Author Topic: Can't seem to find recent records on Ancestry?  (Read 635 times)

Offline crazydaizy

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Can't seem to find recent records on Ancestry?
« on: Sunday 05 October 25 17:24 BST (UK) »
Hello, I'm currently researching my USA side of my family tree and have lots of names to research.  Dating around 1952 -to the present, or as close to the present as possible.  I am constantly hitting brick walls as all the names I'm trying to look up (for births, marriages, deaths) there seems to be no records of these people at all.

Does Ancestry not have recent records like these?  Especially where people are still living?

Ceney/Senay/Seaney (West Bromwich/Sedgley/Tipton/Pennsylvania) My Paternal Family Tree.
Bell/Hannah - Maternal Family Tree
Briggs/Morris - Adopted (or fostered in this case) Maternal Family Tree.

Offline oldohiohome

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Re: Can't seem to find recent records on Ancestry?
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 05 October 25 23:47 BST (UK) »
Available records in the U.S. vary from state to state, but even then I don't think you will find too many vital records that recent anywhere. Some exceptions, but very few.

Newspapers.com might have information on some families, especially if they lived in a small town with a local paper. There might be announcements of births and marriages, or human interest stories.

There are more recent censuses in the US than in the UK. 1930, 1940, and 1950. That might be a place to start, even if it would be for the generation before the people you are looking for. It would give you some idea of where the family was living. They might still be living there, esp. if they are there in 1950. People were still moving around a lot in the 30s and 40s, but things settled down after WWII. Unless it is a black family, then expect some of them to move north after the war for jobs and better conditions. Also California was still a big draw. Also, people when retiring often move south or southwest, Florida, Arizona, etc.  Trend now is to the upper south, Tennessee through to the Carolinas and Virginia.

Offline crazydaizy

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Re: Can't seem to find recent records on Ancestry?
« Reply #2 on: Monday 06 October 25 07:58 BST (UK) »
Thanks for the reply.  So I'm not going mad then!  Birth/marriage records are definitely not available, however hard I look. 

Yes I know about the Censuses, so I've done all that.

Looks like I'm going to have to rely on other genealogists for their info.
Ceney/Senay/Seaney (West Bromwich/Sedgley/Tipton/Pennsylvania) My Paternal Family Tree.
Bell/Hannah - Maternal Family Tree
Briggs/Morris - Adopted (or fostered in this case) Maternal Family Tree.

Offline CaroleW

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Re: Can't seem to find recent records on Ancestry?
« Reply #3 on: Monday 06 October 25 13:29 BST (UK) »
If you are researching people born 1952 onwards they could still be alive. 
Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Carlin (Ireland & Liverpool) Doughty & Wright (Liverpool) Dick & Park (Scotland & Liverpool)