Community Chat

[bargainsgirl]

ANyone use this site?  I have heard good things but don't want to get locked in to a long expensive service.

[ValuSkr]

You can get a free 14-day trial, and monthly memberships are $19.99.  My brother has used Ancestry and got a lot out of it.  I would probably get a trial and/or monthly membership first.

[janz]

@bargainsgirl

YES!  Absolutely love it.  I also just purchased the newest version of Family Tree Maker.  Have used both for years.  FTM is a program you buy and own forever that you enter your family "tree" (names) into ... the format walks you through it.  When you subscribe to Ancestry little leaves pop up on the names indicating information online that may belong to that person.  It also helps connect you to "cousins" searching the same ancestor.  There is a lot of information online and Ancestry helps you find it, much of which is only available to members.  Plus you can search other "trees" that have been loaded onto Ancestry.  With the help of my searches on Ancestry and very distant "cousins" and other helpful people I've "met" on Ancestry I have records, documents, pictures, and other information dating back to the 1400s on the 5,000+ names in my family trees.

FYI... you can sign up for a free 14-day membership to try it but I would suggest having a lot of family information so you can do searches during the free trial (parents/grandparents/children, birth/death/marriage dates and places, maiden names) as the more you enter, the more you can find out...the farther back you go, the more you learn.  Subscriptions can be paid monthly or yearly (which saves money).  If you subscribe, you do not have to renew.  Make sure you document what you find.  Once you find regions, counties, states where your ancestors lived you can sign up on Rootsweb to county genealogy sites and search those records too.

I also did the Ancestry DNA test that provides regions and heritage and connects with possible ancestors with others sharing DNA.  

[Yardlie]

@bargainsgirl ... Yes, I use it. I have traced my father's father side of the family back to 1450. I have Ancestry World.

[ALRATIBA]

I've been a member for years.  It's expensive, but I think it's well worth it.  Over the years, I've "met" several distant cousins whose families still live in Europe.  Just recently (August) ... another cousin who lives in Florida.

Ancestry interfaces with the Family Tree Maker software so if you update one, it automatically updates the other.  

You might want to look into Familysearch.Org.  It's free.  

[Shanus]

My hubby is addicted. Whenever he has a free moment at the computer, he’s looking for distant relatives...My son, who is adopted, has copied his lead since he doesn’t know about his “birth family tree” & accepts this one as his own. A compliment to his love of our family.

[Laura14]

If you purchase the DNA kit, do you also have to have a membership or can you just do the kit and get the results?  

[BirdieGal]

We have the full subscription and have both done the DNA test. It is fascinating! Easy to get wrapped up in it and end up spending all day on the site. 

Well worth it IMO. 

[janz]

@Laura14

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@Laura14 wrote:

If you purchase the DNA kit, do you also have to have a membership or can you just do the kit and get the results?  

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You can do the DNA kit without subscription but get more results if you are a member of Ancestry.  You can get  Ancestry DNA Results with/without subscription

Might have to google it.

[janz]

@Shanus

If interest, has your son tried the DNA kit to try to learn about his birth family?  Sometimes it is important to them, sometimes not, but you may be able to learn medical history.  I have a neice who cared and discovered brothers and a nephew who does not care and not interested in learning.  

Your son sounds like a true gem in his family.