When you are researching your family tree, it can be a bit overwhelming. Where to go to find census records, and what's the best site for birth records. Now I must admit here that Ancestry has tons of great records...for a price. If you can afford it, great, but if you are like me and doing your researching on the cheap you need another option. Enter familysearch.org! This is a wonderful website run by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). They have tons of records that you can search for FREE. Now keep in mind, some of the records you can't view the original document and must rely on a indexer's eyes to be accurate. They have census records, birth and death, immigration and have some user uploaded family trees. A quick warning, not all the information in the uploaded trees is accurate. Always find documents to back up any and all info you find in other's trees. Familysearch.org is one of my favorite free site full of tons of really great records. And on a personal note, if you have the time, consider signing up to help them index records. I do and one batch of records (from 10 to 25 documents) takes only about a half hour. Unit next time!
Keep branching out!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Researching on the cheap
OK, I have a confession to make. I am cheap. I clip coupons, hunt sales, scour the clearance racks and LOVE freebies. And I like to call myself "The Cheapskate Genealogist". Everyone knows how the economy is, and money is tight, for everyone. Right now I am not ashamed to admit I do all my research for the family tree for free. Yes, you read that right, FREE. I use as many free websites and my public library to find as much as I can. I have, in 3 years, not paid for a subscription to any website. That's because right now I cannot afford it. But it must be said, there are plenty of good, free sites out there. And many of them rely on user information input. A really good one is findagrave.com. If you know where someone is buried you can add a memorial page for them, although knowing the burial location is is not manditory. They even have pages for celebrities and you can add flowers and notes to any page. All you need to do is register for free. Next time I'll gush about one of my favorite free sites...until next time.
Keep branching out!
Keep branching out!
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