I have a question about my Ancestry?

I tried Ancestry.com but that was a bust, (I don't want to pay for anything) but I still want to know about where I came from and who I'm related to.

1. Is anybody related to an Angeline Chaney b: 1821 d: 1912
2. Is there any genealogy programs/sites online that can help me trace my family? I would REALLY prefer it if it was free, but if it's not I'm seriously about to just give in and pay for a month or two.

jan516012010-08-01T20:41:04Z

Favorite Answer

http://www.familysearch.org --could this be her??
Angeline Cheney
Birth: About 1821
Spouse: William A Mason (b. 29 SEP 1819 Monroe Township, Bradford, Pennsylvania )
Marriage: 23 SEP 1841 Monroe Twp, Bradford, Pennsylvania

http://www.ancestry.com
A family tree listing shows a full name of MARY ANGELINE CHENEY
Mary Angeline Cheney
b. abt. 1821, Windham County, Connecticut, USA
d.
Marriage date: same as above, but shown as taking place in Vadu Crisului, Bihor, Romania
Spouse: William Alva Mason
Their Children: Ethlin M. Mason, b. 1843; Ida Ann Mason, b. 1845; Mary C. Mason, b. 1847 ; William E. Mason, b. 1850; & W. Clayton Mason, b.1854.

1850 United States Federal Census
Name: Mary A Mason
Age: 29
Estimated birth year: abt 1821
Birth Place: New York
Gender: Female
Home in 1850 (City,County,State): Cherry, Sullivan, Pennsylvania
Family Number: 286
Household Members: Name Age
William A Mason 31 (occupation: land surveyor)
Mary A Mason 29
Etherin M Mason 7
Ida Ann Mason 5
Mary C Mason 3
William E Mason 0 (1 month shown on original view)
Catharine Cheney 17

1880 United States Federal Census
Transcription of text :
Mary Angeline Cheney
Birth date: abt 1821
Birth place: New York
Residence date: 1880
Residence place: La Porte, Sullivan, Pennsylvania, United States

Family tree listings:
Father Abel Cheney (1777-1838)
Mother Priscilla Washburn (1788-1835)
Spouse William Alva Mason (1819-); Married 1841
Children Ethlin M. (b.1843); Ida Ann (b. 1845) ; Mary C. (b.1847); William E. (b.1850) ; & W. Clayton (b.1854 )

FATHER: Abel Cheney (NO siblings shown)
Birth 2 DEC 1777 in Needham, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts
Death 21 AUG 1838 in Windham, Bradford Co., Pennsylvania
Married 17 August 1806 to
MOTHER: Priscilla Washburn
Birth 5 SEP 1788 in Killington, Rutland Co., Vermont
Death 19 DEC 1835 in Windham, Bradford Co., Pennsylvania

Mother's Siblings:
Sarah Washburn (-) ; Mary Washburn (-) ; Elizabeth Washburn (-) ; Reuben Washburn (1777-1823); Silas Washburn (1778-1853) ; Isaiah S. Washburn (1782-1856) & Abiel Washburn (1784-1860).

Paternal GRANDPARENTS: Timothy Cheney (1743-1807) & Susannah Cook (d. 1836; parents unknown)
Maternal GRANDPARENTS: Isaiah Washburn* (1754-1840) & Priscilla Wood** (1757-1817)

Paternal GREAT-GRANDPARENTS: Timothy Cheney (1713-1772) & Sarah Prentice (1719-)
Maternal GREAT-GRANDPARENTS: *Reuben Washburn (b.1721) & Betty Dilley (b.1721, parents unknown); **Silas Wood (1729-1806) & Priscilla Cob Cobb (1730-1788; parents unknown)

Paternal 2nd GREAT-GRANDPARENTS: *James Washburn (1698-1741) & Elizabeth Leonard (1702-1783)
James Washburn's parents listed at: http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/4717716/person/-1559152958
(3rd GGRANDPARENTS)
Elizabeth Leonard's parents at http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/4717716/person/-1559152957

Maternal 2nd GREAT-GRANDPARENTS: **Ebenezer Wood (1697-1768) & Lydia Lovel (no dates)

Click on names to go back farther if parents listed.

krpegelow2010-08-02T03:32:14Z

If you are a beginner in genealogy, you are going to pay some up front expenses no matter where you look. I have been doing it for 30 years. You don't mention what city you are in otherwise I could recommend some library locations you could search in for free....i.e. in Los Angeles, the places to go are the Mormon Temple Library (you do not have to belong to their religion or even believe in it and its free). The Los Angeles Public Library has books on the subject. The Southern California Genealogical Society has a library. There is a special library in Burbank that carries information on early immigrants.'

