Review of the Top 40+ FREE Online Genealogy Websites Where You Can Start Your Ancestry Search « Obituarieshelp.org/Blog

(Update: September 26, 2011: To celebrate the two year anniversary of this post, we have added 40 more free links to a new updated post. Now there are 82 free genealogy resources that you can use right now to start your searching your family history. Check the new post out here.) There are a million websites that have information about genealogy, census records, and family tree research. Don’t sign up for a subscription genealogy website just yet, get your ancestry search started at these resources first. Here are the best free genealogy websites where you can get some good solid information about your family tree, ancestors and get your genealogy research off on a running start. It bugs me when websites claim to be free, only to have a hidden cost involved, or expect you to pay to view certain document. What you are getting here are truly FREE genealogy websites with no strings attached. Here are the best of the truly FREE genealogy websites in no particular order: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Free Genealogy Resources - Home How to find family records using the best free Internet resources Bookmark This Site (Ctrl+D) There are literally millions of web pages on genealogy and it is easy to get lost so that you can't see the forest for the trees. Where do you go first? directly to these sites and find information about your ancestors and relatives. There are two main types of Internet genealogy web sites. Many web sites describe how to do research and provide details of sources of paper and microfilm records. This web site concentrates on online tools and searchable databases of genealogy records so that you can immediately take action to find information online. What are the Steps? I hope you find this useful. 20070613

How to Search for Wills and Probate in England | Tracing Ancestors In The UK In my last couple of posts I’ve been looking at the importance of digging deeper into your ancestors’ lives so you know more about them than just their birth, marriage and death details. Today I thought I’d give you a short guide to searching for wills and probate in England, as this is one of the best ways of getting to know an ancestor better. An ancestor’s will can be very useful for discovering or confirming family relationships where they are missing in other records – but even when they don’t give this information, they are an essential resource if you want to know more about how your ancestor lived. While it is far more likely that you will find wills within wealthy families, they do crop up within the lower classes more often than you might imagine, so it always worth checking. First, you need to know whether the will you want is before 1858 or after, then take the following steps: Before 12th January 1858 You will need to search in several places, both online and in archives.

The Parish Register Transcription Society. Finding Genealogy Sources « Genealogy Guide Access to Archives (A2A) The Access to Archives is a database hosted by the National Archives. You can search the database for archives held throughout England, dating from the 18th century. The are held by local record offices, libraries, museums and institutions throughout England. Contact details: A2AThe National ArchivesKewRichmondSurreyTW9 4DUFax: (+44) (0)20 8487 9211Email: a2a@nationalarchives.gov.ukWebsite: www.a2a.org.uk Local Record Offices Many large libraries and record offices have copied of the indexes to birth, marriage and death certificated. All closed Church of England baptism, marriage and burial registers must be deposited at the appropriate record office and many other denominations have deposited their records with their local record office so please can you make this clear on your religious records page. General Register Office General Register Office for Northern Ireland General Register Office for Scotland Groups and Societies Library National Archives Search Engines

Geni Google Genealogy Google Search Tips Often your search results in too many hits to wade through...you need the power of Google's ADVANCE SEARCH (Link is in tiny letters, to the right of the search box). You want to find out something about your Powers Family, specifically John Powers who was born in 1788 in County Cork Ireland, married in Ireland, Matilda Moore. He died 1862 in Flint, Genessee Co. powers family finds the two words anywhere on the page; "powers family" finds the phrase. Getting the most from Google results If you get results from a large genealogy site, e.g. Get a "file not found" message when you click the link? Beyond Basic Googling Download the Google Toolbar so you don't have to keep going to to make your searches. Remember to use Google Images to see if you can find picture. Search Google Books to find text in books that have been scanned. You can search a selection of books included because of their genealogical value at the Google Thomas J. More information:

Genealogy Blog Finder 101 Ways to Research Your Family Tree for Free | Domesticfix Is free genealogy a thing of the past? With the constant addition of subscription genealogy databases on the Internet, people often wonder if there will soon be an end to free genealogy research via the Web. For those of you with this concern, take heart – free genealogy databases aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Web sites from all over the world contain free genealogy information of use to family tree researchers which has been contributed by individuals, companies and even governments. Birth records, marriage records, military records, ships passenger lists, surnames, census records, immigration records, wills, photos and much, much more are available on the Internet for FREE if you just know where to look. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 1901 Census for England & Wales Search for free in this comprehensive name index to over 32 million individuals who lived in England and Wales in 1901. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34.