Personal Life Media

Transcript

Episode 8 Show Notes:

Finding Genealogy Records For Free Online
In our last episode we reviewed the largest genealogy records websites that offer paid subscriptions or pay per view access to their vast records collections.  But not all online records cost money, and some of the records offered on the paid sites can also be found online for free.  While there are tons of websites out there that may have some free records on them, I’m going to cover my current Top 5 choices for the best and largest sources for free genealogical records on the Internet.  These will certainly give you plenty to keep you busy for quite a while.

Website #1 is FamilySearch
http://www.familysearch.org

You can get started right away from the home page where you’ll find basic search fields. I like using the Advanced Search and you’ll find a link to that right next to the search button. 

If you look to the left hand column on their homepage you’ll see a listing of their record collections.  These include:

• Census records
• Vital records such as Birth, Marriage and Death
• US Social Security Death Index
• Records and Pedigree Charts posted by church members

While the church is making a heroic effort to digitize all of their vast holdings, right now much of what you’ll find will be transcriptions from the records, which are going to help you quite a bit.  But you’ll also find the number of the microfilm from which it came which can be ordered for a small fee from an LDS Family History Center or Library.  It takes a week or two to receive, but then you can go in and view the record on microfilm for yourself. 

Website #2 - The U.S. National Archives Records Administration  (NARA)
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/

As citizens we all have a right to access to the essential documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of our Government, and NARA makes that happen. 

While just a fraction of their holdings are available for viewing online, you can use their website to figure out exactly what they have, which NARA location it’s held in, and how to access it. 

In fact they have a section on their website devoted to the genealogists and family historians which is right up our alley.  Go to http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/

Pay close attention to the area called What You Can Do On This Web Site. There you will get a good idea of how to search the site, and determine where their records are located.

Website #3 is www.Ellisisland.org

From 1892 to 1924, more than 22 million immigrants, passengers, and crew members came through Ellis Island and the Port of New York. The ship companies that transported these passengers kept detailed passenger lists, called "ship manifests."  If one of your ancestors immigrated to America during that time frame, then the ellisisland.org website is for you!

Though the records they hold are obviously narrow in scope, they are comprehensive and free!   There’s a wealth of information on these passenger lists, and if you’re very lucky the name and address of your ancestors contact in the old country will be one of those nuggets. 

And you don’t have to stop at the passenger list.  www.Ellisisland.org also has images of the ships that unloaded its human cargo at Ellis Island, so that you can see the actual ship your ancestor traveled on. 

In addition to the fantastic collection of digitized records, you can learn a whole lot about what ancestors went through by exploring the Immigrant Experience pages where you’ll find first hand immigrant stories and an interactive immigration timeline called the Peopling of America.

Website #4 takes us overseas to the National Archives of the United Kingdom. 
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Since America’s roots run back to England, it’s very likely that at some point your family roots will lead you there as well.  And that’s where the National Archives comes in.  It’s a first class resource for free genealogical records. You’ll find quick links on the home page to lots of great records like Birth, Marriage & Death, Census records, Citizenship and Naturalization, Divorce, Passenger lists, Wills, and Research Guides.

And there is an entire section devoted to Family History http://www2.nationalarchives.gov.uk/familyhistory/default.htm

In the case of the Birth Marriage and Death Register, you can access the actual digitized records right from the website, but it will cost you some money.  Basic search is free, an advanced search is 1 credit which costs 50 p which is about a dollar, and the cost to view a full record online is 5 credits for 2. ½ pounds or about $5.00.  While it sounds a bit expensive, it’s instant gratification and a copy of the actual document versus waiting weeks and paying international postage, etc.

Website #5 is The Library and Archives Canada 
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/index-e.html

Even if you don’t have ancestors from Canada there is a very good chance that they came to America by way of Canada, and for that reason alone the Library and Archives Canada is a great resource. You’ll find the Quebec City Passenger Lists Index covering the years 1865-1900, as well as a fascinating section called Moving Here, Staying Here, the Canadian Immigrant Experience.  

The first place to start is their Canadian Genealogy Centre and you’ll find a link to that on the right side of the home page.  Here you’ll again find inforrmation and links for the most popular types of records, strategies on how to locate things within the site, and guides to researching in Canada. You can access digitized copies of actual census records, and passenger lists. 

Another unique type of record that you may find on the site is Canadian Border Crossings.  Again, being such a close neighbor to the US, your ancestors, like mine, particularily if they lived in our most northern states may have traveled back and forth a time or two. 

Two of the best website for finding records:

• Cyndi’s list  www.cyndislist.com
• The U.S. Gen Web Project website http://usgenweb.org/ 

Search by state, the by county.  Because so many records are stored at the county level, it makes perfect sense that they organized this site by county and state. 

Tips for Getting Many of the Paid Records Free.  

Tip #1 – Ask Your Local Library if They Have Ancestry.com
Many public libraries have a free library version of Ancestry’s US records collection.  If your local library doesn’t, check with the Reference librarian to find out it if that library is part of a larger library system that does have it.  In the State of Calif. Where I live, you can obtain a library card for any public library in the state.  So even though my county libraries don’t have Ancestry, the library in the next county which is just a few miles away over the county line does have it, so I just got myself a free library card at that branch.  And in some cases you can access it online.  So be sure and ask!

Tip #2  Many Subscription Databases are Available Free at Family History Centers. 
The quickest way to find a center near you is to go to Familysearch.org and click on the Library drop down menu and select Family History Centers, then just enter your town and state.  Be sure and bring a flash drive with you to save files to, and a few dollars to pay for copies if you would like to print out the records your find. 

Tip #3 Downloadable Free Access to Pay Databases Chart from Family Tree Magazine
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/upload/images/PDF/freedatabases.pdf

Lists a number of record collections available on subscription websites and where you can find them for free on other websites.  It will require a bit more hunting around on your part, but will get you started inexpensively. 

So armed with some of the best subscription websites and a handful of terrific free resources you are ready to really make headway and unlock the keys to your family history!

Listen to Lisa's other family history podcast called Genealogy Gems which you can find at www.GenealogyGems.TV