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Question:I really want to see my family tree like where i am from and what kind of people were in my family. maybe i am related to some kind of famous person? i also dont want to have to pull out my credit card to do this. anybody know any sites?

thank you!!!


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I really want to see my family tree like where i am from and what kind of people were in my family. maybe i am related to some kind of famous person? i also dont want to have to pull out my credit card to do this. anybody know any sites?

thank you!!!

Familysearch.org is a good site... it is only one of MANY sites that you can use to find your history. I do get frustrated with the idea that one site or the other is "best"... the best site is that which has the information YOU need, and that can be anywhere. It could be the Library of Congress. It might be a mapping site.
Many new researchers want to find their entire history, all packaged up for them. Like fast food.. someone else *might* have done the cooking for you, but it is not necessarily quality, nor is it free.
Genealogy takes effort and thought, and there are also some costs involved. For example.. the answer to your history might be in a document at the courthouse, across the country. It could cost $500 in travel expense.. or $20 to access a site that has invested in collecting that info. You come out better with the lower fee.
http://www.cyndislist.com/beginner.htm
Here is a free location to start learning about the process. Cyndi is a former housewife who has collected THOUSANDS OF SITES related to genealogy. The more you use, the better your odds.
It IS incredibly worth while (I have been doing this for over 25 yrs). Keep in mind that anything worth having, is worth putting your energy (and a few dollars) into it.

The best totally free site is familysearch.org, for searching and if you want to build a site with your tree with the info you find try tribal pages.

Sarah has it right ... http://www.familysearch.org/ There are other sites but Family Search is THE place to begin. But to begin with the best sources are you living family members. You must start with the present and work your way back, not the other way around. Good Luck.

Why do inexperienced people think that genealogy is something that you can just go on line and find your whole family tree, all completed, 100% accurate, and all for free?? Considering the years it takes to do the research, who is going to do that for you?

Come on people! Can you call your mechanic and get your car fixed for free?

Genealogy is not easy and is NOT FREE!

First, you are not going to find anything on anyone who lived in the last 50-100 years. It is unethical to post anything on anyone living or that recently deceased as it protects the identity of the living from identity theft and scams. Professional genealogists know this.

Second, IF you do find anything on the internet of your family (probably starting around 1900 and going back), you cannot assume just because it is on the internet means it is accurate. The only way to know if the information you find is right is to do your OWN research from scratch. A lot of people out there copy and paste other people's bad "research" and don't verify anything. That is wrong.

Third, unless you have a great-aunt or someone who has already done some research and posted it on the net, then your family will not be on the internet. People don't usually go around researching trees of total strangers for no reason at all and just put it on the internet for that stranger to one day find their whole family tree in 5 clicks or less.

Fourth, genealogy is fun and rewarding, but also very difficult and challenging, like putting together a 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. And will take longer than doing that puzzle to do.

The best thing to do is to start by asking questions of your living relatives. Collect as much information as possible regarding names, dates, places, etc. and DOCUMENT EVERYTHING.

Then start an internet search as well as doing some research the old fashion way (going to libraries, court houses, cemeteries, etc.). If you find anything on the net, you need to try to reproduce the research yourself and see if you can find legitimate documentation of the individual, dates, or event in order to be sure the information is accurate. Trees on the net are to be used as clues and guidelines......not as gospel. Ask the poster about their resources and proof. Many times, you can find scanned copies of original documents such as census records. Otherwise, I would not take their word for it that what they have is right. As far as what sites to use, there are tons of them. You will need to just google for genealogy sites and sift through them. Some are free, some are not. All are subject to many errors, inaccurate, undocumented information that you will have to sift through and find what is right and what is not. You will probably end up using a combination of free and paid sites.

Last, you will not accomplish this overnight, in a week, month, or year. It is a LIFETIME hobby and passion, that, inspite of the countless hours you spend at it, it will never be completed. There is always another piece of the puzzle to find.

If you are not willing to do all this, then you really are not interested in the truth of your family. If you expect it to fall into your lap, all done and completed, and accurate, and FREE, with no work or challenge at all, then you are in for a rude awakening. Besides, that takes all the fun out of it.