FindMyPast's World Records discount offer

FindMyPast's logo

A one-month 'world' subscription to FindMyPast is just $5 (usually $19.95) for new subscribers who pay before midnight on 1 Sep 2014.

The world subscription gives you access to more than 1.5 billion family history records for Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Ireland, the USA and Canada.

If you do not want your subscription to automatically renew at the normal price after your initial period, un-tick the 'auto-renew my subscription' box in the My Account section of the site.

You may want to read why I use and recommend FindMyPast.

(This post also appears in Genealogy Leftovers.)

No.29 (genealogy worldwide)

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• British Newspaper Archive discount:  Today is the last day to get a 1 month subscription to the British Newspaper Archive for just 1 pound (use the discount code SUMMER01).


• Land Records in Queensland:  On Monday evening, 21 July 2014, Nola Fulwood is speaking on this topic at the Genealogical Society of Queensland's Southern Suburbs branch. Nola is one of only a handful of people who understand the complexities of land records at Qld State Archives.


• Illegitimate children:  I have added more names to the page about illegitimate children whose father is named in archival records.


• Wills:  10 tips for wills, intestacies and probate (and related documents in unexpected places).


• Origins.net:  Record sets from Origins.net will be added to FindMyPast. With the National Wills Index from Origins, and collections currently on FindMyPast and those in development, FindMyPast will become the largest online resource for UK wills and probate (and those records include material for many people from other countries including Australia). The Origins website will continue to run as usual.


• Searching at FindMyPast:  The site has changed again, and more improvements are coming. Read the latest tips on how to use FindMyPast's new search tools.


• Recommended reading: 
  • 'Name Variations: Tips and Tricks', by Dan Lynch, author of the brilliant book Google Your Family Tree.

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No.27 (exciting improvements online)

The introduction of a one month subscription is the first of several exciting changes at FindMyPast.

The cost of a World subscription has already been reduced, and we can also look forward to the addition of new records every month; a new family tree builder; a new way to search; and a forum where you can vote for features and give feedback to improve the site.

I am a big fan of FindMyPast for genealogy research. For records that are on both FindMyPast and other sites, FindMyPast's indexes and transcriptions are usually (in my experience) more accurate. This is particularly obvious with British census records.

Although a 12-month subscription is the best value, you may want to start with the new one month subscription. This is now available for each of FindMyPast's regional collections (Australia/NZ, UK, Ireland, USA) and also for the World collection.

If you have no Australian research but need access to United Kingdom records, get your subscription via findmypast.co.uk.

Searches on FindMyPast are free. You only need pay-as-you-go credits or a subscription if you want to see transcriptions or images of original records. There is a 10% loyalty discount for renewing a 12-month subscription.

Follow the links below to see (for each region) a full list of categories and all the record sets currently available within them, with descriptions of what each record set contains and what detailed information you can expect to find... and watch for more to be added each month.

• Australia and New Zealand
• United Kingdom
• Ireland
• USA

I have been using FindMyPast's census records and parish registers for many years. Recently other data sets (including passenger lists, Police Gazettes, Royal Household records and East India Company and civil service pensions) have provided some exciting discoveries. For example, I was surprised to find that two of my British families went overseas (one to South Africa, the other to Canada) for a short time - because they were back in the UK before the next census!

If you only get time to do research during your holidays, the new one month subscription to FindMyPast may suit you perfectly.

Postscript, 14 Feb 2014:  One of my clients signed up for the new one-month subscription and had huge success on day 1. She said (I quote), 'It has already paid for itself ten times over. I had no idea so many new records had been added since I looked a year ago! I found brilliant problem-solving stuff in Passengers leaving the UK, Convict records, and deserters and missing friends notices in Police Gazettes. Also lots of clues to follow up in electoral rolls, expats in New Guinea, wills, monumental inscriptions etc.'

Revenue from ads goes to Kiva

No.2 (genealogy worldwide)

Links open in new windows so you won't lose your place on this Web page.

• Making Money from Genealogy:  You are welcome to add comments to my recent articles on Making Money from Genealogy and How to Become a Paid Researcher.
  
  
• Google News:  Thanks to SAG-E (Oct 2010 email newsletter of the Society of Australian Genealogists) for pointing out that at Google News we can browse or search thousands of newspapers from all over the world, including Canada and the USA.
  
  
• Six-word tributes:  If you want to write about your ancestors but don't have much time, try writing 'six-word tributes'.
  
  
• Australian circuses:  A new book by Mark St Leon, Circus: The Australian Story, will be published by Melbourne Books in May 2011.
  
  
• Central Qld Scrapbook Index:  Central Qld Family History Association's updated 'Scrapbook Index' is now online. Go to CQFHA's Web site, click on 'Articles and Indexes', then choose 'Scrapbook'. (I have found some wonderful information via this site.)
  
  
• CQFHA's Member's Interests:  CQFHA's 'Member's Interests list' has also been updated. Go to CQFHA's Web site, click on 'Articles and Indexes', then choose 'Member's Interests'. Members are now able to add their research surnames online, so new entries will be added regularly.
  
  
• Saving money with BDMs:  Have a look at Kerry Farmer's tips for saving money while searching for Australian births deaths and marriages.