A Little Something for Nothing

Getting started in genealogy can be overwhelming. Having a starting point can often prove challenging and confusing. Where do you go? How do you begin the research? I always believe you should start with the basics. Is there one side of the family you know nothing about? Is there one particular person that has always interested you? Is there a relative you always heard stories about and want to prove or disprove it?

Once you have a direction in mind, then what? Start with resources that are free. I don’t believe you should dive in headfirst into paying for information. Why pay for research that you can get for free?! Eventually you will, at some point, have to pay for certain records you need but in the beginning grab as much as you can for free. Going about it this way allows you to gather all the information you can and once you have exhausted all free avenues then you only pay for what you need.

This is even true with Ancestry.com. Why? Because ancestry.com has millions of records but you may not be able to find a lot of records pertaining to your family on that site. Ancestry.com also has different payment plans including a 14 day free trial. You may discover after the free trial that Ancestry.com does not have as much as you anticipated for your family and you do not need a 1 year subscription but rather a 1 month subscription. Lastly, Ancestry.com can often be accessed through your local library. Check your local library and you may be able to do research there. You just won’t have the ability to have your family tree attached but you can still search and print records.

Another reason to go for free information in the beginning is because records available online may even vary from state to state. Illinois has a great deal of birth, marriage and death certificates online at FamilySearch.org. However, my grandmother passed away in Colorado well before I was even born and they have very few of these same records digitized.

Many sites also have free trials like I mentioned with Ancestry.com. Test these sites out before you dish out money for them. Some may only provide you with limited information, so gather what you can and if you feel there is a wealth of information on a particular site then go ahead and pay for a subscription.

Here are my Rookie Genealogy ‘go to’ sites that are free or have at least a 14 day free trial. (I may delve into these sites more in depth in future).

Go free with these Rookie Genealogy website suggestions:

FamilySearch.org – By far my favorite free site. They ask you to sign up but it is free. They have a wealth of information and pictures of actual records. Again, some states are better at digitizing their records than others so it may be hit or miss depending on the locations you want to search.
Find a Grave
Billion Graves -They ask you sign up, but it is free to search. You can pay for upgrades/added features if you wish.
Cyndi’s List
U.S Gen Web
Newspapers.com (Free Trial) – I love this site, however, my family is from rural areas where older newspapers were simply not around in those areas. I have found great info on the little family I did have in Chicago. Use the free trial first to see if it provides anything for you before jumping into the subscription.
Posnan Project – A great resource for Polish marriage records.
Heritage Quest – Often free within your local library and sometimes on your own computer using your library card number and username. Ask your local librarian.
Fold3 – Military records. 7 day free trial.
Ancestry.com – Free trial or check your local library for free access to search.