Family History for Free
Posted: 09 Jun 2021, 18:03
Whilst we can spend a fortune on subscriptions there are an awful lot of records that are out there for free, if you know where to look.
Record Offices - if you are lucky enough to live in the area where your Ancestors live these are a goldmine of information. As Thunder mentioned in another post on here you can search the catalogues before you visit to plan your time well. They will usually have films etc. of original records which are a Primary Source (more on sources another time). NB original records should always be viewed if possible because Transcriptions will contain errors.
FamilySearch the largest free online resource for Family Historians containing many original records. However NB many transcriptions are added from all sorts of sources and cannot always be relied upon. PLEASE explore the site well before diving in, especially the catalogue
FREEBMD and FREECEN as an alternative to the BMD and census records on Subscription sites, however these sites are still expanding.
Freereg NB This site only contains transcriptions but can be useful to pinpoint an entry before visiting a Record Office.
Google As mentioned elsewhere it is worth having a look.
This is a very brief outline. There are many many more free websites out there
Record Offices - if you are lucky enough to live in the area where your Ancestors live these are a goldmine of information. As Thunder mentioned in another post on here you can search the catalogues before you visit to plan your time well. They will usually have films etc. of original records which are a Primary Source (more on sources another time). NB original records should always be viewed if possible because Transcriptions will contain errors.
FamilySearch the largest free online resource for Family Historians containing many original records. However NB many transcriptions are added from all sorts of sources and cannot always be relied upon. PLEASE explore the site well before diving in, especially the catalogue
FREEBMD and FREECEN as an alternative to the BMD and census records on Subscription sites, however these sites are still expanding.
Freereg NB This site only contains transcriptions but can be useful to pinpoint an entry before visiting a Record Office.
Google As mentioned elsewhere it is worth having a look.
This is a very brief outline. There are many many more free websites out there