Free Genealogy - Do Free Genealogy and Family History Websites Exist?
Do free genealogy sites and other free family history resources really exist? The short answer is yes.
But it doesn't mean that it'll be easy for you to search your family tree.
Let me explain...
Genealogy research used to be a very time intensive and difficult task.
When you began to research who your grandparents REALLY were - their full names, dates of birth, locations of origin, and their siblings, you'd have to begin with the first resource available - normally your parents.
You would rely on your parents for stories about your grandparents, but you couldn't necessary rely on these stories as fact.
The next step would be to search through old filing cabinets and boxes stored away in various locations for any possible genealogy records which normally included old newspaper clippings, old photos, and similar research.
Pending how successful this initial search, the next step would be the time intensive and expensive investment to visit local libraries and review microfilm and original documents searching for any information to validate: full names, birth places and dates, parents names, and locations.
Your aim would be to find original documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, wedding announcements, business advertisements, and etc.
Today, the internet has made it much easier to perform this task - both with free genealogy websites and sources that require a small to significant fee.
Commercial organizations such as Ancestry have taken the time to scan, transcribe and digitize this information.
Most commercial sites which have complete family databases recover their costs through charging a yearly subscription rate.
It's important to note, that you can often save yourself some money by subscribing to one site for one year, then move on to another site once that subscription has expired to gather each site's unique information.
However, in addition to these subscription based companies, there are many many more free websites and sources available if you know where to look.
One of the benefits of the internet is that people are empowered to share their own personal research and family stories.
If you know where to look, you can find vast amounts of information through small websites, blogs, social media and more.
In addition to all of the free genealogy websites, common search engines can be your best friend to discover even more free information.
A quick Google, Bing, or Yahoo search for your ancestor's name such as "[full name]" in quotations can quickly provide you with numerous free genealogy websites related to your query.
You never know what you'll find online - you might find an original document, family tree records, or another distant relative who is also searching for the same individual.
Good luck and happy researching!!
But it doesn't mean that it'll be easy for you to search your family tree.
Let me explain...
Genealogy research used to be a very time intensive and difficult task.
When you began to research who your grandparents REALLY were - their full names, dates of birth, locations of origin, and their siblings, you'd have to begin with the first resource available - normally your parents.
You would rely on your parents for stories about your grandparents, but you couldn't necessary rely on these stories as fact.
The next step would be to search through old filing cabinets and boxes stored away in various locations for any possible genealogy records which normally included old newspaper clippings, old photos, and similar research.
Pending how successful this initial search, the next step would be the time intensive and expensive investment to visit local libraries and review microfilm and original documents searching for any information to validate: full names, birth places and dates, parents names, and locations.
Your aim would be to find original documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, wedding announcements, business advertisements, and etc.
Today, the internet has made it much easier to perform this task - both with free genealogy websites and sources that require a small to significant fee.
Commercial organizations such as Ancestry have taken the time to scan, transcribe and digitize this information.
Most commercial sites which have complete family databases recover their costs through charging a yearly subscription rate.
It's important to note, that you can often save yourself some money by subscribing to one site for one year, then move on to another site once that subscription has expired to gather each site's unique information.
However, in addition to these subscription based companies, there are many many more free websites and sources available if you know where to look.
One of the benefits of the internet is that people are empowered to share their own personal research and family stories.
If you know where to look, you can find vast amounts of information through small websites, blogs, social media and more.
In addition to all of the free genealogy websites, common search engines can be your best friend to discover even more free information.
A quick Google, Bing, or Yahoo search for your ancestor's name such as "[full name]" in quotations can quickly provide you with numerous free genealogy websites related to your query.
You never know what you'll find online - you might find an original document, family tree records, or another distant relative who is also searching for the same individual.
Good luck and happy researching!!
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