| Your Family Tree: Eight Great Genealogy | | | | research!With history, documents, photos, maps |
| Resources To Find Out Who Your Ancestors | | | | and more, a surname group may be available for |
| Were | | | | one or more of your ancestors or ancestor lines, |
| If you want to find exciting discoveries about | | | | available free or a very low membership cost. |
| your ancestors, find out when your ancestors | | | | Search for "-a surname- and family association" |
| came to the this country and from exactly | | | | and see what turns up online. I receive |
| where, there are great genealogy resources, both | | | | newsletters from several associations; another |
| online and offline, to help you. The following eight | | | | has updated information online and available with a |
| resources are relatively inexpensive, or free, for | | | | membership. Excellent resources. |
| you to use in building your family tree. | | | | 6: Free: Databases, Charts, Forms. |
| 1: Go to your local public Library - Talk with a | | | | Much is free online these days, or available at |
| Librarian. | | | | your local library. The following Censuses are free |
| Your best first genealogy resource is inside your | | | | to search and view: 1881 U.K., 1881 Canada, 1880 |
| library: the librarian. Your library may have | | | | U.S. on most sites. In Canada, Automated |
| Handouts, Worksheets, journals, genealogy books, | | | | Genealogy provides free access to search and |
| reference material, access to commercial | | | | view the censuses from 1851/1852, 1901, 1906, |
| databases, and more. You need to ask the | | | | 1911. In the U.K., freeBMD will help you find your |
| librarian what is available in the library, as well as | | | | ancestors' birth, marriage, death record so you |
| what may be brought in to the library | | | | can order a copy. Olive Tree Genealogy has free |
| (microfiches, inter-library loan, and more). A wealth | | | | searching of ship passenger lists from the early |
| of resources are available for you to find your | | | | 1600s. Library & Archives Canada provides free |
| ancestors. | | | | searching and viewing of many documents, |
| 2: Investigate your local Genealogical or Historical | | | | records, censuses, and more. |
| Society. | | | | Charts and forms are freely available to help keep |
| With regular meetings, educational opportunities, | | | | organize your ancestors, your documents, your |
| newsletter, library, professional genealogists and | | | | research history, your correspondence, and more. |
| expert amateurs, your local or regional | | | | Check on any genealogy site for their Free |
| genealogical society is chock-full of great free or | | | | Forms, or Getting Started items. Even |
| inexpensive resources. Membership fees are very | | | | government sites which provide any genealogy |
| reasonable for the services you can access. As a | | | | information will have some downloadable forms |
| member, you will also hear first of local genealogy | | | | and charts for you to use. Check on Cyndi's List |
| conferences or special events, accelerating your | | | | to find any specific sites which provide free |
| learning about how to find out who your | | | | forms. |
| ancestors were. | | | | 7: FamilySearch and Family History Centers. |
| 3: Free Genealogy Newsletters on the Internet. | | | | The world's largest database of genealogical |
| Free e-newsletters from genealogists or | | | | records is available through the work of the |
| genealogy companies are excellent resources. As | | | | Mormon Church, the Church of Latter-Day Saints |
| you look at an online genealogy site, search on it | | | | (LDS) in Utah. From official records and registers |
| for a free newsletter. Examples may be found on | | | | around the world, to individually-submitted family |
| Family Tree Magazine, ProGenealogists, Lost | | | | trees, FamilySearch has many sources to help |
| Cousins, World Vital Records, Ancestry, Legacy | | | | you. Remember to look for the proof or source |
| Family Tree, RootsMagic, and many more. Packed | | | | of the details in every tree or individual as you |
| full of practical information on general or very | | | | search. In the Family History Center (FHC) in your |
| specific topics, newsletters are great ways to | | | | community, there are more resources as well, |
| learn about how to do genealogy research. | | | | such as free access to commercial databases, |
| 4: Message Boards online. | | | | books, microfilms of commonly-searched records |
| Are your ancestors from Canada, Germany, | | | | in specific countries. Staffed by knowledgeable |
| Ireland, Sweden, or other places? There is likely | | | | and helpful volunteers, the FHC is an excellent |
| to be a Message Board somewhere on that | | | | resource for building your family tree. |
| country or region within the country. RootsWeb is | | | | 8: Free Family Tree software. |
| one of the largest, with Surname boards, regional, | | | | To keep your family tree organized with details, |
| historical, and other boards. Check them out, and | | | | photos, stories, proof/sources, and more, there |
| click on the link that will explain how to make a | | | | are many software programs available. Two free |
| great post if you find a perfect message board | | | | versions are (a) the Standard version of Legacy |
| for your purposes. Look for other message | | | | Family Tree (a "Deluxe" version is US$29.95), or |
| boards in the regions of your ancestors' past | | | | (b) the PAF software available from the |
| residences, there are so many online. Search for | | | | FamilySearch site (right side of page). Commercial |
| "message board and -topic-" to see if there is a | | | | databases sometimes offer a family tree |
| message board on for example Ireland (at least | | | | software program free with a one-year |
| 7). A long-lost cousin found me on a message | | | | subscription; call and see what is possible. Check |
| board, so I tend to search them regularly for | | | | on Cyndi's List for comparisons of software |
| more information! | | | | programs. Get started easily with a program |
| 5: Surname Associations, Family Associations or | | | | which helps you do all the necessary steps to |
| Societies. | | | | build your family tree. |
| I have been very lucky to have 5 of my | | | | These eight great resources should help any |
| ancestor family lines with Family or Surname | | | | beginner in Genealogy keep to a budget while |
| Associations with professional-level researched | | | | learning a great deal about researching their |
| family trees I could use immediately, sources and | | | | ancestors. Enjoy your searches. |
| all. What a great boon to my personal genealogy | | | | |