Family Tree Magazine
25 Best Genealogy Websites for Beginners
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/article/25-best-genealogy-websites-for-beginners#.WA0jwVDMFTE.google_plusone_share
25 Best Genealogy Websites for Beginners
8/31/2016
Hit the online road with this travel guide of starter tips
and sites guaranteed to rev up your ancestral search.
When learning to drive, many people find it less
intimidating (and safer) to practice shifting gears in parking lots
before cruising down Main Street. They traverse back roads and byways
before tackling busy highways.
Similarly, if you’re just starting to explore your family history
online, you’ll discover that some web routes are better than others. You
don’t want to stall out on a 10-year-old message board post or get
stuck in a traffic jam of a thousand search results. You want websites
that offer plenty of “driver’s education”: site tutorials, easy-to-use
tools and powerful search interfaces that drive you directly to the
information most likely to pertain to your ancestors.
1. About.com
H FREE
Dive into dozens of how-to articles on research basics, online
searching, and sharing and preserving the past. You won’t do actual
research on this site, but you’ll learn a lot. Because each article
leads to more detailed and related articles on the same site, it’s easy
to lose track of what you’ve read. Refer back frequently to the three
main topics tabs (Learn How, Search Online, Share and Preserve) if you
want to read systematically through everything offered.
2. Ancestry.com
H R S ($)
Take the most-used genealogy data subscription site for a spin.
Anyone can click on the Learning Center tab and then First Steps for a
site orientation. Many how-tos in the Family History 101 section are
free to use, too. Once you have a membership, you can search digitized
records and indexes from around the world. Use the Family Tree tab (if
you’re a member—not if you’re using Ancestry.com at a library) to create
your family tree and post photos and stories, which you may share with
others.
3. AfriGeneas
H R S FREE
Providing education and resources for those researching
African-American roots, this unique site hosts regular opportunities for
users to communicate with one another. Start with the Beginner’s Guide
under the Records tab, then search marriage, death, surname and slave
data databases under the same tab. (Also check AfriQuest.com
<afriquest.com>, a free online archive for users to share items
relating to African-American genealogy and history.)
4. Archives.com
H R S ($)
This service gives you access mainly to US censuses, vital records
and old newspapers in the United States, and some in the United Kingdom.
The Help Center answers basic questions about searches and account
information. The Learn tab leads you to how-to articles and video
tutorials on many topics, including how to construct a family tree to
share with relatives or post on Facebook. This inexpensive site is a fantastic beginner option.
5. Atlas of Historical County Boundaries
T FREE
You’ll come back to this tool again and again. Many genealogical
records are created by counties, the boundaries of which may have
changed over time. On this site, click a state, then View Interactive
Map, and enter the date for which you want to see county boundaries.
Then you’ll be able to identify which county that town was part of
during the time your ancestors lived there. Click to add layers showing
modern maps so you’ll know where it is today.
6. BillionGraves.com
R S FREE
Search an enormous GPS-tagged database of tombstone images. You
also can upload tombstone photos you’ve snapped with a free
iPhone/Android camera app. Users can add personal history information to
individual photos and link them to other tombstone images. This is a
fantastic tool to use on the virtual highway and fun to use when you’re
on the “real” road, snapping pictures of tombstones in your family
cemetery.
7. Chronicling America
R FREE
The Library of Congress’ portal to historical newspapers has two
important areas of content: digitized newspaper pages (1836-1922) from
25 states and Washington, DC, and an index to all known newspapers
published in the United States and where to find them today. Check back
frequently for new content. To learn more about using the site,
including what’s on it and what’s not, click on the Help section.
8. Cyndi’s List
T FREE
Consider Cyndi Howells’ site your table of contents for online
genealogy. You’ll find lists of sites dedicated to researching
particular places, types of records, ethnic and religious groups, and
more. Check out the Beginner’s category for guides and tips just for
newbies.
9. FamilySearch.org
H R S FREE
This is one of the best free online resources available. Search
millions of digitized and indexed records from around the world. Some
results point to offsite sources for digitized records. Don’t ignore the
Learn tab; it’s packed with keyword-searchable articles and online
courses. The Catalog tab takes you to the most extensive genealogy
library catalog in the world. Microfilmed holdings can be rented for use
at a FamilySearch Center near you (see the FamilySearch Centers tab).
Share your family tree at the bottom of the home page; learn how you can
contribute to online records access under the Indexing tab.
10. FamilyTreeMagazine.com
H T FREE/($)
Our own website offers abundant tools and how-tos for beginners.
The Get Started tab introduces you to the research process. Find free
forms and cheat sheets under the Research Toolkit tab. An online archive
of how-to articles is keyword-searchable and packed with content from
past issues of the magazine and web-only extras. A lot is free; paying
Plus members have access to even more.
