How to find long lost relatives without having to pay?

Question

for websites such as ancestry.com etc...

Answer 1

No money, no talk!  Lost for ever!

Answer 2

Try Genes Reunited.

I Don't Think You Have To Pay.

Answer 3

Ancestry.com is free to use in many public libraries.  The library pays the subscription so members can use it free.  It is definitely worth asking at your local library.

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Answer 4

Your first issue is WHAT COUNTRY are you talking about? Resources are not the same.

2nd.. are you talking about living relatives?  the first thing, obviously, is whether or not, you actually know the names of those you are looking for.  The problem in this, is that persons who are living have rights to privacy.  It really is not standard to look online and find out immediate personal information for other people.

Do you already have "preliminary" info?  such as "I am looking for descendants of my gr grandparents, John Jones and wife Mary Hassenfeffer".  Unless YOU already have done some work.. you don't know who the ancestors are, then to find their descendants.

Generally speaking.. the standard operating procedure is tracing your own ancestry, beginning with yourself.. and working backwards. To the surprise of many.. you don't need to know living people in order to do this, since your main source is historical records. In that process, you can often 'bump' into distant cousins who are already aware that they also have that ancestor, hence you are related.

There are many many free resources online.. however, expecting research to BE completely free, is unrealistic. Ancestry.com is the best known site. You can get records using alternate means.. but, with all respect, unless you have already done this.. you really don't 'get it' that ancestry can be a bargain.

If you scan through the resolved questions right here, focus on "how to trace ancestry", since there are hundreds of this posted. Right here IS free.