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If you have just started your family history journey, or have conducted some research already, but are beginning to think that you will not be able to continue with your journey because you do not have the time to visit record offices or other institutions, think again.
Many records are available online at FindmyPast, which is one of the websites I use to conduct family history research. I particularly like the fact that the records are available all in one place, which is perfect for me because I do not always have the time to visit Record Offices and libraries, and then conduct research manually.
If you choose the Pro Subscription, you obtain access to all records, which includes records from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, all from the comfort of my home. FindmyPast even has a extensive newspaper collection.
The site offers a 14-day free trial so you can see if the website is suitable for you and your needs before you incur any expenditure.
The features offered by FindmyPast makes it the perfect choice for anyone whether or not they are always busy because you can go the site and conduct research even if you only have 30 minutes to research your family history. It’s incredible how much information you can uncover even in that short time.
One other feature is that you can see if your ancestor is included in the record before purchasing a subscription.
If you are interested in a specific topic, please use these links so you can go to the appropriate section immediately. If you would like a more detailed review, please read the article in full.
| Who is FindmyPast best for? | How to create a FindmyPast Account | Different Subscriptions | Subscriptions at a Glance |
| How to use FindmyPast | Any Drawbacks? | Greatest Advantages | Conclusion |
Who is FindmyPast Best For?
- Great for anyone, whether you have conducted family history research before, or are just beginning your journey
- Anyone who does not have the time or the ability to visit Record Offices – even if you only have 30 minutes to spare, you can still conduct research
- The website is available 24/7, whereas Record Offices are only open during normal business hours
How to Create a FindmyPast Account
You can create a free account by filling in your details on the Sign Up page, which can be accessed by clicking sign up at the top right of their Home Page. These details include first and last name, email address, password, date of birth (optional), and postcode (optional).
You also have to tick the box to state that you agree with their terms and conditions. At this stage you can choose to obtain emails from FindmyPast regarding release notifications and news and tips.
Once you have clicked Sign Up, you will be taken to another screen where you can state what your research goals are, or you can choose to skip this section. It will then ask you if you have created a family tree before. If you choose no, it will then ask you if you would like to start creating a tree. You can either choose to start creating your family tree, or skip that section.
Once you have completed the signup process, you will be taken to the screen stating ‘search all records’.
Different Subscription Options on FindmyPast
Free Trial
FindmyPast offers a 14-day free trial of the subscription you wish to purchase, so you can see if the site is best for you before purchasing the actual subscription.
If you decide not to continue with a paid subscription after using the free trial, you have to cancel it before the 14-day period ends or they will automatically charge you for the full subscription.
Starter Subscription
The Starter subscription is perfect if you only wish to access UK Census and birth, marriage and death records. This is the subscription to choose if you only wish to go back to the advent of civil registration in 1837.
You can also upload your family tree – should anything go wrong with your computer, or with your family history file, you know that your tree is secure.
You can also view other people’s family trees and can contact the person who uploaded the tree if you find that you share a common ancestor. This is a great way of making contact with family members you may not have known about.
It is always best to check the information you find on other people’s trees before adding it to your own tree, however, because some information may be inaccurate.
This subscription costs £10.99 per month.
Plus Subscription
The Plus Subscription gives you access to all the records in the Starter Subscription along with UK Parish Records, which is the best option if you wish to take your tree back further than 1837.
Choosing this option could also be useful in tracing someone born after 1837 if you are unable to find them in the GRO Index of births, marriages and deaths. You may be able to find a baptism record for the individual, which can help you further your research.
Access to the 1939 Register is also included in this subscription.
Other records included with this subscription include:
- British and Irish Parish Records
- British Wills and Probate Records
- British and Irish Electoral Registers and Directories
- British and Irish Education and Employment Records
- Specialist Irish Records
- British and Irish Migration and Travel Records
- Military Records
Pro Subscription
The Pro Subscription gives you access to all the records included in the Starter and Plus subscriptions, but also includes records from all over the world, including United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
It also gives access to their extensive collection of newspapers and the PERSI collection, which is a collection of articles, how-to guides, and genealogies from genealogical and historical society publications from all over the world.
