Free training · The Research Method · All levels · 20 min
Where to Look, and What to Pay For
Twenty seven genealogy sites, what each one is really for, and the order to use them in so you pay last instead of first.
A free guided tour of the genealogy websites that matter: FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast, Chronicling America, NARA, Fold3, Find a Grave, WikiTree, JewishGen, the DNA tests and more. What each site is for, what it actually costs, and where its own free training lives.
What you will learn
- Know what each of the 27 main genealogy sites is actually for, in one sentence.
- Know which ones are free, which need a free account, and which are genuinely worth paying for.
- Use your library card and FamilySearch centers to open the paid sites for nothing.
- Pick the right site for the question in front of you instead of searching everywhere at once.
- Know where each site hides its own free training, so you can go deeper without paying.
The full written guide
Chapter 1. Welcome
Why most people pay for the wrong site first.
Where to Look, and What to Pay For.
Welcome to Stuck in the Branches. There are hundreds of genealogy websites, and most people pay for the wrong one first. This guide walks the sites that actually matter, what each one is genuinely for, and what it costs, so you can spend your money last instead of first.
Free First, Always.
Here is the rule for the whole guide. Start free, and stay free until a wall stops you. The free sites hold an enormous share of what you need, and a paid subscription is far more useful once you already know the names, the dates and the county you are chasing. Pay to solve a specific problem, never to start one.
Chapter 2. Start free, start official
FamilySearch, its research wiki, and the library card that opens the paid sites.
FamilySearch Family Tree.
FamilySearch Family Tree is one shared family tree you can build for free, and it hints at records and relatives as you add people. It is free with a free account. Start by writing down what you already know about yourself, your parents and your grandparents, and add them before you search for anyone else.
FamilySearch Historical Records.
The records side of FamilySearch is billions of free indexes and images: census, births, marriages and deaths. Most record images open at home, though a small slice is locked to a FamilySearch center or an affiliate library because of licensing. Search one person you know well, like a grandparent, and learn the filters on that search before you chase anyone older.
The FamilySearch Research Wiki.
The Research Wiki is the most underused free thing in genealogy. It tells you what records exist for a place or a topic, and how to use them. It is free to read, and most pages need no account. Type the county or country your ancestor lived in into its search box, then open the Getting Started section on that page.
Your Library Card.
Your public library, a FamilySearch center or an affiliate library can get you into the paid sites for nothing. What is on offer varies a lot by library, so call first. Ask your librarian whether they have Ancestry Library Edition or a FamilySearch affiliate computer, and whether your card gets you in from home.
Chapter 3. The paid subscriptions
Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast and Archives.com, and when each is worth it.
Ancestry.
Ancestry is the biggest paid collection of records and family trees, and its hints point you at documents for the people in your tree. You can search for free, but opening most records needs a subscription. There is a free trial, and the Ancestry Academy videos are free to watch. Take the trial only once you have a few names and dates ready, so you are not paying while you work out what to search.
MyHeritage.
MyHeritage builds a tree and matches it against other people's trees and records, and its coverage outside the United States is strong. The free plan gives you a tree of up to two hundred and fifty people and free searching, while most records and matches need a subscription. Build the free tree first and see what matches appear before you decide to pay.
Findmypast.
Findmypast is the one to know for British and Irish records, including census and newspapers, and its tree builder is free. Searching is free, opening most records is not. It is only worth paying for if your family came from Britain or Ireland, so check that before you subscribe.
Archives.com.
Archives.com is a lower cost subscription for searching records and keeping a simple tree. There is a free trial and a free sign up, but real record access is a paid membership. Compare its collections page against the other paid sites before you pay for any of them.
Chapter 4. Newspapers and old books
Obituaries, local news and the scanned books nobody thinks to search.
Chronicling America.
Chronicling America, from the Library of Congress, is free full text search of old American newspapers with no account at all. Coverage depends on which papers in your area were digitized. Search with quotes around a full name, narrow by state and year, and try the spelling variations, because the typesetter did too.
Newspapers.com.
Newspapers.com is where obituaries, wedding notices and small town news live. Seven days are free, then it is paid. Try Chronicling America first, and spend a trial here when you need a paper that the free archive does not have.
Internet Archive.
The Internet Archive holds free scanned family history books, town histories and old directories, and you can search inside the text. It is free. Search your surname plus a place, and choose text contents so it looks inside the books rather than only at the titles.
Chapter 5. Archives, military and arrival
Federal records, service files, ship arrivals and the county pages.
