TOPIC:

Hmmm crikey ok here's a go...well at least the process i use. I tend to flit all over the place when researching though so might be hard for me to explain.

With Tom CUTTS, i put his name in the to general search box first with birth and death year parameters.

I then carefully went through the census for the years that were highlighted that he might appear in. From that I gain the information of his family including their movements. This gives me birth locations and checking with the information for the differing years, confirms whether or not i have the right family - writing it down can make connections seem clearer as you research.

When you find out the right areas they lived in and more dates, you can then take calculated guesses at years and places for marriages and look for the individuals amongst the records. Sometimes these can be just out of the counties people may have been born in although in the 1800's people didn't tend to move away much from the place they mainly were bought up in, unlike now and if they did it possibly was a major like immigration to another country. By doing this,you then get the females maiden name which can then lead to you hunting a maternal side down in the census by looking her up with her maiden name.

With Tom's mother, being noted as a widow in one census, i then went back to the previous one to see if she was a widow then. If not, then it will pinpoint the decade in which her husband died and you can do a finer search for him amongst other records such as the deaths.

It's sort of hard to explain but does take practice so don't be disheartened, there is an AMAZING lot of information to be gained by just a little patience and thinking outside the square ) and on saying that there are still some people i get practically no information for!

The information i've gleaned from Findmypast above for Tom and his family took over 3 hours but well worth it....in a funny sort of way, by the time you've completed the research, they almost feel like your own family!

I prefer Findmypast... i've used Ancestry.com also but feel that's a lot 'clunkier' to use.

Don't know if you can all see this, but may help if you have a subscription to FMP www.findmypast.co.uk/help-and-advice/kno...rriages-deaths/index

There is also the free BDM site www.freebmd.org.uk/

Don't forget to use your country's archives website - it may lead you to further documents such as probates [our NZ one often gives downloaded digital military records if they have been requested by someone already. For example see Tom CUTTS online.
archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do...20994856&digital=yes

Cheers [feel free to ask questions! I'll try to answer].
Sarndra

Ancestry.com has a help section yes www.ancestry.com/cs/HelpAndAdviceUS
and the message boards are certainly most worthwhile to 'noobs'
boards.ancestry.com/ [hope you can see those. I'm automatically logged in all the time, so may show unlogged a different page].

Findmypast.co.uk have a blog
blog.findmypast.co.uk/tag/great-war-forum/
and forums
www.familysearch.org/learn/forums/en/index.php

It's just a matter of trawling through the particular sections you require.

Cheers
Sarndra

Sarndra wrote: Thanks again Mark. Appreciate your kind comments. I love doing it we can learn so much by others lives! I was going to reply hours ago to this but got lost in findmypast.co.uk which i have a subscription to and lo and behold time went and i had to go out. I did find Tom's Boer War information on FMP so i don't know why i didn't look there myself!! DUH! Anyways i have now delved deeper in to the census info for Tom and his family and I'll post what I've found below because someone might come to 'own' the family one day

Cheers
Sarndra

Sarndra, Lol, we understand how FMP and Ancestry can occupy an entire day or three.

djb wrote: Mark/Sarndra,

A thought. Should we try to construct some forum threads to guide people on how to use Ancestry and FMP? There are some things I know and others I don's so I would find this information of use.

Does this information already exist elsewhere?

Regards
David

Good idea, David!
I see it's already happening !

Cheers,

Mark

My name is Karen Ritchie and I now live in Australia. I believe Tom Cutts is my great grandfather. My biological grandmother, his daughter, was Edith Cutts - mother to my father, Glen Beaumont. I remember Tom and Rachel when I was a young girl living in Auckland. I also remember that he had medals and memorabillia from the wars that was donated to the R.S.A. along with his journals. I would love any further information that anyone may have about him.

I was so excited to read this message as I had lost any links with his family.

Karen Ritchie

Teacher wrote: My name is Karen Ritchie and I now live in Australia. I believe Tom Cutts is my great grandfather. My biological grandmother, his daughter, was Edith Cutts - mother to my father, Glen Beaumont. I remember Tom and Rachel when I was a young girl living in Auckland. I also remember that he had medals and memorabillia from the wars that was donated to the R.S.A. along with his journals. I would love any further information that anyone may have about him.

I was so excited to read this message as I had lost any links with his family.

Karen Ritchie

Oh that's so cool Karen! I hope the information may be of benefit for you. If you find out what he was awarded his Military Medal for do let us know!

Cheers
Sarndra

I used to know Tom CUTTS who lived in Clevedon (near Auckland NZ)

If it is the same person my father knew him well. He lived for many years on a boat moored at the Clevedon wharf.
After a number of years Tom & his wife built a temp house out of old car crates on land near the river bank by Clevedon wharf.
Tom & my father Dave transported the crates from Otahuhu.
My father and I had many a cup of tea in Tom's old hut.
I remember one year the river flooded and my father had to carry Mrs. CUTTS on his back to get her out of the flood waters and onto dry ground.
I have seen Tom's medals on display in the Papakura RSA. I understand he served in 3 wars - Boer, WWI & WWII.

Bye for now

Doug

Please see photos of Mr. & Mrs. Tom CUTTS at link below.

www.flickr.com/photos/manzmystery/11789231266/in/photolist

www.flickr.com/photos/manzmystery/11789233016/in/photolist