How to Find My Ancestors Without Signing Up for a Fee

You can trace your ancestors without paying more than the cost of having records copied. The process may be slower, but free resources can be found in libraries, historical societies, online genealogy groups and private databases. Public records such as birth, marriage and death certificates and wills are usually available for small fees. Volunteers sometimes will look up records in cemeteries and local record depositories not geographically accessible to you. Family surname groups post information online for free. There are online sites that post free links to genealogy information and organizations that provide in-depth research as a public service.

Instructions

1

Compile and record all the information you already have about your family. Make notes of family stories you find about immigration, births, deaths, marriages, occupations, religion, real estate, family composition and military service. Do not overlook interviews with aging relatives, because they are primary source material. Record the family information on free downloadable family tree templates. Some of these are just easy-to-use templates of family trees, but some are fully designed software that helps you keep track of information and present it in a usable format.

2

Study federal census records online. The census has been conducted since 1790. The latest released census was taken in 1930. Later censuses have not yet been released due to privacy concerns. Begin with the latest census and work backward, finding and recording your ancestors. For more federal records, familiarize yourself with the holdings of the National Archives. This is the largest collection of historical records in the United States and includes vast amounts of genealogical information. There is a small fee for copies of records.

3

Verify family stories and census information by looking up records in courthouses, historical organizations, church registers, school rolls, cemetery registers and newspapers where your ancestors lived. If you are not in the area, enter the name of the county or city online and the keyword genealogy. You may find people locally who will look up records for you. You may also wish to visit or write to the places where records are kept and request copies of the data.

4

Visit your public library, where there may be a genealogy section with subscriptions to fee-base online genealogy services. There may also be genealogy clubs and classes at the library or a historical society near you.

5

Put your family name into search engines and find surname family groups. Someone there may know more information about your ancestors. Some surname groups have forums or meet on social networking sites and even in real-time gatherings.

6

Access websites pertaining to your ethnic group, religious sect, area of origin or any other marker that may narrow the search. These sites often have genealogy sections or may be devoted entirely to genealogy of the group.

7

Go to the Family History Library, organized by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah, or to one of its extension branches, the 4,500 Family History Centers found in 100 countries. Here you will find 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records, most holding data from before 1930. Use their free online indexes of genealogical resources. Some websites hold well-organized links to many genealogical resources, both fee-based and free. Two such services are Cyndi's List and GenWeb.