Has anyone hear every looked back in the past and researched their family?

I am working on my family tree, and need the best places for this.

Thanks.

Site run by the LDS (Mormon) which btw is FREE for any one of any faith https://familysearch.org/ I love love this site. It is a gold mine They have a lot of tools and a blog and well explore the site.


Ancestry.com or .ca charges money.

I am researching hubbys tree at the moment. Found stuff such as an uncle who served during the Vietnam conflict. Hubby was little at the time and did not know much. I also found the uncles name is on the Vietnam Memorial Wall on the Wall website. Emailed them and a volunteer went out and shaded his name on a piece of paper and mailed it to us - this service is free. My hubby did not even know that the uncles name was on the Wall

I found the uncle and some military info and how he died using the information found on the familysearch site.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Thanks. So familysearch is free but not ancestry.com. Have you tried ancestry?

No I have not tried that only because it costs. I may try it at some point but I have no need for that site at this time. Not all things are free.

Also, a great source is https://familysearch.org/.../Main_Page

and if you can, visit a local family history center also run by the LDS https://familysearch.org/...ry_Centers

You can go there and they will help you. I have visited a family history centre where I live and they are helpful. Awesome resource for anyone researching family history.

Talk to your immediate family, especially those like your grand parents, uncles, aunt and so forth. Get as much info from as you can.

And you have to wear a detective hat

Other sites I use:

Graves/cemetary stuff.

http://billiongraves.com/

http://www.findagrave.com/

If you know where they are buried you can contact the cemetary itself so you can go visit and take a pic of their gravestone or ask if a volunteer can do that. I asked for a volunteer on 'find a grave' for the Vietnam uncle - found his record but the headstone was not included so I posted asking and someone did it and emailed me with a link to the pic.

You just have to be resourceful.

Also any family stories, record them, also remember some folks stretch the truth so you have to take some things with a grain of salt

bluecorvette,

ancestry.com is free if you go to one of the family history libraries. family search.org will have some census pages that it will let you view e.g., 1900, 1910, but for whatever reason, 1880 is not viewable. i don't know what's up with that. still, family search is really good for a free site and if you're not close to an lds library. ancestry has a few more documents that you can't get on family search, but i don't know that i would resubscribe to ancestry at this point.

i have been doing my family history for about a decade now. i started with my wonderful aunt who had always wanted to do it, but couldn't interest anyone else. then i just took over the whole project! about 10 years ago we had maybe 10 pages of our little "book" of our family history. now it's over 30 pages. i have found so much stuff and learned so much.

I'm really against that. Who cares who you came from; you may not like the answer. Why go through all that? I can see if it is African Americans, but not me. Unless of course my family all were really great. lol

LittleBLUECorvette said:

What's the major difference between ancestory abd family search? I'm finding a lot of helpful info at family search, but how much more is over at ancestory? And, any ol library will get you ancestory, or no?

there used to be a huge difference, but as you're finding out, family search has almost as much info that used to be only available thru ancestry.

as i mentioned, you will be able to access all the original census pages at ancestry, as opposed to family search which doesn't allow you to see 1880 and i think 1920 census pages. but that's okay since family search does at least list the families found in those censuses.

ancestry also has a new thing where they list the social security application information. when people applied for soc security numbers back in the day, they had to list their parents' names and where they were born. that info helped me piece together some family connections and locate an uncle that was hiding in plain sight in the census. also, ancestry now lists probate files where you can look up wills and stuff. that comes in handy if there is a probate file that you want to see that is not available at family search (they also also have free access to most probate files, but it's not as user friendly as at ancestry). i almost paid to have microfilms delivered to the family history library and was able to find the info at ancestry.

ancestry is also helpful in that they do an automatic "look up". for example, you search for and find your grandfather in the 1940 census. ancestry will also bring up possible matches for him in 1930, 1920, maybe his WWII draft application, his soc sec app, etc.

you're probably right. ancestry is likely available at any library. i just work near a family history center, so i tend to go there for my genealogy needs!

