Genealogy without a Subscription

Genealogy can be an expensive hobby—or at least it can seem that way.

When someone tells me they are interested in researching their family but don't have enough time to justify paying for a subscription to Ancestry or another genealogy site, I don't want them to think they can't do genealogy.

They can.

In fact, there are an amazing number of genealogy resources available online for free. The challenge for a beginning researcher isn't necessarily finding records. Sometimes the challenge is knowing where to look.

So, if I were helping someone get started without purchasing a subscription, where would I send them?

Start Here: A Beginner's Genealogy Toolkit

Rather than overwhelm a new researcher with dozens of websites, I would begin with a handful of sites that can either provide records or point toward other resources.

FamilySearch

FamilySearch would be my first stop.

FamilySearch is much more than a website where you type an ancestor's name into a search box. It is actually several genealogy resources rolled into one.

Family Tree is a collaborative worldwide family tree. Instead of everyone maintaining a completely separate tree, researchers work together on shared profiles.

Historical Records provides access to indexed census, birth, marriage, death, probate, land, military and many other records.

The Catalog is one of the most important—and sometimes overlooked—parts of FamilySearch. Instead of searching for a person's name, search by the place where that person lived. The catalog may reveal books, microfilm, digitized images and record collections that don't appear in a regular name search.

FamilySearch Books provides access to digitized genealogy and local-history books.

Full Text Search has become another powerful research tool. It allows us to search the text of digitized historical records, including many records that have not been traditionally indexed by name.

And then there is the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

The Research Wiki doesn't contain your family tree. Instead, think of it as a genealogy reference book. Search for a state, county, country or type of record and the Wiki can help you learn what records exist, when they were created and where they may be found.

FamilySearch also has a Wiki page titled Websites for Family History Beginners. That page provides links to additional websites and resources useful to someone who is just getting started.

For someone trying to do genealogy without purchasing subscriptions, learning how to use all of FamilySearch—not just its search box—would be my first recommendation.

Cyndi's List

Where do you look when you don't know where to look?

Try Cyndi's List.

Cyndi's List is a massive categorized and cross-referenced directory of genealogy resources on the Internet.

Think of it as the card catalog for the genealogy section of the Internet.

You can browse by location, record type, religion, occupation, immigration, military service, newspapers and hundreds of other topics.

Cyndi's List usually doesn't contain the record you are looking for. Its value is in helping you discover the website that might.

The Ancestor Hunt

If I'm looking for newspapers, one of my favorite places to check is The Ancestor Hunt.

Kenneth Marks has compiled extensive lists of free online genealogy collections, particularly digitized newspapers. The site also provides links to birth, marriage, death, cemetery, obituary, probate, school, yearbook and other records.

It is a good reminder that just because a record isn't on one of the large subscription sites doesn't mean it isn't available somewhere else for free.

Linkpendium

Linkpendium is another site designed to answer the question, Where else should I look?

Created by the founders of RootsWeb, Linkpendium is a large directory of genealogy resources. It is especially useful for U.S. research because you can browse geographically by state and county.

That can lead to county histories, cemetery records, biographies, maps, vital records, local genealogy pages and other resources scattered across the Internet.

Like Cyndi's List, Linkpendium isn't necessarily the final destination. Its value is in helping you find websites and collections you didn't know existed.

WikiTree

WikiTree is a collaborative worldwide family tree.

Like the FamilySearch Family Tree, WikiTree attempts to create one shared profile for each deceased individual rather than thousands of disconnected copies of the same person.

I particularly like the emphasis WikiTree places on documenting profiles with sources. Even when I don't agree with a connection someone has made, the sources attached to a profile can provide clues for further research.

USGenWeb

Don't let the sometimes old-fashioned appearance of USGenWeb keep you from exploring it.

USGenWeb is a volunteer genealogy project organized primarily by state and county. County sites can contain cemetery records, marriage records, obituaries, biographies, census transcriptions, maps and other local information.

Some of this material was transcribed years ago and may be difficult—or impossible—to find elsewhere.

RootsWeb

Speaking of older genealogy resources, don't forget RootsWeb.

RootsWeb dates back to the early days of genealogy on the Internet and became home to an enormous amount of researcher-contributed information. Ancestry describes it as the oldest genealogical resource on the Internet.

Some of the material found through RootsWeb may be old, and links created many years ago may no longer work. However, old genealogy information isn't necessarily useless genealogy information.

A surname page, family file, message-board discussion or archived resource might contain the clue that leads to a record.

As with any user-contributed genealogy information, use it as a clue and then look for original records to support the conclusion.

For someone just starting out, I would bookmark these sites:

FamilySearch — Cyndi's List — The Ancestor Hunt — Linkpendium — WikiTree — USGenWeb — RootsWeb

They provide an excellent foundation for exploring genealogy without paying for a subscription.

Ready to Dig Deeper?

