Perhaps the biggest problem with finding genealogy and family history resources is knowing where to start. There is SO MUCH!! Doing an internet search for genealogy resources will yield an overwhelming number and variety of possibilities. WHERE do I start?
I’m going to suggest some of the things I find most helpful. You can also be overwhelmed by the number and variety of lists like this you will see. So I’m going to be very specific and clear: these are the resources I’ve learned to use and which fit me, my work style and ways I enjoy doing genealogy. There are so many because people are so different and work in so many different ways. Testing and trial will help you determine what’s best for you.
One of the most important internet resources is something those of us who’ve been doing genealogy for a while often forget about because it’s totally free and not very “flashy”…but it is VERY good:
Cyndi describes it very accurately so I’ll just paste her description here:
“A comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online. Your genealogy starting point for more than 20 years!”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve searched and searched for some genealogy related resource or information and then remembered, “I should check Cyndi’s List”…and there it is!
RESEARCH WEBSITES
All three of the following sites provide ways to search for genealogy related records and people. They also allow you to either create your own family tree, or collaborate on and help create one common family tree.
Ancestry.com — for me this is #1 — I understand the way it’s organized and how it works; it has a huge number and variety of resources. It’s free to use in its very basic form, but it is definitely a for profit company so they are going charge you for anything above the basic. The “shaky leaves” of Ancestry.com can get you addicted to genealogy like perhaps nothing else (caveat: they can also lead you down some pointless rabbit holes and seduce you into adding all kinds of incorrect information to your tree)
FamilySearch.org — for me this is #2 — It was a little more challenging to understand how it works, but not that difficult. It also has a huge number and variety of resources. Unlike Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com, FamilySearch.org is not a for profit company…it is associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) so the site is completely free. One major caveat: the way FamilySearch constructs its “family tree” is totally different from the way most sites create “family trees”; therefore, you really need to understand the difference before investing a lot of time into it. I, personally, love it. Many people HATE it. In a nutshell, on sites like Ancestry.com and MyHeritage, you create your own tree (or trees) and only YOU can add to, subtract, change, etc., YOUR tree. It belongs to you. On FamilySearch, there is one tree — only one tree — and everyone who uses FamilySearch contributes to that one tree. People can and do add to, change, etc., the entries on that one tree…and some contributors become very upset when information they have added later gets changed by another user. On FamilySearch you do not have “your tree.” I love this because the goal is to create one tree we all collaborate together to build. Some people absolutely hate it and refuse to use FamilySearch because of it.
MyHeritage.com — for me this is a distant #3 — Many people love, love, love it. But some folks just don’t seem to “get” some of the ways it is organized…and I’m one of those folks. Actually, saying it is a “distant #3” is unfair. I do use it a lot. But I use it mostly for DNA matching, analysis and research purposes…it has some very helpful tools for those purposes. I also try to keep my tree somewhat up to date for what is often called, “cousin bait” (probably not the most politically correct way of saying, “hoping other relatives will see it and contact me!”). But I find it less useful than either of the other sites for research because to me, it’s just more ‘clunky’ and awkward to use. I know some folks love it…and I do use it. But it’s always my #3 choice, and I really do need to invest more time in learning how to use its research capabilities.
There are many others, but those are my top three.
There are also sites which specialize in various areas of research: newspapers, military, other nations and other cultures. It won’t take long until you hear about them.
SOFTWARE
Are you going to get a genealogy program for your computer, so you can organize your research on your computer and keep everything on your own computer? Or are you going to use a web-based service? Or are you going to use one of the programs which syncs what you have in your online tree with a program that also resides on your computer? There is a wide selection of each option. Again, a dizzying array of possibilities and choices.
I personally don’t trust the internet alone to take care of my precious genealogy research! I use the software, Legacy Family Tree, and do frequent backups. It’s one choice among many but I’m glad it’s the choice I made early on. But do some of your own research before making your own choice. Again, so many possibilities exist because people work in so many different ways.
WEBINARS
Webinars are big all over the internet, and genealogy is no exception. You’ll find lots of them, for free and at a cost.
My suggestion: first take a look at Family Tree Webinars. It is a subscription based site, but they have a selection of free webinars…and almost all their new webinars (at least one a week, often two or three) are free for the first week (generally they also have a webinar syllabus and you usually have to be a paid subscriber to get the syllabus). For those who decide to use Legacy Family Tree software, they have very good tutorial webinars on the program for free on the Family Tree Webinars site.
YouTube has lots of genealogy videos. Many bloggers also produce their own webinars, often for no cost.
Most of the major websites (Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, etc.) have their own tutorial videos either on their sites, or on YouTube.
FACEBOOK GROUPS
What an amazing array of special interest Facebook groups exist! There are groups devoted to learning more about the research sites. There are groups dedicated to learning how to use the various brands of software. There are groups devoted to organizing your genealogy research. There are groups for doing research on specific groups of nationality and ethnicity, and for helping you figure out what your DNA results actually mean. There’s even a website devoted to compiling all the Facebook groups and helping you select the best groups for your needs! Joining a FB group probably won’t be important as you get started, but they can be very helpful…I belong to several which focus on specific interests I have. Since most are well-moderated, they don’t tolerate most of the Facbook antics, spam and foolishness you often find elsewhere.