FindmyPast Subscriptions at a Glance
To obtain any of the following subscriptions, please go to findmypast.co.uk
Please be aware that you have to submit your Credit Card details even if you choose the 14-day free trial. It is especially important to remember that should you purchase a subscription, it does auto-renew.
| FindmyPast Subscriptions at a Glance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resources | Starter | Plus | Pro | Premium |
| Unlimited Family Trees | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tree search | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Share your family tree | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Get common ancestors from other trees | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contact people with common ancestors | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Keep your tree with us forever | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| British and Irish civil BMDs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| British and Irish census | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 15% loyalty discount upon yearly renewal (12-month subscription only) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Crime records | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1939 Register | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| British and Irish Parish Records | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| British Wills and Probate | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| British and Irish Electoral Registers and Directories | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| British and Irish Education and Employment Records | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Specialist Irish Records | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| British and Irish Migration and Travel Records | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Military, Armed Forces and Conflict Records | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Extensive US and Canada Records | Yes | Yes | ||
| Extensive Australia and New Zealand Records | Yes | Yes | ||
| All other global records | Yes | Yes | ||
| Newspapers | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1921 Census (unlimited access) | Yes | |||
| 1921 Census (discounted micropayment access – only available with 12-month Pro subscription) | Yes | |||
| Price of Subscription | £10.99 per month | £14.45 per month/£38.49 3 months/£134.99 yearly | £19.49 per month/£49.99 3 months/£184.99 yearly | £59.99 per 3 months/£199.99 yearly |
1921 Census
Unlimited access to the 1921 Census is only available with the Premium subscription, but you can obtain discounted micropayment access with the 12-month Pro subscription.
How to Use FindmyPast
Once you have gone through the registration process, and logged in, you will be taken to FindmyPast’s Home Page where you can input your ancestor’s details and then click search. This will bring up all the possible matches for your ancestor.
You can add details such as first and last name, when the event (born, died, other) took place (you can also choose as much as a 40-year range), and where you wish to search. You can also add a specific place name.
If you choose to use their advanced search, you will be taken to a screen where you can enter much more information regarding your ancestor.
You can also choose the record you would like to search such as birth, marriage and death records, census records and military records.
You can also include a subcategory such as civil births, civil marriage, and divorce and government records. You can also enter optional keywords to narrow down your search.
Once you have decided which search you would like to conduct and have entered all the information, click view results to see all the entries and see if any of them relate to your ancestor.
You can then choose to view a transcript or view the actual image. On some occasions, however, you are only able to view the transcript and not the image itself.
If you already know the record set you wish to view, such as Leicestershire baptisms, you can click search in the top horizontal menu at the top of each page and then click all record sets.
If you then enter Leicestershire in the search box, this will bring up all the records relating to Leicestershire, including Leicestershire baptisms.
Once you have clicked on Leicestershire baptisms, you will be taken to a screen where you can enter all the information you know about your ancestor. This can include first and last name, baptism year, birth year, baptism place and parents’ names.
The Drawbacks of FindmyPast
One drawback of the site is that you cannot search by marriage date, either on the ‘search all records’ section of the Home Page or the advanced search page.
Sometimes, even if a record is available, it does not always come up in a search. When searching for marriage records, for example, you sometimes have to go to the appropriate data set, input a year, and then choose to view the record of another party’s marriage.
You have to then manually look through the records from that date, which can be quite time consuming.
Not all records have been transcribed correctly so the index may be inaccurate – you may have to use a wildcard search or input a first name without a surname to find your ancestor.
If you wish to view newspaper articles, it can prove to be quite expensive.
5 Greatest Advantages of FindmyPast
- You can set up an Account and immediately begin research
- Although the newspaper article subscription is quite expensive, it is a wonderful collection and can really help you to add meat to the bones of your ancestors’ stories and lives
- You do not have to visit a Record Office to conduct research initially, which is great if you have a family or are too busy, or are unable to, visit a Record Office
- Can see if your ancestor is included in a record before purchasing a subscription
- You do not need to spend hours manually searching through records – you can obtain instant results from your search
Conclusion
I would give this website 4 out of 5 – there are some drawbacks to using the site but the advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantages – not least that you can conduct research in the comfort of your home and any time you have a bit of time to spare. Who wouldn’t want that?!