| The internet is an invaluable tool in your search | | | | enthusiasts. People who have walked the path |
| for clues to your family's history, and there are a | | | | you are now on will often be a willing and |
| number of free ancestry sites available for | | | | invaluable source of assistance. In turn, when you |
| hobbyists to choose from. Locating them, | | | | become more adept at searching for free |
| however, can be a little daunting; search engines | | | | information, you can provide assistance and |
| will bring up an array of choices, and not all of | | | | direction to new enthusiasts. Paying forward with |
| them are as free as they initially appear to be! | | | | knowledge and information is not only a friendly |
| Still, a search engine is a good place for any | | | | thing to participate in within genealogy |
| researcher to start. | | | | communities, but it will also open you up to |
| When searching for sites that provide free | | | | several more hobbyists who might run across |
| genealogy records searches, you should start by | | | | information that will be helpful to you at some |
| asking other researchers and hobbyists which | | | | point in time. Making those contacts with other |
| sites they have tried and how much luck they | | | | hobbyists is another vital part of researching. |
| have had. If you don't know many other | | | | When you first set out on your online research |
| researches, try asking for assistance and guidance | | | | project, keep an eye out for websites that offer |
| on one of many available genealogy forums. Bear | | | | free guides related to locating records and other |
| in mind that you will likely need more than one | | | | genealogy information. Good basic information |
| site to aid you in your search for information. | | | | about how various search engines provide results, |
| Some sites offer records of only one type or | | | | and what kind of records you can expect to find |
| from only one country or region; while other sites | | | | from a certain website can be huge time savers. |
| will allow you to access only certain, often small | | | | There are many free websites that offer a great |
| and tantalizing, amounts of information for free | | | | deal of helpful advice for the novice genealogy |
| but then require a fee to pursue the search | | | | researcher, having this information can go a long |
| further. A word of warning: some websites may | | | | way towards making your searches more |
| claim to offer free genealogy research; however | | | | effective and efficient. |
| they don't actually provide information, they | | | | The best free ancestry sites will provide factual |
| merely offer links to other sites. Some even sell | | | | information, and not just links to other genealogy |
| advice related to pursuing your research. While | | | | websites. As you dig through all of the available |
| the advice might be helpful, if you are looking for | | | | sites, you will find that there are really very few |
| factual data, you might be disappointed. | | | | that actually fit the bill. However, once you have |
| To help you in narrowing down the field of | | | | located the right sites to search, you will be able |
| options, try joining one of the many genealogy | | | | to uncover a great deal of information in a |
| forums that are frequented by other genealogy | | | | relatively short amount of time! |