2freaky4church1 said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

What's the major difference between ancestory abd family search? I'm finding a lot of helpful info at family search, but how much more is over at ancestory? And, any ol library will get you ancestory, or no?

Family search is = Free
Ancestry.com = Not Free (I think it is free for folks of the LDS faith and at the Family History Center. Best to phone and find out).

Check with your local public library what they have to offer as well.

The LDS have what is called a Family History Library. The big main one is in Salt Lake City, Utah - USA. You can phone any LDS church and ask about a Family History Library in your area as well as ask all the questions you want. It is open to anyone of any faith. Here is a link https://familysearch.org/...ry_Centers .

When I have researched stuff on FamilySearch.org sometimes links to documents take you to sites such as Ancestry or others that may charge a fee whether you find the right information or not. It is a big thing with the Mormons to trace their roots.

https://familysearch.org/...ds-online/

If you go to the local LDS Family History Library, you can probably access sites for free. Phone and check with them first or visit and ask questions.

There are some sites where you key in the info and then you think you will get a copy and then you click on a link which takes you to a sign up page, sometimes for a fee. It's like putting a carrot in front of you.

Check out Ancestry.com and then you decide what you want to do. Right now I am happy with using a free resource such as FamilySearch and I have found a lot for free and I have found death records, marriage records, etc. that you can print or download for free.

Tracing ones roots can cost bux , even hiring a professional genealogist, again just ask around. See what you can find for free. You don't want to end up paying for something that may not be related to a family member -be cautious.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

2freaky4church1 said:

I'm really against that. Who cares who you came from; you may not like the answer. Why go through all that? I can see if it is African Americans, but not me. Unless of course my family all were really great. lol

My Grandma is around, but all she knew was her Grandparents. She never knew anyone before then, because they were most likely slaves and what not.

My hubby is African American and I am researching his tree.

Ask your Grandma where she was born, date of birth, full names of her mother, father, siblings, cousins, and whom ever else. Where they were born etc. It is like being a detective. Get as much info as you can get. Your questions to her will lead to more questions. Ask while she is still alive - ask questions to any other living relatives. Also, she may have documents lying around such as marriage, birth, death certificates, deeds, etc. etc. and photographs of her and family.

Also, some cities/towns names change, boundaries change. So you have to consider the history during those times.

African American links:

https://familysearch.org/..._Genealogy

https://familysearch.org/..._Genealogy

https://familysearch.org/...gy_Records

http://www.discoverfreedmen.org/

http://freedmensbureau.com/

luv4u said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

luv4u said:

African American history is not easy. My hubby is African American and I am researching his tree.

Ask your Grandma where she was born, date of birth, full names of her mother, father, siblings, cousins, and whom ever else. Where they were born etc. It is like being a detective. Get as much info as you can get. Your questions to her will lead to more questions. Ask while she is still alive - ask questions to any other living relatives. Also, she may have documents lying around such as marriage, birth, death certificates, deeds, etc. etc. and photographs of her and family.

Also, some cities/towns names change, boundaries change. So you have to consider the history during those times.

African American links:

https://familysearch.org/..._Genealogy

https://familysearch.org/..._Genealogy

https://familysearch.org/...gy_Records

http://www.discoverfreedmen.org/

http://freedmensbureau.com/

Just skimmed through this, fascinating stuff. I'll be able to get more into this tomorrow after work. I seen my grandma over the weekend and told her about it and she will help me. Though she did bring up that some years ago back in the 80s (before I was created, lol) they did a family tree. But she has no clue who has it now. She said whoever did it has passed on as she's now the oldest living in our family.

Is there any way to contact any surviving members of those who passed and ask them? Or would your grandma know who was asking the questions back then? If she remembers then that narrows down who, if any of the surviving relatives may have it in there possession. That would be such a valuable tool and so cool to have.

I remember asking my Grandmother about my family tree years before she passed. She drew a lineage chart of what she remembered from her tree and hubbies (names no dates).

luv4u said: