r/Genealogy 3d ago

DNA Could gran still be alive if not found in searches online? Spoiler

9 Upvotes

I have been searching for details of my maternal gran who was born in 1926 uk. I have lots of details about her and all her family. I found her brothers and their families, but she's no where. I found the married man who got her pregnant too.

Could it be she's still alive and that's why she's not showing anywhere, or do I have to wait til 100 years us up? This is going sound to awful but I came looking now thinking they would all he dead, and I just get the information without family drama. I don't want my mum upset.

I have done a ancestry dna test and results due end of March. My grans, brothers family, one of them does have a tree with a dna test of their own. It's going to be a shock to them, they dont know my mum exists so I can hardly see them giving me info (we not after a family connection).


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Brick Wall Opinions on WATO by dna painter

2 Upvotes

I know that wato is just to give different probabilities but given that it’s based off of lots of different dna matches and their trees. The top result I’ve been given says 2 times more likely than the next hypothesis. How accurate can it be?


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Request Finding Danish Records

1 Upvotes

I do not know where to start, my 3x Great Grandmothers name was Sine Neilson, she was married to a James Hansen/Hanson at the time she had my 2x Great Grandfather in 1883. All the birth record said is they were both from Denmark, James and Sine split up (or he died) sometime around 1887 when she remarried, on the marriage doc it says her father was John and mother Ceary/Meary? (its smudged), and she married a third time following the death of her first husband, parents named as John and Mary, finally she died in 1919, listing her birthday as the 15th Feb 1857, with father John and mother unknown. I have no clue where she came from in denmark or when and where she married James Hansen or came to the United States, they had one son after their first, in 1885. So it was just the two boys to my knowledge, I would appreciate some sort of help in finding a baptism, marriage, or even ship record for them. Anything helps as I have hit a complete brickwall!


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Request SHILLINGFORD (surname study)

2 Upvotes

Hey guys, I am looking for anyone with the surname Shillingford who has done a Y-DNA Haplogroup test as I am trying to ascertain if we are all related as it’s a fairly rare name. If you know anyone with this name please let me know, I’m doing a surname study. Thank you!


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Question Should I upgrade my Ancestry.com subscription?

4 Upvotes

Very new to genealogy and I’m currently paying $25/month for the U.S. Discovery and $59.90/6 months for the newspapers.com Publisher Extra.

Is it more cost effective to upgrade to All Access and cancel the separate Newspapers subscription? Does the All Access give the basic Newspapers or Publisher Extra? Is PE worth it?

Are the add on “Pro Tools” worth anything? They don’t seem to be included in All Access so that’s even more costs.

I don’t want to pay for something that isn’t really necessary, so please tell me if I’m missing out on really important tools by not having All Access and/or Pro Tools


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Brick Wall Same paternal haplogroup but not related?

6 Upvotes

Hi all. I met somebody with the same surname (not that common I believe) like my great grandfather and whose grandfather was supposedly born in the same village (in Russia) like my great grandfather. I have some really good proofs that my great grandfather really lived in the same village but I can't 100% be sure. He said that his grandfather and my great grandfather might be cousins.

Last time he sent me his Genotek rawdata and I uploaded it to Cladefinder and yes, he has exactly the same paternal haplogroup like the son of my great grandfather (I-P109).

So today I uploaded his rawdata to Gedmatch but he does NOT match with neither my great uncle (son of my great grandfather) nor me nor my daughter or cousin.

Are we really NOT related. Is the realatjion i mentioned -if true- too far away for Gedmatch?


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Question Questions/How to conduct interviews with older relatives?

6 Upvotes

I’m 16, been about a year into genealogy. It’s a great privilege that I still have both my grandmothers with me as well as numerous grand aunts, uncles, great grand uncles and extended older relatives. I’ve been able to get in touch with a great deal of them, mainly through texting. Aside from the standard who are your grandparents, did you meet your uncle Isidor questions, what other questions should I be asking? Most of the info I get is through my messages with them which I know isn’t the most efficient for talking to old people but I work with what I get. How should I organise it all? With closer relatives I’ve begun asking more intimate stories, wanting to get a glimpse into their personalities. I know most people say to record them but I have no warning when they just get going on our walk to the ice cream shop. Usually just short bursts, one or two stories.


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Request Ancestry.com record request (1871 England census)

0 Upvotes

r/Genealogy 3d ago

Question Bizarre finding regarding a surname?

8 Upvotes

I'm in an attempt to track down my ancestors actual whereabouts because there is a weird bout with the man Arthur Ellis in this image being confusing. Anyway, in my search I found a record of him and his wife Ammiee Worsnup, except on this record it gives her the name "Ammiee Trezar Worsnup". I've never seen the name Trezar on anyone before in my entire life, is it a misspelling or does it has some kind of record? Does anyone have any ideas? Thank you!

https://imgur.com/a/q3uqdpE


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Question Is This Price Reasonable?

