Nothing drives me crazier than clicking on a link for a
"Free" genealogy site and then being asked for a credit card in order
to view the results of the "free" search, which is usually so vague
that you're not entirely sure that the information would be of value anyway. Genealogy
is already too expensive a hobby without all these fly-by-night sites trying to
cash in on our curiosity. (Besides, who wants to give credit card information to
strangers over the internet?) So, I've compiled the list below of truly free links
for genealogists.
1.
Family Search
– When I first started researching, the site was
not so great because it was laden with often incorrect, user-provided
information. In the last three years, however, the site has been adding actual
scanned church, census, and other records to its holdings. Now it's the best
free genealogy web site online, hands down. After searching for your relatives
by name, try searching databases by place. Most of the links are free, but some
lead to sites like Fold3 or Ancestry, where you'll have to sign up for a two
week trial period in order to see records. If you're diligent about canceling
in time, go for it!
2.
Olive Tree Genealogy – I'll admit it right up front—I
love OTG because I found my 7
th Great Grandfather's 1695 christening
and 1725 marriage record from the Reformed Dutch Church of New Amsterdam there
by happy accident. If you have early American Dutch roots, there's a whole list
of resources for you! OTG also links to genealogical resources for Palatine
Germans, Mennonites, Huguenots, Walloons, Native Americans; ships passenger
lists; Canadian genealogical resources and much more.
3.
Ray's Place New England – Let's hear it for Ray! His site,
which boasts over 7,000 links, offers New England Vital records, cemetery
listings, census records and much more. There are some obscure records for
specific towns listed. If your family goes all the way back to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, you need to take a look at this site.
4.
Castle Garden –
Before Ellis Island, there was Castle Garden. If
your immigrant ancestor arrived in New York between 1820 and 1913, there's a
real probability that they passed through here on their way to a new life in
America. This free database can be searched by name and years of likely
arrival. Remember to test different name spellings, particularly phonetic ones,
if you have no initial success. My experience tells me that they could be
pretty creative spellers back then.
5.
Ellis Island
– The one, the only. So many American stories began
at Ellis Island that it would be a huge oversight to leave it off this list. Ditto
for what I said above about searching names using different spellings if you
can't find your people.
6. Veterans Grave Lookup –
Looking for a deceased veteran? Check
out this helpful database from the US Department of Veteran's Affairs. I found
the final resting places of two of my great grandfather's brothers using this
database.
7.
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors –
A full database of Soldiers,
Sailors, Regiments, Cemeteries, Battles Prisoners, Medals of Honor, and National
Parks. I've found a few relatives by using the databases here; I hope you do,
too.
8.
Find-A-Grave –
The people you're looking for may already be catalogued online here. Although
the site leans toward "famous" interment searches, you can access a
general search (topmost link on the "Actions" sidebar on the left) as
a member of the site, which is free to join. If you're feeling benevolent, you
could upload your own memorials/pictures and help out other researchers looking
for the same family. Maybe you'll meet a nice cousin or two as a result.
10. Free Genealogies on Internet Archive Search
–
Wait—don't pay good money for a reprinted
genealogy! Check
Google Books first; most of the genealogies are free there. If
the one you need isn't free but is more than 75 years old, mosey on over to the
Internet Archive and run a search on the book's title. Chances are, it's there
and it's free! You can also search specific terms such as "Jones
Genealogy" and see what unknown digital treasures have been lying in wait
for your review.
Have I missed anything? Please leave a link to the cool
free site you use in the comments below!
