answers1: I have never seen a genealogy website that cost that much.
Here is a link with links to various websites some free, some fee.
The ones that are really valuable are those that have records, not
necessarily subscriber submitted family trees. <br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.progenealogists.com/top50genealogy2008.htm"
rel="nofollow"class=Clr-b>http://www.progenealogists.com/top50gene...</a>
<br>
<br>
Ancestry.Com is probably the Cadillac of the genealogy websites and
still there World Subscription doesn't cost that much. What is
valuable about Ancestry.Com is the amount of records they have
obtained and put online. You have to distinguish between those
records and their subscriber submitted family trees. Information in
family trees on any website, free or fee, must be viewed with caution.
You can make up an entirely fictitious family tree and it will be
accepted by any of the websites. Errors have multiplied in family
history because of people copying what others have posted in their
family trees. Ancestry.Com has all the U.S. censuses through 1930.
The 1940 and later are not available to the public yet. They have
U.K. censuses. They have military, land, immigration and other
records. They have indexes to vital records of many U.S. states. They
have transcribed the records but you can view the original images.
There are errors in their transcriptions, particularly censuses but
when you view the original you will pity the transcribers. If you
find it too pricey, your public library might have a subscription to
it you can use for free. <br>
<br>
No way are all records online but the ones you find will save you time
and money. In genealogy you start with yourself and work back one
generation at a time. <br>
<br>
A good source is a Family History Center at a Latter Day
Saints(Mormon) Church. They have records on people all over the world,
not just Mormons. In Salt Lake City, they have the world's largest
genealogical collection. Their FHCs can order microfilm for you to
view at a very nominal fee for about $3. I have never had them to try
and convert me or have I heard of them doing that to anyone else that
has used their resources. Just visit their free website,
FamilySearch.org, to get the hours for the general public to the
nearest Mormon FHC. <br>
<br>
If you haven't done so get as much information on living family as
possible. Don't expect to find the living on genealogy websites as
that can be an invasion of privacy and can lead to identity theft.
<br>
Find out if any family has any old family bibles. Ask to see and make
copies of birth, marriage and death certificates. Depending on the
religious faith, baptismal, first communion, confirmation and marriage
certificates from their church can also yield valuable information.
<br>
<br>
Interview your senior members and tape them if they will let you. I
won't say that they won't be confused or wrong on some things.
However, they very likely will get into story telling of bygone days
that you might not write down. In those stories frequently there are
clues you will find valuable later on. I wished I had taped my
paternal grandmother and one of my mother's aunts. People who do this
state they have gone back and listened to the tape after doing
research and hear things they didn't hear the first time around. <br>
<br>
Just realize the good genealogy requires good documentation. Always
look for that online or in a published book. Someone else's URL is not
good documentation. <br>
<br>
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
answers2: The best site that is totally free is the LDS family search
site, but you will have to do your own research.
answers3: Those prices are pretty steep. My favorite subscription
sites are Ancestry.com and Footnote,com but many of the free ones have
great information also. For starters, your public libraries will most
likely have both Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest.com free for anyone
to use while at the library and with a library card you should be able
to use Heritage Quest at home. <br>
<br>
Another free online resource is USGenWeb at <a
href="http://www.usgenweb.org/"
rel="nofollow"class=Clr-b>http://www.usgenweb.org/</a> this sprawling
all-volunteer site is packed with how-to tips, queries and records for
every state and most counties within those states. Special projects
usgenweb.org/projects cover subjects such as censuses, tombstones and
family group sheets. Do not miss the easy-to-overlook search of the
entire site <a href="http://searches.rootsweb.ancestry.com/htdig/search.html/."
rel="nofollow"class=Clr-b>http://searches.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ht...</a>
Then, there is Rootsweb at <a
href="http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/"
rel="nofollow"class=Clr-b>http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/</a> a
free site hosted by Ancestry.com where you can search for surnames and
leave queries on the message boards. <br>
<br>
Additionally, there is the LDS/Mormon site, which has many free online
records at http://www.familysearch.org/ . In addition to their online
records, they have the Family History Centers where you can go to get
help with research and look at microfilm and microfiche and they only
charge if they have to order something for you or you need
photocopies. Finally, if you need software to organize your genealogy
data you can download their Personal Ancestral File [PAF] free at
http://www.familysearch.org/ . <br>
<br>
Also, be sure to check each state that you need information from as
many have their own projects, for example, the state of Missouri has a
great website that has many free source documents online at
http://www.sos.mo.gov/mdh/ and South Carolina has many free wills and
other court documents at
http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/onlinearchives/search.aspx <br>
<br>
And, do not forget to check Cyndi's List at http://www.cyndislist.com/
and ProGenealogist top 100 genealogist websites at
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/article/101best2009?r=adcFTMText
<br>
both of these sites have many links for both free and fee based sites
but I believe most of the fee based ones are marked with a $. <br>
<br>
I am certain I could list many more websites but this list is rather
comprehensive while being easy on the wallet, which is something
everyone can appreciate these days.
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