11. Find a Grave
R S FREE
Dig up ancestral burial information from millions of tombstone
images here. Search by an individual or cemetery name. Users are
encouraged to upload additional tombstone photos and submit biographical
information for memorial pages. You can even create virtual cemeteries
to connect loved ones buried in different places.
12. Findmypast.com
H R S ($)
The flexible membership options (like a la carte pricing for
looking at search results) will appeal to many beginners. You don’t have
to be a member to access the site’s Get Started section, which offers a
user-friendly guide to the research process, or its Learn More section
with more advanced how-to articles. Search records collections
(strongest for the United Kingdom and growing for the United States) and
build your family tree on the site.
13. Fold3.com
R S ($)
This is the go-to source for digitized US military records from the
Revolutionary War forward. Anyone can go to the bottom right of the
home page to “report for training.” Here you’ll learn basic finding
strategies and how to add tributes or even organize a gallery of cool
family content. This section may help you decide whether to subscribe so
you can search and see a lot of records that used to be accessible only
through the National Archives.
14. GenealogyBank
H R ($)
GenealogyBank is best known for its 6,000-plus historical newspaper
titles. Search results are labeled as historical or modern obituaries,
marriage notices, immigration records, and the like, making it easier to
find what you’re looking for. Click on the Learning Center for
tutorials on searching the site and using newspapers in genealogy
research.
15. General Land Office Records
H R FREE
Find many records generated when our ancestors bought land from the
federal government, especially in the Midwest and West. Access images
of more than 5 million land title records dating back to 1820. Click on
the Reference Center for more information about public land sales,
patents and survey plats. No state land sales are located here.
16. Google
T FREE
In addition to the ability to search for names and places, Google offers several genealogy-friendly tools. Google Translate helps you translate text and websites into or out of English. Google Books includes an online library of out-of-print resources such as local histories and compiled genealogies. Google Maps and Google Earth help you locate ancestral addresses.
17. HeritageQuestOnline
H R FREE
Access this resource free if your local library offers it. The home
page isn’t fancy: Just click to search US censuses, Freedman’s Bank
records (for African-American ancestors), Revolutionary War materials,
local and family history books, articles and more.
18. JewishGen
H R S FREE
Make this your first stop for tracing Jewish roots. Under the Get
Started tab, choose First Timer for an intro to Jewish research and the
site. Free tutorials and paid classes are available. Search databases of
Jewish surnames, family trees, towns, Holocaust victims and burials.
Contribute your data to the centralized “family tree of the Jewish
people.”
19. MyHeritage.com
R S FREE/($)
Discover several innovative features tech-savvy genealogists like,
and many are free. Click on Genealogy for an overview of those features:
build a family tree, run simultaneous searches across major genealogy
databases, create a family website, find help on message boards and
more. MyHeritage charges for some search results and once your family
tree reaches a certain size.
20. Mocavo
R S FREE/($)
This search engine is just for genealogy. It provides a central
tool for searching records in other relevant locations on the internet,
and lets you upload your own trees and documents. Basic searches are
free (great for uncommon names); more-detailed searches require a
subscription.
21. National Archives Resources for Genealogists
H R FREE
Here’s your portal to the US repository for most federal military,
census, immigration and other records. Read excellent descriptions of
these record sets and order copies online. Some have been digitized or
indexed; click on Online Research Tools, then Access to Archival
Databases or Records Digitized by Partners. At the first, find databases
to selected records at the National Archives. At the second, find a
list (by microfilm number) of records now on Ancestry.com and Fold3.com.
22. NewspaperArchive
R ($)
Access more than 120 million newspaper pages dating to 1607. The
site is easy on the eye and easy to navigate. Browse newspapers by state
and city, or enter names and other keywords along with desired dates
and locations. Click on Help to take tutorials on using the site.
23. USGenWeb Project
H R S FREE
Explore a directory to websites containing free genealogical
resources for every US state and most counties. Quality, content and
design varies from site to site. You’ll commonly find what local
resources exist and how to access them, along with indexes to cemetery,
marriage and other local records. Share your own records on these sites,
too.
24. Webpages by Stephen P. Morse
T FREE
Don’t let the complicated appearance fool you: Beginners looking
for passenger and immigration information won’t want to pass up this
site. Morse has created better search tools for data found on other
websites. Click on About This Website and How to Use It for a primer, or
just scroll down to the various search forms and the accompanying
explanations. Where search results lead to paid subscription sites
(including Ancestry.com), that site will charge you.
25. World Vital Records
R ($)
A budget-friendly beginner option, World Vital Records provides
digitized and index data from many parts of the world (find an
interactive map on the home page). Find censuses, vital and military
records, yearbooks, newspapers, and more. A lot of results point to
third-party websites. Search family trees and a user-contributed
historical photo collection from MyHeritage.com on this site, too.
* * *
Contributing editor Sunny Jane Morton
writes Family Tree Magazine’s Family Archivist column. Her online video classes include Digital Preservation for the 21 Century.
No comments:
Post a Comment