101 Best Genealogy Websites For Family History Research

What websites should you visit first to trace your family tree? How do you figure out which family history websites have the information you need? Don't get overwhelmed by sifting through thousands of internet sitesâ€"take your family history research further faster by using the very best websites for genealogists. In this e-book, the editors of Family Tree Magazine, America’s leading genealogy publication, have hand-picked the 101 best genealogy websites to save you time and money.The list includes both free and paid genealogy websites that will help you: • Extend your family tree back generations • Be efficient and effective in your online genealogy searches • View historical records documenting your family's past • Share your family history research with other genealogists • Use new tools to discover ancestors • Determine if online subscription services are right for you Inside you’ll find website URLs, a brief description of the most important content you’ll find at the site, plus bonus tips to help you improve your online research experience.

Free Family Tree ResourcesAll links revised and updated September 2015Instead of spending hours searching the Internet for free genealogy websites, use this guide to shortcut your search. Use the Same Sites as an Internet Genealogy ExpertThis guide contains 101 of the best websites for free genealogy. This One-Hour Genealogist guide was researched, tested and compiled by foremost Internet genealogy expert, Nancy Hendrickson. Using her years of online experience, Nancy has put together her favorite and most-used free sites. Each of the first 50 sites include an Overview, of the site an explanation of Why This Site, and a suggested Search Strategy. How The Guide is OrganizedSites are grouped by:military social history immigration databases odds 'n endsThis guide contains links to free databases or great statewide information for each of the 50 states n addition to Nancy's "favorite 50" sites. And, because some sites are just too good to be left out, you'll find another 10 (bringing the total to 111) that Nancy couldn't do without in her own research.Don't Waste Your Precious Research TimeCan you find all of these sites on your own without this guide? Absolutely! But why spend YOUR time finding free sites when you could be finding ancestors!*Dear U.K. genealogy friends, this guide is for United States researchers only.About the AuthorNancy Hendrickson is the author of the Unofficial Guide to Ancestry.com, Discover Your Family History Online, The Genealogist's U.S. History Pocket Reference, San Diego Then and Now, and Historic Photos of Old California. She is a life-long genealogy researcher and the creator of the One-Hour Genealogist Series.

Master the world's #1 genealogy website and discover the secrets to Ancestry.com success! This book, updated in 2016 to include the most recent changes to the site, will help you get the most out of your Ancestry.com subscription by showing you how to take advantage of all the world's biggest genealogy website has to offer--and how to find answers to your family tree questions within its 14 billion records, 60 million family tree and 32,000 databases. What you'll learn: • Step-by-step strategies for structuring your searches to find what you're looking for faster • How to drill down to specific records, time periods and topics using the card catalog • Details on each of Ancestry.com's historical record collections, including what you can expect to find in them--and when you need to look elsewhere • Tips for creating and managing your family tree on Ancestry.com, as well as connecting your tree to others on the site • Timesaving tricks to maximize your Ancestry.com Hints (the "shaky leaf"), Tree Sync with Family Tree Maker, and the Ancestry.com mobile app Each chapter includes step-by-step examples with illustrations to show you exactly how to apply the techniques to your genealogy. Whether you've just begun dabbling in family history or you're a longtime Ancestry.com subscriber, this book will turn you into an Ancestry.com power user!

Master the world’s #1 Genealogy Website Discover the secrets to Ancestry.com success! This book, newly revised and expanded, will help you get the most out of your Ancestry.com subscription. Inside, you’ll discover how to take advantage of what the world’s biggest genealogy website has to offer—and how to find answers to your genealogy questions within its billions of records and millions of AncestryDNA profiles. Each chapter includes step-by-step examples with illustrations to show you exactly how to apply search techniques to your genealogy. A new section on AncestryDNA will also help you understand and analyze your DNA test results. What you'll learn: * Timesaving tips for uncovering specific records, time periods and topics using Ancestry.com’s search forms and Card Catalog * Details on Ancestry.com's historical record collections, including what you can expect to find in them * Step-by-step guides for creating and managing your family tree on Ancestry.com, plus how to connect with other users and utilize the site’s powerful Hint system * Plain-language strategies for using your AncestryDNA results, including guides to your ethnicity report and DNA matches Whether you've just begun dabbling in family history or you're a longtime Ancestry.com subscriber, this book will turn you into an Ancestry.com power user!

