Where can you find your ancestors free?

Question

Where can you find your ancestors free?

Answer 1

Everything depends on if (or how much) you really WANT to find your ancestry.

http://www.cyndislist.com/beginner.htm

this is a great place to start, not just for beginner things (how to's), but to also give you understanding of the fact that there are THOUSANDS of genealogy sites out there.  Which are best, is directly related to who your ancestors were, where they lived, what they did, etc.  You can do a lot of it, from home.. but what most people refuse to know is this.. what is online, is only the tip of the iceberg, and you are fooling yourself, if you expect to do it all online.

Even if it was online.. you still pay for your internet connection, right?

Living persons info is normally confidential.  You should not find your birth certificate online (think fraud/ id theft). If you don't have documents to use, you may need to get those, and I KNOW the govt isn't free.  And yes.. everything in genealogy is based in DOCUMENTS or records. Memory is fallible, and only goes back so far.

In the US, you can almost not find anything without the census. Ancestry.com is the only place with all census records, and it is fee based.  You may have it accessible through your local library for free.. compare that to cost for gas.  Hidden costs are there.

It is an easy (?) catch 22.  You can do a lot for free. Do not expect it to be free.  If it really matters, you manage the cost and it is like any other hobby, that you choose to spend money on.

Answer 2

rootsweb.com is a free question and answer forum; a great place to post a query concerning an ancestor who seems a bit elusive.

famlysearch.org is great for beginners to start a family tree.

You will need to register and then follow the simple instructions to get started.

You will need to store your research on  a CD, as the site does not store any information, for you, on-line.

There are several forms, which you can print for free, which will help you keep track of the info, on paper. It is always a good idea to have a paper copy of your research, in the event of an electrical problem with your computer, possible damage to your CD or interuption of your access to the Internet.

Check your local libary, as they may have a membership to one of the many genealogy sites and all you need is a library card to gain access.

The Church  of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is free to the general public; you do not have to be a member of their faith and they do not pressure you to join.

Before going on-line, you will need 3 to 4 generations, starting with yourself, then your parents, next your grandparents and move on to your great-grandparents.

Don't worry, if you can't find out everything about each person.

No one has 100% of their ancestors info!

Just enjoy the journey!