As the summer pushes eagerly onward, it’s important to make and meet fantastic summer goals, especially in regards to family history research! But, as ever, it’s important to look back and remember your history.
Consequently, we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 best Family History research websites. Take a look:
5) Archives
Looking for specific records? Archives is here to help! You’ll have access to 4.6 billion unique records. These include newspapers, immigration records, and yearbooks as well as vital records. Some of these date back to the 1700s, so you’re sure to find your family.
However, be aware that the records are limited to the United States and the United Kingdom. You won’t be able to find family members or records outside of these countries.
4) Findmypast
For those of us with families from the UK and Ireland, Findmypast helps you find them and add them to your family tree. Sign up for $19.95 a month, and see where your family once lived, down to the town or village. Maybe you’ll even be able to find images of your ancestors’ homeland. You can trace your family’s journey from across the Atlantic Ocean, using ship manifests and other immigration records. If your family came over more recently, or served in the military, you can also view records from WWI and WWII to remember your ancestors’ devotion and sacrifice.
And it’s not just for people with UK and Irish ancestry. Recently, Findmypast added records for the United States and Canada, so you can flesh out your family tree beyond just the UK.
3) FamilySearch
Get the same access that Ancestry.com does–for free! FamilySearch lets you search millions of indexed records. If you’re LDS, you can also keep track of church ordinances and request others to be done. Plus, using the Catalog tab gets you access to the largest genealogy library in the world. With an account, you can also access microfilms at FamilySearch centers to get information that hasn’t been indexed yet. Finally, you too can contribute to FamilySearch’s database by looking through the Indexing tab.
2) MyHeritage
Once only useful for building your family tree, MyHeritage has created a brilliant research site. Depending on your budget and needs, you can sign up for free or for a subscription.
Here, you can join tech-savvy researchers seeking the best possible search results. One such incredible tool is the ability to run simultaneous searches across multiple databases. This gets you the results you need without spending too much time. Another great help MyHeritage provides is the ability to use their Global Name Translation tool. This searches in one language (for example, English) and receive translated, relevant results from other languages. No more inaccurate searches with Google Translate!
Finally, MyHeritage also searches alongside you. Sign up for email alerts to receive Smart Matches and Record Matches. MyHeritage makes it easy for you to find what you need to complete your family tree.
1) Ancestry.com
Though it costs money to use the full benefits of this service, Ancestry.com is noted as the best by many genealogists due to the sheer number of records available for perusal, particularly the sheer number of overseas documents that have been translated into different languages to make ancestors easier to find than ever before. With an astounding amount of research tools, and a thriving community to connect with, Ancestry has been voted as the best online search resource.
We love Ancestry for one more reason–you can download Ancestry information directly to your family history projects at MyCanvas.com to quickly and easily create beautiful family history books and family tree posters. Click here to learn more.