Once a researcher becomes comfortable with those basic sites, there are many more places to explore.

Free Newspapers

Newspapers are one of my favorite genealogy resources. Fortunately, Newspapers.com isn't the only place to find them.

Chronicling America from the Library of Congress provides free access to millions of pages of historic American newspapers.

NewspaperFinder and similar newspaper directories can help determine whether a particular newspaper has been digitized and where it can be accessed.

The Ancestor Hunt is also extremely useful for locating free newspaper collections.

And don't forget state digital newspaper projects. Many states, universities, libraries and historical societies have digitized newspapers that are freely searchable online.

The important lesson is this:

Don't assume that because a newspaper isn't on Newspapers.com, it isn't online.

Books and Local Histories

Old county histories, city directories, family genealogies, church histories and local histories can contain an enormous amount of genealogical information.

Internet Archive is one of my favorite places to search for digitized books.

Google Books also contains millions of digitized books, with many older books available in their entirety.

HathiTrust Digital Library is another excellent place to search for digitized historical publications.

Try searching not only for an ancestor's name but also for the county, town, church, regiment, school or organization associated with that ancestor.

Sometimes the best source isn't a book about your ancestor. It's a book about the community in which that ancestor lived.

Cemeteries

Find a Grave is probably the best-known free cemetery resource.

BillionGraves provides another large collection of cemetery information and gravestone photographs, although it also offers premium features.

Cemetery memorials can provide dates, family relationships, obituaries and photographs, but remember that much of this information is user contributed.

Treat those family relationships and biographical statements as clues, and then look for records to support them.

Federal Records

For U.S. research, don't overlook the federal government.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) can help researchers locate census, military, immigration, naturalization and other federal records.

For land research, the Bureau of Land Management General Land Office Records website is essential for families who acquired federal land. The site provides access to land patents, survey plats and other records.

Maps

Maps can help answer questions that names and dates can't.

Where was the family farm?

What county was that farm in when the family lived there?

What towns were nearby?

Where were the roads, churches and cemeteries?

The Library of Congress has extensive digitized map collections, including many Sanborn fire insurance maps.

The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection contains a massive collection of historical maps.

Historical maps become particularly important when county and state boundaries changed. An ancestor may never have moved, yet the county listed in his records may have changed several times. The Map of US site helps track the changes in county boundaries over time.

Digital Libraries and Archives

The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) brings together digitized materials from libraries, museums, archives and universities across the United States.

The Library of Congress also offers photographs, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, books and other digitized collections.

But don't stop with the big national sites.

Search for the state archives, state library, university archives, local library, genealogy society and historical society serving the places where your ancestors lived. The Kansas State Historical Society provides digital access to Ancestry and Newspapers.com for residents of the state of Kansas.

Those local collections may contain the record you need.

Don't Forget Your Library Card

Before purchasing a genealogy subscription, check your public library.

Many libraries provide their patrons with access to databases that normally require a subscription. Depending on the library, those resources may include HeritageQuest, historical newspaper databases or other genealogy and history collections.

Some libraries also provide access to subscription genealogy websites from computers inside the library.

Your free library card might already be your genealogy subscription.

And Then There's Google

Google isn't technically a genealogy website, but it may be one of the most useful free genealogy tools available.

Instead of simply entering an ancestor's name, experiment with searches such as:

"John Crawford" "Garrard County" Kentucky

or

"Alexander Briles" Coffey Kansas

Try adding words such as obituary, cemetery, probate, deed, biography, history or PDF.

You can also tell Google to search a particular website:

site.org "Coffey County Kansas"

A good Google search can lead to a digitized book, historical society collection, university archive or county website you didn't know existed.

A Resource for Finding More Resources

One of the challenges with a list like this is that it can never be complete.

New collections appear. Old websites disappear. State archives digitize additional records. Libraries launch new digital collections.

That's another reason I like the FamilySearch Research Wiki and its Websites for Family History Beginners page. Instead of trying to maintain a personal bookmark for every genealogy website on the Internet, use these directories and research guides to discover resources appropriate to the ancestor, location and type of record you are researching.

The Ancestor Hunt also maintains a list of 100 Best Free Online Genealogy Websites, providing another place to explore when you're ready to move beyond the basics.

Free Doesn't Mean Limited

Subscription genealogy websites are convenient. They bring enormous collections together and make those collections relatively easy to search.

But they aren't the only way to research a family.

A beginning researcher armed with FamilySearch, Cyndi's List, The Ancestor Hunt, Linkpendium, WikiTree, USGenWeb and RootsWeb already has access to an impressive genealogy toolbox.

Add free newspapers, Internet Archive, Google Books, government records, historical maps, state archives, local libraries and Google searches, and that toolbox becomes even larger.

Perhaps the most important skill isn't knowing which genealogy subscription to purchase.

It's learning to ask:

Where else might this record be found?

Because sometimes the answer is only a search—and not a subscription—away.