Where is a good free ancestry website?

Question:

Where is a good free ancestry website?

I tried http://ancestry.com and even found my name, but it said I need to sign up and pay!!! *gasps*

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Before I paste my standard answer - Ancestry makes money by selling things, just like the grocer, baker, gas company and radio stations do. The people who assemble and index all that data have homes, grocery bills and tuition payments to make. Amazon.com doesn't give away books. US Gen Web is devoted to free genealogy. They have much less than Ancestry, because they don't get as many volunteers as Ancestry gets people willing to work for money. Ancestry is selling convenience - you can browse the census entries from your home, drinking whatever you like, dressed however you care. You can read the census entries on microfilm in an LDS FHC, but politeness dictates you dress properly and their rules dictate no drinks. Their hours are limited, too.

Here's the standard answer.

I hope you'll accept a general answer. These questions come up every day:

Where can I find my family tree for free?
Does anyone know the {Surname} family?
What are good sites for ancestors / genealogy?

They are all about tracing your family tree on the Internet. The fourth time I typed in my favorite beginner's links I realized I should save them in a text file and paste them in. This is long and general. Because it is general, not all the links will apply to every question or questioner.

These may help get you started. They are large and free.

http://www.cyndislist.com/
(240,000+ links, all cross-indexed. If you want Welch or Pennsylvania Dutch or Oregon or any other region, ethnic group or surname, chances are she has links for it.)
http://www.familysearch.com
(Mormon's mega-site. Click on "Search")
http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.c...
(460,000,000+ entries, of varying quality)
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/defa...
Surname meanings and origins
http://www.tedpack.org/begingen.html...
My own site: "How to Begin"

United States only:
http://www.usgenweb.net/
(Subdivided into state sites, which all have county sites.)
(The Canadians have Canadian Gen Web, by province)
http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-b...
(Social Security Death index - click on "Advanced" You may find your grandparents.)
http://find.person.superpages.com/...
(US Phone book, for looking up distant cousins)

United Kingdom Only:
http://www.genuki.org.uk/
(Biggest site for United Kingdom & Ireland)
http://www.freebmd.org.uk/
(Free Birth, Marriage & Death Records)

(If you posted your question in Genealogy, ignore this paragraph. If you posted it in the "Family" category, read on.)
Tracing your family tree is called genealogy. YA has a category for genealogy,
Home > Arts & Humanities > Genealogy
There are hundreds of more links in the resolved answers there.

Notes:

You usually have to do some research. Sometimes you get lucky. Don't give up if your Great grandfather with your surname isn't there. Try all eight great-grandparents.

You won't find living people on any of the sites except the phone book one. You won't find many people born after 1920 on any of the sites except the SSDI one. Genealogists hide the birth dates, birth places and other facts of living people to protect their privacy. You will have to find your grandparents' or great grandparents' birth dates and maiden names somewhere besides the Internet.

The free sites are supported by advertising, just like TV. You can't watch the Super Bowl without seeing a beer commercial, and you can't surf for dead relatives without seeing an Ancestry advertisement. Many people complain about advertisements. Please don't. They bring you the "free" sites. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

If you get serious you'll need a genealogy program. They are to family research what "Word" is to writing a novel. I like Roots Magic. Family Tree Maker is the market leader. Both cost around $29. The Mormons will let you download PAF for free. It is clunky, but it is free. You can sometimes find old versions of FTM or Family Origins (FO is the predecessor of RM) in bargin bins at CostCo.