Where can I find public records for free?

Question

I want to do a search on my family history and perhaps other things about my family, if possible.

Answer 1

I feel Ancestry.Com has the most records online.  It isn't free, but your public library might have a subscription to it.  

They have all the U.S. censuses through 1930.  The 1940 and later are not available to the public yet. They also have U.K. censuses through 1901.   They have military records,immigration records and indexes to vital records of many U. S. states.

Just don't take as absolute fact everything you see in family trees on their website or ANY website, free or not free. The info is subscriber submitted (folks like your and me) and mostly not documented or poorly documented.  You might see different info on the same people from different subscribers. Then you will see repeatedly the same info from different subscriber on the same people, but that is no guarantee at all it is correct.  A lot of people copy without verifying. The information can be useful as CLUES as to where to get the documentation.

Answer 2

If you’re just getting started, before beginning an on-line search, gather up all the information you can from family members about your family history so you can narrow your search.  A great site to help you begin  learning how to research and organize the information you collect and gather is   http://www.findingdulcinea.com/guides/Fa...  

There are many genealogical sites that are free such as:

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default....  FamilySearch.org is a non-profit service sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  You can also download free software that will help you keep your family tree organized.

http://usgenweb.org/.  This site has been created by a group of volunteers that are committed to keep genealogy free and have provided a website for genealogical research in every county and state in the United States.

http://rwguide.rootsweb.ancestry.com/.  RootsWeb is also a great site.  It’s funded by Ancestry.com.  It provides links to ton’s of additional sites as well.    

http://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/ind... . Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.  Genealogy Learning Center.  This site has also has some great getting started tips and free downloadable charts and forms.  

http://www.cyndislist.com/.  Cindy’s List has just about everything from A to Z.  I would highly recommend visiting this site.  

http://www.geni.com/home. You can build your family tree,