Does anyone know how to cheaply find out about your family's history?

[awakelate]

I do not know much about my mother or father's family. I have always been curious. Both are dead with no other family members alive. I don't want to pay if there is a free way to do it.

[robee]

Go to your local library's genealogical department. There are people there who can help you get started. In our library it's called"Special Collections".

[irishdreamergirl87]

There are plenty of places you can use online for no fee. Even some websites that require a subscription offer a trial. I got a very good start on my genealogy without spending money on anything but ink!

I would make very sure there are no other living family members with information. Even distant cousins can give you something to go on!

Email me if you have any questions....I have done my own genealogy, and for some friends. I could get ya pointed in the right direction!

irishdreamergirl87@yahoo.com

[Ted Pack]

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. Many of them, however, have subtle ads for Ancestry.com in them - ads that ask for a name, then offer a trial subscription. Watch out for those advertisements.

http://www.cyndislist.com/
(240,000+ links, all cross-indexed. If you want Welsh 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...in/igm.cgi
(460,000,000+ entries, of varying quality)
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx?ln=
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-bin/ssdi.cgi
(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.

[Steven Jay]

Go visit your local Family History Center. There are people there who will help you get started for free. The Family History Center also has online access to a lot of databases that you would have to pay for if you tried to access them from home. For example, they can provide you with free access to the complete Ancestry.com Deluxe World Collection.

Click on the first link below to find where the nearest Family History Center is.

You can also inquire at your local public library. Some public libraries have subscriptions to databases like Ancestry.com, Newsbank.com, and HeritageQuest.com, and you can access these for free at the library.

You can also check out Cyndi's List, which is a free online database of genealogy websites. You can find lots of free online information through the links at Cyndi's List. See the second link below.