| There is no doubt that genealogy research today | | | | of specialized search engines that find the required |
| is dominated by the research on the internet, with | | | | information only within a specific geographic |
| the help of huge genealogical databases available | | | | area.This improves the probability of finding the |
| online. Free genealogy search engines provide a | | | | required information as these look into more |
| very convenient way to track down your | | | | specialized databases. Here are some important |
| ancestors from across the globe without ever | | | | free databases which free genealogy search |
| having to leave your living room... or pay a dime. | | | | engines get their information from-- chances are, |
| Here's how to go about taking advantage of this | | | | you will want to access them yourself at some |
| resource. | | | | point: |
| The great thing is that you for the most part no | | | | - Official state sites, with voters' lists and census |
| longer need to browse through databases | | | | information. |
| manually, finding the required people. All you need | | | | - Military databases which include service data, |
| to do with most free genealogy search engines is | | | | information about deaths during wars, pensions, |
| to type in an individual's name and you will get | | | | etc. |
| back information about them that's available online. | | | | - Birth, baptism, death and marriage data, which |
| This drastically reduces the total time required for | | | | can either be found in official state records or in |
| researching people in your family tree. | | | | the records of various individual churches. |
| Some of the more popular free genealogy search | | | | - Immigration and emigration databases, which |
| engines are usgenweb, MyHeritage, and | | | | also provide clues to other members of the |
| Rootsweb. They will prove to be extremely | | | | family and the places to look for. |
| helpful in your research. However, you will need to | | | | If you intend to take parts of a family tree |
| be careful about whether the search has been | | | | already present on the internet, you must ensure |
| comprehensive or not. This is because not all | | | | that there is no duplication of people. This happens |
| genealogy search engines take all the available | | | | because you may already have a few people in |
| databases into consideration. | | | | your family tree who are also on the incoming |
| It's a good idea to combine the data you obtain | | | | branch. Some popular genealogy software can |
| through various free genealogy search engines. | | | | check for duplication but it is always advisable to |
| Using such diverse databases is a great way to | | | | do a manual check just to be sure. |
| both gather and validate information. | | | | A word of caution: always validate the information |
| Also, combining information from various sources | | | | that you get from unofficial or less credible |
| can help reveal clues regarding other related | | | | sources to ensure accuracy of your research! |
| members of the family. By simply searching for | | | | Remember that free genealogy search engines |
| already known people, you can track down other | | | | are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to |
| related people. This can prove very useful at | | | | genealogy research. While you may not ever |
| times if you are stuck at some place in your | | | | need to access any of the paid resources, sooner |
| family tree. | | | | or later you will want to expand beyond the |
| Be aware that you may also have to make use | | | | scope of the data these engines provide. |