The National Archives.
The U.S. National Archives tells you which federal records exist for your family: military, census, immigration and land files. The guides and the online catalog are free, though many records are not online and have to be requested or visited, and copies can cost a fee. Read the Start Your Genealogy Research page, then the topic page for your record type.
Fold3.
Fold3 is military: service files, pension files and draft cards. Seven days are free, then it is paid, and NARA says it is free at National Archives facilities. Know the war and the state your ancestor served from before you search, because that narrows it fast.
Ellis Island Arrivals.
The Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty Foundation lets you search ship arrival records for free, to find when an ancestor came into the United States. Gather a name, a rough birth year and a rough arrival year first. Names were spelled many ways, so try the variations.
USGenWeb.
USGenWeb is volunteer run county and state pages holding local transcriptions, cemetery lists and queries. It is free, with no logins and no paywalls, and the quality varies by county because a volunteer runs each one. Pick the state, then the county your family lived in, and see what has been posted.
Chapter 6. Graves and memorials
Where they are buried, and who is buried beside them.
Find a Grave.
Find a Grave tells you where an ancestor is buried, with headstone photos and very often links to their family. It is free to search, and a free account lets you add photos and memorials. Search by name and death year, then read the family links and the bio, remembering they are volunteer posts to check against a record. We have a whole free guide on this one.
BillionGraves.
BillionGraves is headstones photographed by volunteers on a phone, with GPS that can walk you to the grave. Basic search is free and some tools sit behind a paid plan. Try a person search first, and if you visit the cemetery, let the app guide you to the stone.
Chapter 7. Shared trees
Free trees that other people have already worked on.
WikiTree.
WikiTree is a free tree that everyone edits together, which means a cousin may already have researched your line. It is free with an account, and you sign an honor code to edit. Search for your great grandparents before you add anybody. You may find a profile to connect to instead of starting from scratch.
Geni.
Geni is one big shared tree that connects you to relatives and to famous people. A basic account is free with unlimited profiles, and Geni Pro is paid. Read the Is Geni free page first, so you know what you can do without paying.
Chapter 8. Regional and community research
Jewish and Italian records, and the directory for everywhere else.
JewishGen.
JewishGen holds records, town finders and research guides for Jewish family history. Search and guides are free with a free account, and some instructor led classes cost money. Read the First Timer page, which walks the first few steps in order.
Antenati.
Antenati is the Italian State Archives: scanned birth, marriage and death registers, free to browse. Much of it is browse by place and year rather than search by name, and the records are handwritten in Italian. Find the exact town your family came from first, because the portal is organized by place and the town matters more than the name.
Cyndi's List.
Cyndi's List is a directory of genealogy links by topic, place and record type. It is free with no account, and because it is a list of links, some of the sites it points to will charge. Use it when you are stuck on a place or a record type and want a human picked list of where to look next.
Chapter 9. DNA
The four tests and tools, and what each one is actually good at.
AncestryDNA.
AncestryDNA has the largest match pool, which is why most people test there to find cousins. You buy a kit, and seeing more detail on matches can need an Ancestry subscription. Link your results to a tree, even a small one. Matches are far easier to understand that way.
23andMe.
23andMe tests for ancestry and health and gives you a list of DNA relatives. You buy a kit, and the ones we saw ran about ninety nine to one hundred and ninety nine dollars, with Premium Ancestry renewing yearly. It is thin on family tree tools, so plan to use a tree site next to it.
FamilyTreeDNA.
FamilyTreeDNA covers the Y-DNA and mitochondrial lines that the big consumer tests do not, and it lets you upload results from another company. You buy a test, and the site says the DNA tools are free. Start with the Family Finder FAQ, which covers the match list, where most people begin.
GEDmatch.
GEDmatch compares a DNA test you already took against people who tested somewhere else, which is how you reach across the companies. It is free per the site, and you upload your raw DNA file. You need a test first, so download your raw data from that company and follow the upload guide for it.
Chapter 10. Keep learning, and wrap up
Free classes, and the one rule to carry out of this guide.
Keep Learning for Free.
Legacy Family Tree Webinars runs recorded and live classes from working genealogists on nearly every topic. Some are marked FREE, so check each one before you plan on it. Between those, the FamilySearch wiki and your own library, you can learn this craft without paying a cent.
Start free, pay last..
Start free, and pay last. Work the free sites until one of them stops you, then buy the subscription that solves that exact problem. Follow the links and keep going, and we are here when you get stuck.