within 24 hours.

Also please do not send the helper a pm, its very confusing when you get a message saying 'yes thats the right one' when you have done two dozen look ups that day. Put all your replies on your thread then if one person cant help possibly another one can.

Hello
My two cents worth. I agree wholeheartedly, in fact I didn't know a lot were volunteers.
For my part, I don't know how anybody expects people to help them find information when their postings are illiterate, misspelt; their posts read more like car splutters than requests for help.
Please! Information is easier to find if its spelt or posed properly.
From Oz

wise owl,

All information, be it census or BMD's etc, are posted by volunteers.

GR staff do not help with lookups.

Maureen

Well said everybody!!
I'm fed up with spending literally hours looking for info for people that don't even bother to check the replies!!!
Christine

I don't mind if the spellings not that great so long as I can read what is written but I refuse point blank to reply to textspeak!

My new rule is if they havent looked at my replies within a couple of days then I am deleting them and will not provide anymore information for them.

One person regularly is coming on here and asking for '1841 forward please', this person also wants the census records sent to her. Now thats okay for a couple of times but the idea with genealogy is to at least try and do some of the research yourself.

I'm lucky enough to have ancestry worldwide subscription which not everyone can afford but there are times when I feel we get taken advantage of, mainly by GR itself!

Claire, I no longer answer textspeak either, its becoming clear we are all getting fed up with the same things!

wise owl as Maureen said, none of us get paid for doing this, we are using our own time and money in order to help people which we obviously all enjoy doing, however, the least others can do is wait around to respond to any queries we may have in order to help them.

Maybe if a person hasn't responded to info given within 48 hours - a pm should be sent telling them to look and say whether the thread is closed!
Christine

The thing is Christine they should be getting back to us not the other way around, we are the ones using our time and resources, we shouldnt actually have to go back and remind them to look at their threads.

Yeah I know!!
In an ideal world!!
Christine

n - this needs to be seen by as many as possible so lets keep it on the front page!

Does anybody bother to read posts with so many replies??
Lets hope so!!
Maybe Genes should create a page for beginners!
To explain to them how to use the TTF board!
Christine

n

Reggie - I did not Know that was how it used to work, but some people would miss out if it had stayed that way. For example I have just done a parish record look up for some one because I lived close to the CRO, sent them the info which was acknowledged with thanks and the reply that with the info I gave they could now go looking round the right graveyard to continue their research.
However I do no longer put up info for people who could look it up themselves but point them to the appropriate site (as I know you do). I also ignore posting in text speak or if what they want is not stated - just 'any info' as they often have what you spend time looking for already.
I agree LindyLu - you would think people would stay on line for 30 mins so that they could read the replies - I would not have the patience to wait weeks before looking at answers to my queries!

Reggie
Oh, how I agree that the TTF board should have been left alone!

Lancashire Ann,
The Records Office board used to be the one where people could ask for lookups for ancestors (not living people) and this worked really well. Now helpers have at least 3 boards all with the same type of requests.

As for spelling & grammar!! Sometimes it is so bad that I cannot understand what is being said. The odd spelling (or typing) mistake we all make but when every word is spelt wrong and and there is no punctuation, it is just impossible.

And as for spelling! I can

Thanks Potty I did not know that about the records office site - I am a relative newbie. In which case I agrre with you both. (any bad spellings I make in the next 3 weeks, or strange numbers, please excuse as i am using a French keyboard which is totally different!)