Best Search Engine Sites?

[Mike Owens]

After many hours of looking, I am finding out most information is not free. As I have a limited budget which one would be the best to use? My main target will be Hollinwood, Oldham, Lancashire area. What are your thoughts on Ancestery.com?

Thanks,
Mike

[MarkCDodd]

Ancestry is the best single site if you have relatives in both the UK and overseas.

The best tool on Ancestry is loading your tree onto their site and investigate the clues automatically generated.

If you are lucky you will find others invetigating the same individuals.

Be warned that many trees contain badly researched information and not all clues generaed by Ancestry are releavant.

Ancestry is fantastic, but not as easy to use as their adverts would make out.

No other single site will provide as much information as Ancestry but I am registered with all the major ones as they all contribute different clues.

[Mike Owens]

Ancestry is the best single site if you have relatives in both the UK and overseas.

The best tool on Ancestry is loading your tree onto their site and investigate the clues automatically generated.

If you are lucky you will find others invetigating the same individuals.

Be warned that many trees contain badly researched information and not all clues generaed by Ancestry are releavant.

Ancestry is fantastic, but not as easy to use as their adverts would make out.

No other single site will provide as much information as Ancestry but I am registered with all the major ones as they all contribute different clues.

Thanks, Mark.

[linell]

I think Find My Past is much easier for Beginners to navigate.

Linell.

[rockyfowler]

You can use Ancestry Free at your local Library Best RF

[SRD]

Ancestry uses a lot of info from FreeBMD which you might find useful. I don't know if US libraries also have free internet access to such places. Over here some libraries have access to other 'paid for' sites. I understand that The Genealogist is pretty good too but I haven't used it.

[MarkCDodd]

The Genealogist is brilliant for Parish Records and non-conformist.

It is the only site that allows you to search for families in the census based on forename only. That one tool has resolved dozens of brick walls for me.

The ability to search across dozens of almanacs, post office records and gazettes is also brilliant.

They were adding Poll books but it looks like Ancestry have nabbed the rights to those...

Their 1911 census index and pictures are far better than on Find My Past and they have sold them to Ancestry.

The BMD indexes are far more accurate on both Find My Past and The Genealogist than Ancestry.

Find My Past is good for military and some immigration records.

Find My Past is easier to use but has far less usefull information for beginging your tree than Ancestry.

Stay away from Genes Reunited. It is the most overated and underwelming site out there....

The Library edition of Ancestry is missing many features.

If you use Ancestry with Family Tree Maker 2012 you can syncrhonise and work on your tree on your PC with your web version.

World Vital Records is an excellent site that I use quite a lot as well.

[Northern Lass]

this is good too for Lancashire and other counties
http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/

[SRD]

Mark mentioning World Vital Records reminded me that the app I use to build my tree, (MyHeritage's Family Tree Builder) either has links with, or has just bought, WVR, to which you get access if you take their top package.

[Kleftiwallah]

Sorry for bringing this subject up once again but it looks like I'll have to register with 'search people'. I've tried to get as far as I can without registering as I have a dread of being inundated with online 'stuff'.

Could someone put my fears to rest?

Cheers, Tony.

[peterd]

best site for lancs is this one

http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/indexp.html


free search engine try this

http://www.copernic.com/en/downloads/index.html

use to use it a lot always found it ok

[tottie]

I had no idea that Copernic was still available. Not used it for years. That could be handy for lots of things.

[mikleed]

Pete.........Just installed Coppernic.