Depending on whether you are using a MAC (for which there are currently no really decent programs.) or a PC, there are some programs that are inexpensive and useful. I currently use Familytreemaker (an older version) and have used them for years. With the purchase of their program you get a brief trial membership in Ancestry.com that allows you to research the basic programs. I hold membership in their full offerings and do extensive research using their site.

Looking for an Angeline Chaney who was born around 1821 I find a family in Hardin, Illinois in the 1850 census. You don't mention where she was born or lived and that is important to someone helping you research. If her mother's name was Sarah and she had a sister named Phebe, then this would be your ancestor. These same people appear in the 1860 census in Wisconsin under the name Jenney (which someone corrected to Chaney)...not uncommon since most of these earlier people were illiterate and the census taker spelled names the way they sounded to him. In 1880, there were two Angeline Chaneys. One was living in South Carolina and one was in Mississippi. Without knowing whether this person married or remained single it is difficult to trace her even given your criteria with any certainty.

Like most professionals, I charge for specific research, but perhaps this will help. Remember that as you go back through history, state and county boundaries changed so someone living in Tennessee today, may not have records back there as you go back. Tennessee was formed from the state of North Carolina and later, some of the Tennessee territory was ceded to create Kentucky. If you have relatives close to the state or county line, they could live there for years and never move and be deemed to have lived in and have records in any and all of the areas according to what it was called at the time in question.

Hope this helps.

everybodiesmama2010-08-02T03:17:11Z

I've gone into ellis island online and found some of my family genealogy, but you need some idea of who came from what country and when to get very far. Also, some of the ancestry searches online have free components, and if someone else in the family tree has accessed it and started some of the family history, you can tap in with what you do have and possibly get more to add that way. Try Ancestry.com for that route.

Maxi2010-08-02T10:08:30Z

Before you launch into websites and get fed up because you can't find anything, do your groundwork first.......
Have a look on this site, which will help you make a start in understanding the principles of researching your family history http://www.familytreefolk.co.uk/page_11010.html, then down load some family history sheets http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/genlh/forms/ and starting with yourself fill one in, you will find the sheets act as a check list and you may also find that you don't have all your own information and have to go searching in your home and asking your parents/other relations about it.
Look at your own birth certificate, it gives you lots of information and don’t forget to write the registration number down on your form, as this tells you that it is primary document information, which is what you need for every piece of information you collect, once you start researching you will notice many people don’t have primary information numbers on their research...which shows you it is hearsay, copied from others and guesswork and there is no place in research for guesswork. One wrong name in your tree and it means you are not researching YOUR family.
Fill a sheet in for your parents and any living relations you have, go and talk to them, ask to see any certificates they have and write all the information down they give you.....ask if they have any old photographs as this gets people talking and remembering other people in the family they had ‘forgotten’ about...write down any 'family stories' you are told....some may be correct, however many are not and you find once you start researching you can sometimes use these stories in your research for clues about where to look at records...........before you go near a website, this information give you a 'feel' for who your family is and makes it s much easier to find ancestors once you do start looking at websites ( they are not the place to 'start' your research).
By using the family sheets it makes it very easy for other relations to see what you are doing and to understand the information you are collecting and they are more likely to help and give you more information....as most at first will say, “I don't know or I haven't got any idea about our ancestors". It is also nice to be able to give you relations a copy, as by doing this they will look at the information, talk about it and may remember more information for you or even find some paperwork that has been long forgotten.
The very best sources of information is in your home and in the homes of your living relations with any documents, certificates and newspaper clippings that many people keep....you will get lots of information, start lots of interest in what you are doing and will get your family involved in helping you get started and are more likely to have correct information
If you want to then input this information onto a computer database a free one is Brothers Keeper http://www.bkwin.net/version6.htm and you can even add photographs, print out family trees, lists or add notes/stories etc

Good luck in your research

StephenWeinstein2010-08-02T04:47:03Z

Yes, familysearch.org , pilot.familysearch.org, fsbeta.familysearch.org , jewishgen.org , italiangen.org , etc., are free.

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