Jeff Sallee

Free Ancestry Sites – How to Find Them



Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2010

by
http://www.SecretsOfGenealogy.com

The internet is an invaluable tool in your search for clues to your family's history, and there are a number of free ancestry sites available for hobbyists to choose from. Locating them, however, can be a little daunting; search engines will bring up an array of choices, and not all of them are as free as they initially appear to be! Still, a search engine is a good place for any researcher to start.

When searching for sites that provide free genealogy records searches, you should start by asking other researchers and hobbyists which sites they have tried and how much luck they have had. If you don't know many other researches, try asking for assistance and guidance on one of many available genealogy forums. Bear in mind that you will likely need more than one site to aid you in your search for information. Some sites offer records of only one type or from only one country or region; while other sites will allow you to access only certain, often small and tantalizing, amounts of information for free but then require a fee to pursue the search further. A word of warning: some websites may claim to offer free genealogy research; however they don't actually provide information, they merely offer links to other sites. Some even sell advice related to pursuing your research. While the advice might be helpful, if you are looking for factual data, you might be disappointed.

To help you in narrowing down the field of options, try joining one of the many genealogy forums that are frequented by other genealogy enthusiasts. People who have walked the path you are now on will often be a willing and invaluable source of assistance. In turn, when you become more adept at searching for free information, you can provide assistance and direction to new enthusiasts. Paying forward with knowledge and information is not only a friendly thing to participate in within genealogy communities, but it will also open you up to several more hobbyists who might run across information that will be helpful to you at some point in time. Making those contacts with other hobbyists is another vital part of researching.

When you first set out on your online research project, keep an eye out for websites that offer free guides related to locating records and other genealogy information. Good basic information about how various search engines provide results, and what kind of records you can expect to find from a certain website can be huge time savers. There are many free websites that offer a great deal of helpful advice for the novice genealogy researcher, having this information can go a long way towards making your searches more effective and efficient.

The best free ancestry sites will provide factual information, and not just links to other genealogy websites. As you dig through all of the available sites, you will find that there are really very few that actually fit the bill. However, once you have located the right sites to search, you will be able to uncover a great deal of information in a relatively short amount of time!

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Jeff Sallee is a genealogy enthusiast, and truly enjoys helping others get started in this satisfying pursuit. For more information on his no-cost mini-course or other free ancestry site articles visit www.SecretsOfGenealogy.com where Jeff exposes some of the latest secrets of genealogy research for other enthusiasts who want to climb higher into the family tree.
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