Cheap & easy way to trace family members?

Question:Hi, I know that my great grandparent/s are from Denmark but I really want to find out more and who they were and so on. How can I trace back my family tree?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Hi, I know that my great grandparent/s are from Denmark but I really want to find out more and who they were and so on. How can I trace back my family tree?

Lucky for you, there's a FREE online site, Dansk Demografisk Database that includes census info!
http://www.ddd.dda.dk/ddd_en.htm

There are also these free databases at the same site:
Dannebrogsm?nd
Persons mentioned in memorial volume and from 1864.

Probate index
From the counties: Thisted, Viborg, Aalborg, Randers.

Oeders Eftr. 1771
Oeders Eftr. of married couples, widowers and widows from Sj?lland, Amager, M?n and Bornholm.

St. Croix
Census records from St. Croix until 1911.

This other EXCELLENT website also includes links for Danish research (some are free, some not, but they are colored so you can choose)
http://www.pricegen.com/scandinaviange...

There's also a free Danish Emigration Database online:
http://www.emiarch.dk/search.php3?l=en

Also, try your nearest Family History Center (aka Mormon Genealogy Library.) You can rent microfilms (yes, for a fee but it's cheaper than going to Denmark :) ) OR they may have Danish materials already there (that's happened to me when looking for records from Scotland.) See familysearch.org for 1) their library locations and 2) their catalog of available Danish records.

Good luck with your research!

PS It is not true that you can't find info on individuals in the last 50-100 years. Disregard that!

If you want cheap and easy, then genealogy is not the hobby for you.

Genealogy is not that simple. It does not work that way.

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.

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.

They were blond and spoke Danish.

That's cheap and easy. Anything more and you'd have to do research, at some expense of time and/or money.