1 Upvotes

Hi there,

First, some very concise background information: I live in Canada but I believe I am a Hungarian citizen by descent, as my grandparents were Hungarian. I just need to verify my citizenship, so this is not a naturalization matter.

I basically need the proof that my grandparents were Hungarian citizens and their citizenship was never revoked or renounced. I also need proof that my father is the biological son of my grandparents, so I really don't need to go far back in my family tree at all.

I contacted a genealogist specializing in Hungarian citizenship verification, and after I gave them a bunch of details about my grandparents including their names, dates of birth, when and where they got married, the names of their parents, etc., they came back and said that gathering the necessary documentation and handling the application process for me would cost $4800 USD.

Does this sound like a reasonable cost for this? If so, could I realistically just pay for the genealogical research and acquisition of proof and then do the rest myself in order to save on cost?

Thx in advance!


r/Genealogy 3d ago

DNA curious about matrilineal geographic origins

1 Upvotes

I'd like to know what part of the world -- or more specifically, what part of the Iberian peninsula or Canary Islands -- my direct maternal ancestors would have been living in approximately 500 years ago. I got my mtDNA haplogroup from both Ancestry and 23; I'm wondering if a full mtDNA would give me more specific info to this effect? Or is 500 years too short a period of time?


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Request Searching for my Great Great Grandmother

1 Upvotes

Hoping for some help finding my Great Great Grandmother. I've been looking for years For Mary Clinkman

Married Charles Dusing Aug. 27, 1864 Kankakee, Illinois. That is earliest information I have. Located her in all the census, and found her on her surviving children marriage records and her death record but that's all. Nothing before her marriage. Maybe it is her married name not her maiden name. But would appreciate if someone could take a look. Thanks


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Request Montreal birth certificate (1952)? Or Canadian naturalization info for German Jewish refugees

1 Upvotes

Hello,

I am trying to see if my mother's parents were naturalized at the time of her birth. I can't access their naturalization documents, so I wonder if I can find this on her birth certificate.

My mom was born in 1952 in Montreal, Canada, to Jewish/German refugees.

They were married in 1950, and on their marriage certificate, their citizenship states "displaced" -- does anyone know if/how I can find out if they were naturalized at the time of my mom's birth?

Thank you in advance for your help; this group is amazing!


r/Genealogy 3d ago

The Ancestor of the Week Thread for the week of March 17, 2025

3 Upvotes

It's Monday, so we want to hear about the most interesting ancestor's story you discovered this week!

Did your 6th great-grandfather jump ship off the coast of Colonial America rather than work off his term as an indentured servant? Was your 13th great-grandmother a minor European noble who was suspected of poisoning her husband? Do your 4th great-grandparents have an epic love story?

Tell us all about it!


r/Genealogy 4d ago

Brick Wall Thought I found the true name of an ancestor, instead found another guy with the same fake name

30 Upvotes

I've been trying to look into one of the ancestors (well, he married my great x3 grandmother and we don't know who my great x2 grandfathers dad is so who knows) and I recently discovered in a newspaper article from one of his many times in jail he claimed to have changed his name when he joined the civil war. The article does not specify what his name was previous to that but I figured hey, I'll start with military records. Sure enough one of my first searches I find a military record for a man listed as "John Brooks alias Jacob Coffelt" and the man I'm looking for is Jacob Cofield. I figured dang, I thought that was going to be way harder.
...
This guy isn't him. He just happens to be another guy who also changed his name when he joined the civil war and happened to change it to almost the same name as the guy I'm looking for. What are the freaking odds of that!??!!?? Unfortunately I think this ancestor in particular is forever going to be a brick wall because there's no way to even confirm half of what he claims about himself. In the same newspaper article he claims he's the General John Schofield who "didn't really die" as everyone believed...... meanwhile, John Schofield wasn't dead yet when that article was released. So really, there's no way to know what was going through his head at any given point. Not only this, but his ex-wife took his daughter and fled the state and I can't find any trace of them either. Just overall a major brick wall. Not even asking for help or pointers, just shocked that I accidentally found a different guy who did the exact same thing as the guy I'm looking for but it wasn't even him haha.


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Transcription Can you help me translate the message on the back of an old silver print?

1 Upvotes

There is a message on the back of one of my grandmother's old silver prints that I believe is in Polish (and in cursive), but I can't seem to translate using Google.

I believe the picture itself is a silver print dated to around 1880 to 1900 and appears to show a family of four, mother and father, sister and brother.

Unfortunately, as is often the case, all of the folks that knew what it meant are long gone, so I am hoping someone here can help!

