Good & free ancestory search?

Question

I was curious to see if I could go back and see who soem of my ancestors were. I don't wanna pay for that Ancestry.com place if I have to. So does anyone know of a free ancestory site? Or atleast a decent priced one. Or do I just flat out have to the the research? I know someone who traced back and found she is related to the Queen.. Like waayyyy down the line. Like probably several times removed. Not directly, though.. And someone else but I forget.. I thought that was pretty cool who you could be distantly or closely related to. I've never tried doing it before though. Thanks if you can help:)

Answer 1

Caroline, even if you pay for a subscription to Ancestry.com, you would still have to do the research unless someone in your line, possibly a cousin you don’t even know, has already done the research an posted it online somewhere and even then you would want to verity their sources.



So, start with this tutorial for those who are new to family research at http://rwguide.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ ; everyone starting out in genealogy should understand the basics and this tutorial covers them. After you complete the tutorial, the following is a basic plan and generally only requires the tools that you already have like your computer and Internet service provider.



So, start with your birth certificate, which has your parents, and then ask your parents for copies of their birth certificates, which will have your grandparents on them. Then if you grandparents are living, continue the process. At some point, you will experience a problem depending on when you grandparents or great grandparents were born, in that; birth certificates did not exist before the early 1900s. You need to get back to 1930 with personal records because those types of records are not available to the public for 50 to 100 years depending on the jurisdiction in which they are held and census records which are quite valuable in tracing our ancestors movements are not available before 1930 at this time.



By copying or ordering these documents, you have gone to relatively little expense and you have three generations plus yourself and you have it documented with primary documents. That will give you 2 parents, 4 grandparents, and 8 great grandparents names to start researching. Now, you can use death certificates, marriage records, census records, immigration records, church records, court records and many other sources to research your ancestry. Your public libraries will most likely have both Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest free for anyone to use while at the library and with a library card you should be able to use Heritage Quest at home.



Another free online resource is the LDS/Mormon site, which has many free online records and original documents on their pilot site at http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=0 . They have also just added a new Beta site that has a few more databases, which you might find useful http://fsbeta.familysearch.org/s/collection/list . In addition to their online records, they have Family History Centers where you can go for personalized help with research and look at microfilm and while they will not do your research for you they will help you, a lot. They only charge if they have to order something specifically for you or you need photocopies and their charges are minimal. Look on the home page of their website to find a location near you and call to check hours of operation. http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Home/Welcome/home.asp …this website is also where the Social Security Death Index is located.



Additionally, USGen Web is another free online resource at http://www.usgenweb.org/ . This site is packed with how-to tips, queries and records for every state and most counties within those states. Then, there is Rootsweb at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ a free site hosted by Ancestry.com where you can search for surnames, post queries on the message boards and subscribe to surname mailing lists.



Also, be sure to check each state that you need information from as many have their own projects, for example, the state of Missouri has a great website that has many free source documents online at http://www.sos.mo.gov/mdh/ and South Carolina has many free wills and other court documents at http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/onlinearchives/search.aspx



Also, Family Tree Magazine’s 101 Best Websites, 2010 http://familytreemagazine.com/article/101-Best-Websites-2010 You may have to register for their free newsletter to access this list but you will find that helpful also.



And the only site that is included on this list which has some links that are free and some that are fee is Cyndi’s List but it will be well worth your time to look through the list for the free websites because of their quality: http://www.cyndislist.com/



Also, you can come back here for help with specific questions or search our archives for more “ genealogy sources”.

Answer 2

Before you start searching the internet and can't find what you are looking for, wasting your money and time do your groundwork first, this way you know your family script( repeating behaviours over the generations) you learn about the stories which can help you, giving you clues where to look. A simple to understand website about how to start researching and where ever in the World you are we ALL research our ancestors the same way......you start at home with your own family an you will b surprised at how much information you will get...all free and it will also let your family and extended family know you are researching which can be big help..the information is primary information ( the best) http://www.familytimeline.webs.com/, it gives you how to start, where to look a checklist of documents to look at, what symbols on records mean, and the links page gives you charts and forms to download.......it is a UK based website so many of the links are for UK ( Ireland & NI) researchers however it will give you a good start, once you have done this you will know what and who you are looking for and it will be so much easier fr you then to find other records and know good and not so goo information online.....hope that helps......and I have to say when researching some of the great things you learn about are very normal everyday ancestors and what happened in their lives, sorry I have never understood why anyone would want to be related in any way to Royalty, mainly because that research is done and copied so any times into others trees, where as I like to do my own research of ordinary people.

Answer 3

First start by interviewing your family members and taking notes or recording their responses. You'll be surprised how many little facts you will find out & be able to start verifying from there. Also gather any cards you may have (or family members may have) from when people passed away in your family. (May sound gruesome but it will probably have the funeral homes printed on them as well as date of passing and possibly date of birth). Funeral homes can be a big help in finding out other facts like where someone was buried & date of passing, next of kin notified, etc., where someone passed, like if the body was picked up from a hospital can give you another clue, possibly from another state they were transported, which is another lead. Also old cemetery stones like from 1940's & back sometimes have a lot of info on them, sometimes including who they were the son or daughter of & what they died of, etc... It's all about getting leads and then trying to verify. It is fascinating & addicting. I joined Ancestry.com but being in NY there are many records they do not have access to. The 1930 Census was a great source but aside from that I hit dead end with Ancestry & canceled my membership. NY has weird laws. When you've exhausted what u can do on your own, you may want to hook up with Ancestry.com & pay an introductory deal for a short time. It is labor intensive, but so rewarding when you get a hit. U may connect with someone who is already registered with them & that's very exciting. Good luck.

Answer 4

Nah it's rubbish. You need to pay to access any legit information. I pay a tenner a month for ancestry UK nevertheless moreover they do free trials and also pay in line with view credit score which matches out at roughly a fiver. I dragged my ft over paying and wasted countless time and energy. I don't regret signing up it was well worth it eventually ;-)