Troy Monsivais: LDS church - family search is the best
Lou Ravelo: Thousands. For a good list of resources, I like www.cyndislist.com (be sure and browse her items for new researchers). Personally, I am glad that you mention databases vs websites. Database is usually all put together for you (or expected to be) while many websites are records that require you actually going through them. And my favorite suggestion for new persons- think in terms of individual persons, one person at a time, linking as you go.. your goal is to find your grandfather Smith, NOT people with the Smith surname. Trust me on this one. Don't forget to have fun....Show more
Reginald Maxi: Ted's list is very good. Some of them maybe very helpful to you. There are a lot of FREE genealogy websites. In fact, there are really too many to list. The problem with just giving a list to you is the fact that many sites are very specific. For example, Rootsweb has a free site for every state and ! every county. Some are better than others but if we were to list them all, I bet most of them are of no use to you. I also know of a site of people who died in New York City who immigrated from Elisavetgrad, Ukraine that is free, but again would probably be of no use to you because it targets a very specific segment of the population. My point is this. Genealogy is a journey... a LONG journey... when I started there was no internet. More and more is being made available every day. I could bore you with the standard answer telling you to check GenForum, Rootsweb and family search; however there is so much more out there than that. The sites you use to look for your mothers family could be totally different then the ones you use to look for your fathers family. Start with yourself and work backward, one generation at a time. There are genealogy sites that have a state focus, a local focus, a military focus, a religious focus and just about every other kind of focus you can! think of. The thrill is the hunt. I am still finding useful! websites today. Google is a great tool. Ancestry.com is a pay site that is very good, especially for census information; however, it is not helpful to some people beyond that. Others are able to take their family back several hundred years using Ancestry.Most information is not on websites, it is in repositories and libraries. I would suggest visiting the ones surrounding the area in which your ancestors live. They would be the ones that would have the directories, newspapers, and publications from the local genealogical societies. If you have a question about a particuar line of your family and want to post a question, it would be easier for us to direct you to useful websites (if there are any), specific to your search rather than asking for a list. Good luck,...Show more
Monica Voltin: Ask several of your oldest relatives.
Clemente Schoeck: This is a long answer that I paste now and again to questions like yours.The short answer to "How can I find my fami! ly tree?" is that if one of your great-aunts has spent 30 years researching it, AND has posted her research on the Internet, you'll find it. If not, you will have to do the research yourself. It is not difficult, but it takes time. Most young people do not want to spend a couple of hours a week doing research, because it is too much like homework. So, you may want to skip the rest of this answer. If not, read on.If your line has been "done", chance are it is on one of these two sites. When you search, don't fill in all of the fields. Start with given name, surname and birth year. Use (+/-) 5 for the birth year. Expect to spend 15 - 45 minutes on each. Neither has any living people, so don't enter your own name.http://www.familysearch.com(Mormon's mega-site. Click on "Search", to start with, or "Advanced Search")Roots Webhttp://www.rootsweb.comand in particular,http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin...(Roots Web World Connect; 460,000,000+ entries, of varying qua! lity)Here are a few more. The resolved questions have lots of links and! tips.http://www.cyndislist.com/(240,000+ links, all cross-indexed. If you want Welsh or Pennsylvania Dutch or Oregon or any other region, ethnic group or surname, chances are she has links for it.)Ancestry.comhttp://www.ancestry.com/(which has free pages and FEE pages - so watch out)and, in particular,http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx?l...Surname meanings and originshttp://www.tedpack.org/begingen.htmlMy own site: "How to Begin"United States only:http://www.usgenweb.net/(Subdivided into state sites, which all have county sites.)(The Canadians have Canadian Gen Web, by province)http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cg...(Social Security Death index - click on "Advanced". You may find your grandparents.)http://find.person.superpages.com/(US Phone book, for looking up distant cousins)United Kingdom Only:http://www.genuki.org.uk/(Biggest site for United Kingdom & Ireland)http://www.freebmd.org.uk/(Free Birth, Marriage & Death Records)In the USA, some ! public libraries have census image subscriptions. Many Family History Centers do too. This is a general hint: Even though you go in through YA Canada, YA Australia, YA UK or YA USA, all of the questions go into one big "pot" and get read by everyone in the world who speaks English. Most of the people here are in the UK and USA, but you sometimes get questions and answers from people who worry about kangaroos eating their roses. So, if you are asking about a specific individual, put a nation and a state / province. It will help people help you....Show more
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