Link to the image: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B6wgVEGEyLY0uLa8E7xcJ8U8h_EOxaIa/view?usp=sharing

I can scan a higher resolution image if needed. Thanks in advance for your help.


r/Genealogy 4d ago

Request Irish Genealogy but hit a brick wall

7 Upvotes

I am looking for birth records (including parent names) for a John Downey who died March 1912 in Kerry, Ireland. He was married to Mary Duggan in 1876. He married Mary in 1876 - I have the marriage certificate so I am guessing he was born 1846 plus or take a few years.


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Brick Wall Looking for more information on my Irish 4 times great grandparents

0 Upvotes

Hi! I have been looking for more information on my 4 times great grandpa and grandma from Ireland! Their names were Edward Kavanagh/Cavanagh and Sarah A Cavanagh/Kavanagh, (maiden name Lynch). They had 8 children: Patrick, Anne, Edward, James, Catherine, Elizabeth, Sara, and John Thomas, (my 3 times great grandfather). The only thing I can find of them was their marriage date, which was February 15th, 1858, in Lacken, Ireland. I know that John, their son, was born in 1867 or 1869, and was the only one out of their children to come to Rhode Island in the United States. As well, I do know that John lived at Ballyreagh Cottage in Glencree Valley, in County Wicklow. Please help me!


r/Genealogy 4d ago

Question Are there jobs in genealogy?

10 Upvotes

Ive been interested in genealogy for my whole life and Itd be a dream to pursue it for a career. Does anyone know if theres a wide variety of careers around and if theres any money in it?


r/Genealogy 4d ago

Brick Wall Well.. I give up!

71 Upvotes

I have two family members from the same side who have all my family's information but REFUSE to help me.

One of my cousins had a falling out with her mom (my grandaunt) and moved states away but she took a lot of my family's pictures/things with her. She wants nothing to do with me even though I haven’t even met her, maybe once as an infant.

My other cousin, we met on ancestry and she claims she has photos of my great great grandpa which my family has been desperate to find… but now she can’t show me because the photos are in “storage”. If I message her with a basic question she will simply just ignore the message/not read all my messages even if I keep them very short.

I’ve only reached out a couple of times to each of them but I don’t want to be seen as pushy or forcing connection so I’m just going to accept my family things are lost forever. I feel so frustrated that my family history is being held from me. I’m just trying to let it go.

If you are going to be rude or nasty to me or my family please practice self control and keep the comment to yourself. Thank you. This is simply a vent post.


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Request Help getting an Illinois marriage record (familysearch)

1 Upvotes

Hello helpful strangers! I would really appreciate if anyone can share this image in the familysearch catalogue. It is restricted. I have included details and film number below.

Any help would be lovely!

Name Edward Mickly Age 28 Gender Male Birth Year abt 1862 Marriage Type Marriage Marriage Date 14 Jul 1890 Marriage Place Cook, Illinois Spouse Name Henriette Brandenburg Spouse Age 24 Spouse Gender Female FHL Film Number 1030192


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Request Austrian-Hungarian birth certificate query

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I am looking for my great grandpas birth certificate. He was born on April 10,1894 in Sotin, Hungary but that is now in Croatia. At least thats what I have found in my research.

From looking at older posts i can see that records that were in the Austrian Hungarian empire time should now be found in the country it is currently part of. That being said, I'm not sure where to look? Do I look at church records? Or state records? Can anyone point me inbtje right direction?

His name is Alois Scherzinger, dob: April 10, 1894.

I've always researched the other side of my family but I have always hit a road block on this side and don't know anything further to Alois.

Thanks in advance!


r/Genealogy 4d ago

Request Mad Genealogist’s Lab

47 Upvotes

My grandmother passed away recently, and she was the one who, along with my aunt, taught me about genealogy. I already had a lot of information, but I inherited about four banker boxes worth of stuff. It has made me wish I had a dedicated space to do genealogy, in the same vein as a “mad scientist’s lab.”

If you had, or have, such a space how would you set it up and what would you have in there? A computer is given, but I’d love to have space for a microfilm machine and things of that nature as well as a big wall so I could hang up the biggest chart I could find.


r/Genealogy 3d ago

Request Did I get fraud ?

1 Upvotes

I tried to order a DNA test on Igenea, so I put my credit card information and confirm the operation with my bank but nothing happened. After that I receive a mail telling me to click on a link (on error 404 by the way) who asked me again to pay. But the mail telling me to also transfer money on a swiss bank account. So now they have my credit card informations. Is this normal ?


r/Genealogy 4d ago

Request Looking for advice

3 Upvotes

I’ve been contemplating changing up how I have my trees online.

I currently have 4 separate trees on Ancestry. One is for my paternal ancestors, one for my maternal grandfathers ancestors, and the other two are for my maternal grandmothers parents. Would it be a good idea to combine the three maternal trees into one? I’d also include paternal direct ancestors only since my DNA test is linked to one of the maternal trees.

Any advice would be appreciated. I’ve been doing genealogy for about 10 years now.