All seven issues of Family Tree Magazine from 2014! This CD contains more than 500 pages of how-to genealogy guidance you can search by keyword or even take with you on your laptop. Best of all, you can click directly to all featured websites--no typing in URLs! The issues are PDF files, so they'll work on both Windows and Mac computers with the free Adobe Reader (version 7.0 or higher). 2014 content highlights 101 best genealogy websites: Our 15th annual list of top genealogy sites includes the best of the best for doing family history research. Genealogy web guides: Get 11 cheat sheets and tutorials for Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, and other websites. Heritage guides: Expert guidance for tracing German, Scandinavian, Scottish, Italian, Russian, Romanian and Bulgarian roots. Family history projects: Honor your ancestors with 12 projects using photos and memorabilia. Workbooks for key records: Complete guides to essential genealogy resources help you find and use birth, census, immigration and other records. Each includes practice exercises and a fill-in research worksheet. Bonus booklets! Two issues come with special inserts: an immigration ancestors research guide and a handy cheat sheet for dating old mystery photos.

Uncover facts and mysteries of your ancestors—a clear approach to genealogy The pursuit of family history tends to be shaped by several motives, including finding a larger familial historical picture, preserving the past for future generations, and storytelling. Practical Genealogy provides a method for investigating your family history by establishing an understanding of genealogy and the factors, tasks, and obstacles involved in the research. The end goal: find the information necessary to piece together your heritage. Follow 50 steps that will fill in the puzzle of your lineage. Learn how to perform your own investigation through the lens of real-world obstacles like tracing ancestry through adoptions and orphanages. Practical Genealogy simplifies and breaks down the complex research process into actionable tips that can be conducted over a period of time. And most importantly, no blood test is necessary. Inside Practical Genealogy you'll find: Break through barriers—Learn how to negotiate common "brick wall" issues like missing chunks of family history or multiple names found for the same person. Case studies—Examples of actual genealogy research are provided to support the comprehension of each step of your exploration. See the BIG picture—Large fonts and easy-to-read images make learning easy for older adults. When you take genealogy research into your own hands, your potential for discovery is limitless.

A recent Maritz Poll reported that 60% of Americans are interested in their family history. And with good reason. Through genealogy, you can go back into history to meet people who have had more influence on your life than any others -- your ancestors. And the better you get to know your ancestors, the better you will get to know yourself: the who's and what's and why's of you. Barbara Renick, a nationally-known lecturer on genealogy, tells the uninitiated researcher the steps needed to find out who their ancestors really were, and brings together for even the more experienced genealogical researchers the important principles and practices. She covers such topics as the importance of staying organized and how to go about it; where and how to look for information in libraries, historical societies, and on the internet; recognizing that just because something is in print doesn't mean it's right; and how to prepare to visit the home where your ancestors lived. Genealogy 101 is the first book to read when you want to discover who your ancestors were, where they lived, and what they did.

Jonathan Scott's Family History Web Directory is an information-packed reference guide that distils the best of the internet into one easy-to-use format. Themed sections cover different topics, from 'getting started' to specific occupations, and there is an index reproducing all the websites in A-Z order. His handbook is a vital source for less experienced researchers, and a handy aide-memoire for more seasoned campaigners. Web addresses are listed by topic, then in order of importance and usefulness. An extraordinary range of sites that will interest family historians is included from records of births and deaths, tax, crime and religion, to military records and records of work and occupations. Also featured are sites that give information about archives, blogs and forums, social networking and sharing research.The internet can be an overwhelming place for the genealogist. Jonathan Scott's book provides readers with online shortcuts, tips for getting the best from well-known websites, plus the details of all kinds of lesser-known and hard-to-find sources.

A two volume set which provides researchers with more than 70,000 links to every conceivable genealogical resource on the Internet.

Master the #1 Free Genealogy Website! Discover your ancestry on FamilySearch.org, the world's largest free genealogy website. This fully-updated in-depth user guide shows you how to find your family in the site's databases of more than 3.5 billion names and millions of digitized historical records spanning the globe. Learn how to maximize all of FamilySearch.org's research tools—including hard-to-find features—to extend your family tree in America and the old country. In this book, you'll find: • Step-by-step strategies to craft search queries that find ancestors fast • Practical pointers for locating your ancestors in record collections that aren't searchable • Detailed overviews of FamilySearch.org's major U.S. collections, with helpful record explanations to inform your research • Guidance for using FamilySearch.org's vast record collections from Europe, Canada, Mexico and 100-plus countries around the world • Tips for creating and managing your family tree on FamilySearch.org • Secrets to utilizing user-submitted genealogies, the site’s revamped Digital Library with digitized family history books, and the FamilySearch catalog of 2.4 million offline resources. • Expanded coverage of the FamilySearch mobile app, and updates on FamilySearch-compatible services and apps • A new chapter on accessing records on-site at the Family History Library, local FamilySearch Centers and affiliate libraries • Worksheets and checklists to track your research progress • Illustrated step-by-step examples teach you exactly how to apply these tips and techniques to your own research. Whether you're new to FamilySearch.org or you're a longtime user, you'll find the guidance you need to discover your ancestors and make the most of the site's valuable resources.