answers1: There are over 400,000 free genealogy sites. There are also,
at last count, 2500+ questions with the word "free" in them in the
resolved questions in this category. At least 1500 of them ask the
same question you did. <br>
<br>
I have links to some huge ones, below, but you'll have to wade through
some advice and warnings first. <br>
<br>
If you didn't mention a country, we can't tell if you are in the USA,
UK, Canada or Australia. I'm in the USA and my links are for it. <br>
<br>
If you are in the USA, <br>
AND most of your ancestors were in the USA, <br>
AND you can get to a library or FHC with census access, <br>
AND you are white <br>
Then you can get most of your ancestors who were alive in 1850 with
100 - 300 hours of research. You can only get to 1870 if you are
black, sadly. Many young people stop reading here and pick another
hobby. <br>
<br>
No web site is going to tell you how your great grandparents decorated
the Christmas tree with ornaments cut from tin foil during the
depression, how Great Uncle Elmer wooed his wife with a banjo, or how
Uncle John paid his way through college in the 1960's by smuggling
herbs. Talk to your living relatives before it is too late. <br>
<br>
You won't find living people on genealogy sites. You'll have to get
back to people living in 1930 or so by talking to relatives, looking
up obituaries and so forth. <br>
<br>
Finally, not everything you read on the internet is true. You have to
be cautious and look at people's sources. Cross-check and verify.
<br>
<br>
So much for the warnings. Here is the main link. <br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.tedpack.org/yagenlinks.html"
rel="nofollow"class=Clr-b>http://www.tedpack.org/yagenlinks.html</a>
<br>
<br>
That page has links, plus tips and hints on how to use the sites, for
a dozen huge free sites. Having one link here in the answer and a
dozen links on my personal site gets around two problems. First, Y!A
limits us to 10 links in an answer. Second, if one or more of the
links are popular, I get "We're taking a breather" when I try to post
the answer. This is a bug introduced sometime in August 2008 with the
"new look". <br>
<br>
You will need the tips. Just for instance, most beginners either put
too much data into the RWWC query page, or they mistake the Ancestry
ads at the top for the query form. I used to teach a class on Internet
Genealogy at the library. I watched the mistakes beginners made. The
query forms on the sites are NOT intuitive.
answers2: My favorite site is http://www.cyndislist.com/
answers3: I like Ancestry.Com for the amount of records they have
online. However, you shouldn't depend solely on websites. Also you
have to distinguish between the records they have obtained and their
subscriber submitted family trees. Information in family trees on any
website, free or fee, must be viewed cautiously. You will see
different information on the same people from many different
subscribers. Then you will see the same info on the same people from
different subscribers, but that doesn't mean that the information is
correct at all. Too many people copy without verifying. A lot of
people in online family trees are too anxious to see how many names
they can add to their database and into their tree that having a good
verifiable family tree is not all that important. <br>
<br>
If you find Ancestry.Com too pricey, your public library might have a
subscription to it you can use for free. Actually, it might be wise to
use it for free at your library to get use to it. When I go into their
website, I prefer to go under "Old Search" which is on a peach colored
bar across the top as I can pick out specific records I want to check.
No way are all records online but the ones you will find will save you
time and money. <br>
<br>
Ancestry.Com has transcribed the records but you can view original
images. There are errors in their transcriptions, particularly
censuses, but when you view the original you will have pity on the
transcribers. <br>
<br>
Here is a link to FamilySeach.org(free site) records. They are
transcribing and putting a lot of records online: <br>
<br>
<a href="http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsear…"
rel="nofollow"class=Clr-b>http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsear...</a>
<br>
<br>
Don't expect to find information on living people in genealogy
websites as that can be an invasion of privacy and can lead to
identity theft and can also provide too much information for stalkers.
<br>
<br>
If you haven't done so you should get as much information from living
family as possible, particularly from family bibles, birth, marriage
and death certificates and depending on their religious faith,
baptismal, first communion, confirmation and marriage certificates
from their church. <br>
<br>
Also check out a Family History Center at a Latter Day Saints(Mormon)
Church. They have records on people all over the world, not just
Mormons. In Salt Lake City, they have the world's largest genealogical
collection. Their FHCs can order microfilm for you to view for about
$3. <br>
I have never had them to try and convert me nor have I heard of them
doing that to anyone else that has used their resources. Just visit
their free website, FamilySearch.org, to get the hours for the general
public to the nearest Mormon FHC. <br>
<br>
Here is a link with links to 50 other websites, some free and some
fee. I feel the ones that only have family trees are a waste of time.
Information in other's family trees can be helpful as clues as to
where to get the documentation. <br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.progenealogists.com/top50genealogy2008.htm"
rel="nofollow"class=Clr-b>http://www.progenealogists.com/top50gene...</a>
answers4: Check out www.findagrave.com. It's a free site.
answers5: For general genealogy questions, I have had luck getting
genealogy questions answered at: <br>
<br>
http://www.genanswers.com
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