Does anyone know a website where I can look up my geneology and put together a family tree that is accurate?

Question

I'd like to know. Also one that doesn't cost a fortune.

Answer 1

Ah, finding websites, books, etc., is the easy part.  Try these:

You should start by asking all your living relatives about family history.  Then, armed with that information, you can go to your public library and check to see if it has a genealogy department.  Most do nowadays; also, don't forget to check at community colleges, universities, etc.  Our public library has both www.ancestry.com and www.heritagequest.com free for anyone to use (no library card required).

Another place to check out is any of the Mormon's Family History Centers.  They allow people to search for their family history (and, NO, they don't try to convert you).

A third option is one of the following websites:

http://www.searchforancestors.com/...

http://www.censusrecords.net/?o_xid=2739...

http://www.usgenweb.com/

http://www.census.gov/

http://www.rootsweb.com/

http://www.ukgenweb.com/

http://www.archives.gov/

http://www.familysearch.org/

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/...

http://www.cyndislist.com/

http://www.geni.com/

Cyndi's has the most links to genealogy websites, whether ship's passenger lists, ancestors from Africa, ancestors from the Philippines, where ever and whatever.

Of course, you may be successful by googling: "john doe, born 1620, plimouth, massachusetts" as an example.

Good luck and have fun!

Check out this article on five great free genealogy websites:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

Then there is the DNA test; if you decide you want to REALLY know where your ancestors came from opt for the DNA test. Besides all the mistakes that officials commonly make, from 10% to 20% of birth certificates list the father wrong; that is, mama was doing the hanky-panky and someone else was the REAL father. That won't show up on the internet or in books; it WILL show up in DNA.

I used www.familytreedna.com which works with the National Geographics Genotype Program.

The problem is you want it to be accurate.  As they used to say, "There ain't no such animal!" If you are old enough to do genealogy research, you are old enough to know that accuracy is NOT a forte of the Government, whether the local, state or federal.  If common people made as many errors as government officials, they would be looking for a new job.

My maternal grandmother's birth certificate (and her tombstone) has errors. (Genealogy sites also have errors on her record.) If the one I know for certain contain errors, think what it would be going back in time. (She was born in 1860....)

All you can do is to try to find various sources that state the same thing!

Answer 2

The problem is that anything you find on one of the websites is probably someone elses research that they have contributed and you have no way of knowing how accurate that research is. Most genealogists will tell you to do your own research and to verify everything you find on the internet.

Keep records of all your sources.

familysearch.org has alot of information

you can download the free standard version of legacyfamilytree.com to keep track of your findings and sources.

Usgenwebarchives

your state archives website

genforum.com

rootsweb.com

Treat all online sources as clue and your are the sleuth that has to prove each source is correct. it is really one giant puzzle to solve, that is endless.

GO to your local public library,.. they offer many paysites for free research there.. and often they have a genealogy branch or room with tons of info in books or on microfilm.

Answer 3

I did a long reply for you.. then the computer gremlins spit it out, and I threw up my hands in disgust.

Let me try again.  The BEST advice I have to offer is to not think of finding your "tree" like a finished painting, but think of a jigsaw puzzle to be put together.  Those pieces can be in thousands of places.. both online and offline. To be thinking of one 'best' website to find your ancestry, defeats the challenge of learning where the facts are, and putting them together.

You might find persons who have already researched.. which is the 'easy' way. The issue is knowing how good the info is, and without you knowing the process, you won't always know or be able to spot it.  If your main goal is ACCURACY, you are willing to invest the time to learn how to evaluate. What this often means, is to not rely on posted info, but make the effort to locate the original documents.

www.rootsweb.com is one of many places to start, but I advice the tutorial first.  There are thousands of places online to find your ancestry, but I advise starting with knowledge of how to use RECORDS, not necessarily online. then, how to use the internet to run down where those records may be.