parias1126 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Those of you that have done family trees/genealogy studies, what is the best website to use? Is Ancestry.com the best one? I am hesitant to spend the $77/year. Is there another site that would be free to use to find the same information? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Ancestry.com is free at many libraries. As far as the best I have no idea. I did my research in the days where I sat with microfilm at a LDS family history center. It really wasn't that long ago. Anyway I plan to update at the library some day, make the kids help so they appreciate my hard work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 For U.S. records, ancestry has the most depth by far, IMO -- there is a treasure trove of primary sources and they are all at your fingertips (once you learn how to search them out). In my experience with international sources, ancestry (the international version) is not as good. My experience is limited and it was a few years ago, but there were a lot of databases that ancestry was trying, unsuccessfully, to get access to. Perhaps that has changed now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in MN Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 The best place to start for free is with your own family. Get a basic family tree going. Most people can remember back three generations, so starting with a grandparent or even great-grand parent is best. See if there is anyone in the family who is or has already worked on it. Ancestry.com rocks, but it is human operated so there are mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I charted family trees for my and dh's families back to the mid-1700s during the two week free trial on ancestry.com. If you're quick, you don't have to pay a penny. ;) Though by the time your two weeks is up, you'll probably never want to see another census record in your life. Also, many historical societies have access to geneological websites. Here, you can go spend the whole day using all their resources for five bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Ancestry.com is free at many libraries. As far as the best I have no idea. I did my research in the days where I sat with microfilm at a LDS family history center. It really wasn't that long ago. Anyway I plan to update at the library some day, make the kids help so they appreciate my hard work. You can still get help and access records through an LDS family history center. People there LOVE to help people get started researching their famiy histories. Here's a link to find one: https://familysearch.org/locations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 familysearch.org is excellent. Also, you can use Ancestry's and Genforum's boards for searches. Many genealogy chat rooms will have people with subscriptions that are willing to help you look and some will send you the files they find :) There are so many ways to do genealogy and find what you are looking for without spending a lot of money one subscriptions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I've been doing genealogy for nigh on 30 years. do you have a particular area you want to search? ancestry is great, and I love it. for a one stop shop - I have yet to find anything that beats it. (that said, I've found some things elsewhere ancestry doesn't have.). check with your local public library about if they have it for free. look for a LDS family history library near you. You can order films/microfiche of records from many more places than acestry has, but it's more work to extract the information. They also have institutional subscriptions for various sites available so you don't have to pay for them. There is also a librarian there who is available to help you. (knowledge will vary.) I'm not sure if ancestry is available there or not. It used to be, then ancestry had new owners who were more revenue focused, but it may be available again. familysearch.org is bringing more things online for researching. rootsweb.com is one of my favorites - though they seem to have removed some things. what is available greatly varies by state and time period as well. i LOVE doing work in MO, as their death certificates are online starting in 1910 - 1952? the actual photograph of the document. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 We have really enjoyed Ancestry.com. I think it is worth the $ if you can pay it because you can invite your relatives to view and add pictures and stories. I have a few cousins that do it too and it has been really fun (even at a distance, because we all live all over). It is also easier keep the various branches straight. That said, it is less helpful for people with VERY common names. I am trying to sort out my great great grandmother maiden name Sullivan who married a Sullivan and it is a bit tricky! :001_smile: We only have detailed paper family records for my husband's maternal grandmother but have found so much for most branches now. We are anxious for the 1940 census to be released- it may shed some light on my mom's birth father's parents. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmer Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Lds family history centers have free access to anscestory.com while using their computers in ther building and you do not have to be lds to go and use them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I used genforum extensively several years ago. http://genforum.com/ I had good leads well into the 1700s from other family, but I traced and tied into many verified lines from that forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Understanding what archives are available to you can also be helpful. If your family is from a certain city, check with the library, historical society, or local university. Ask what archives are available locally (in WI every county has an archive..often in a university...and there's a wonderful state archive in the capital). The library often has census data. Start there. Then check local newspapers, especially for obituaries that can give you additional information. Librarians can also steer you to local resources and genealogy clubs. Certain faiths (Catholic/LDS) keep registers with baptism, marriage, or other information. Anyone watch Who Do You Think You Are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 If you can put in an intensive month or two, try this. It worked for me. (I got 2 months for $30). They didn't renew mine automatically. I think they sent an email asking if I wanted to continue or not and I said no. <<Ancestry.com online classes $30 and includes four weeks? to various resources. http://www.myfamily.com/isapi.dll?c=h&htx=onlinetraining&school=GEN Note: To ensure uninterrupted service, your subscription will be automatically renewed at the end of the initial term and your credit card will be billed at that time. (This does not apply to online genealogy training classes).>> Signed up 4/11 for 5/12 class. Cut me off 7/7/05. Almost 2 MONTHS FREE!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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