With one of the largest assortments of genealogical records available online, Findmypast.com offers some pretty unique collections.
The site offers a wide assortment of records for those of us researching relatives from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and a growing collection of records from the US, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Papua New Guinea. Findmypast.com is also the only genealogy research service that provides a pay as you go credit system, allowing you to avoid a monthly subscription when searching for records.
So whether you’re looking for a great-great-grandfather who once served in the British military, a great-aunt that also happened to be an Irish prisoner, or a young apprentice from the 18th century you might want to make Findmypast.com a part of your journey.
Below are five great tips to get you started on your search–generously provided to Family History Daily readers from the experts at Findmypast.com.
1. To really maximize your results on findmypast, focus your initial search around “Who,” “What,” “When,” and “Where” and then filter your results from there. You can always add “variants” to first and last names to search for alternative spellings within the records.
2. When exploring your British roots, be sure to examine our unique collections, such as the apprenticeship records. These records often provide a fascinating look at an ancestor’s life, including their trade, age at apprenticeship, length of apprenticeship, etc. These collections help to fill in data that isn’t easily found in-between census years.
3. For those who had ancestors who served in the British Military, be sure to examine the army service record and pension collections on the site. Many of these collections include the original image–providing places of origins, description of service, and in some cases the actual signature of your ancestor.
4. When tracing ancestors in the US, findmypast offers the full United States Census collection as well as a growing collection of draft registration cards from the first World War. In addition, findmypast offers a multitude of US military records including records from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
5. You can always add a keyword in the “What Else” box when searching to search for any word that might be indexed in our collections. Keywords can include names, places, titles, occupations, and a host of other terms that can be useful in searching for your ancestors. A search using “What Else” can reveal individuals involved in the trading of bananas, the Revolutionary War, and a slew of other items.
About Findmypast.com:
Findmypast.com is the North American branch of findmypast, an international leader in online family history research and digital records with a long company history of expertise and passion in the genealogy field. Findmypast.com provides the most complete and relevant records in online family history and genealogy research, and members worldwide share its passion and rely on its expertise to help them discover the roots to their family tree.
Findmypast.com features unique and core U.S., English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Australian and New Zealand records dating back as far as the 7th century, including rare regional records. Our search tools and data accuracy are vital for both professional and budding genealogists, and we routinely partner with experts and organizations in the genealogical community to improve our site, benefit genealogical societies and support the advancement of genealogy across the U.S. Findmypast.com works closely with the genealogy community, including local libraries, archives, societies, and other organizations from around the world, to preserve, digitize and provide access to historical records and genealogical publications.
*Family History Daily is NOT an affiliate of findmypast, nor have we earned any money from this post. It is being offered in the hopes that it will provide useful information to you on your family history journey.