GeneJournal

Genealogy Software

There are several different free applications that you can use to manage your family tree. Here is a list of open source applications by SourceForge.

• Ancestris (written in Java, runs on Windows/Linux/Mac)
• Gramps (written in Python, runs on Windows/Linux/Mac/FreeBSD)

The Ancestor Hunt New!

A website with a genealogy blog and lists of genealogical record (digital and traditional) resource locations (birth/marriage/death records, military, cemetery, school, etc.) for all US states and some Canadian provinces.

FamilySearch

• The ultimate free genealogy website run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon Church) that is open to everyone regardless of nationality, religion, cultural background, etc. They host numerous historical record collections (censuses, school records, military records, etc.). It is the first place you should visit when starting out (a free account is required to access resources). FamilySearch also sponsors the annual RootsTech genealogy conference.
• The Wiki is a good resource for finding genealogical resources beyond FamilySearch and to learn research strategies.
• The Digital Library is a huge collection of publicly available books and documents related to genealogy and history. In addition to digitizing titles from their own collection, FamilySearch also digitizes titles from institutions around the world. Many are available to view from anywhere.
• The Solutions Gallery is a place to find apps and other software to aid your research.
• Some genealogical resources are only available from a physical Family History Center or affiliate library. There are many throughout the world and access is generally open to the public.

HathiTrust Digital Library

Hosted by the University of Michigan, the HathiTrust Digital Library provides access to digital books to students, faculty, and staff at UM and partner academic/research institutions. UM alumni also have full access (alumni access possibly extends to other partner institutions). Guest/anonymous users also have some access to some features and titles.

The Internet Archive

• The Internet Archive offers access to over 6 million digitized documents, some of which are historical or genealogical texts.
• It has also archived over 600 billion websites.

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg has over 60,000 free eBooks in a variety of languages, some of which are historical or genealogical texts. eBooks can be read in your web browser or offline.

The US Library of Congress

• The Library of Congress has numerous digitized domestic and international collections.
• The LoC also has a large database of digitized historical newspapers.

The US National Archives

The National Archives preserves government documents and records of historical significance. Only a small fraction of the records have been digitized.

The US National Archives Archival Databases

These are collections of records that NARA has marked relevant to genealogy research such as immigration passenger lists and military personnel lists.

WikiTree

The goal of WikiTree is to collaboratively create a single global family tree. It’s the definitive source for my family tree. It’s also very interesting to just browse the website since there is a profile for many famous and historical figures. WikiTree has a forum where you can ask for research assistance or advice and also allows you to upload a GEDCOM generated by other software to generate a report that can be used to identify relatives already on WikiTree.

WorldCat

Find resources at various libraries throughout the world and also other resources like lists and research help.

American Ancestors by the New England Historic Genealogical Society

American Ancestors’ free resources include guides, databases, and webinars. The scope of these resources covers the entire US with partial coverage for countries that many people immigrated from (Ireland, England, Germany, etc.). Their paid options include access to more resources and a discount on items in their store.

Ancestry

• Ancestry lets you build a family tree for free, but there is no definitive family tree like there is on FamilySearch and WikiTree. You can import trees created with other software or websites.
• Genealogical record collection access isn’t usually free. There is some overlap between FamilySearch’s collections and Ancestry’s, but Ancestry has some exclusive ones as well. I also feel that Ancestry’s search engine is more capable of finding a match when the name of the target person is spelled wrong in a document. Ancestry offers several paid options (with differing levels of access to global collections) and the longer your subscription period is, the lower your per month cost will be.
• If you are interested in DNA testing, Ancestry should be your first choice because you will have the highest number of DNA matches since most people test through Ancestry. The kits may also be found on Amazon.com or in a local store.
• Ancestry has a tool called ThruLines that looks for overlaps between your family tree and those of others you share DNA with, which can help you identify new ancestors or confirm relationships.
• Ancestry is fairly accurate at estimating ethnicity.

Family Tree Magazine

• Family Tree Magazine has a large collection of free genealogical and DNA resources such as eBooks, articles, and blank charts and forms.
• There is a print version of the magazine for a fee as well as other premium resources such as courses.

FamilyTreeDNA

• FamilyTreeDNA allows you to upload DNA data from other testing companies (Ancestry, 23andMe, and MyHeritage) to gain free access to basic DNA matching. Obtaining access to their ancestry calculator is an additional cost. If you purchase one of their kits, the ancestry calculator is included at no additional cost.
• FamilyTreeDNA also hosts group genealogical projects.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars

Legacy Family Tree Webinars offers webinars (some are free or free for a limited time) on genealogy topics and tech topics related to genealogy. It’s run by MyHeritage.

Living DNA

Living DNA allows you to upload DNA data from other testing companies (Ancestry, 23andMe, MyHeritage, and more) to gain free access to basic DNA matching (it’s based in the UK so match lists for people who don’t have a DNA connection to the UK may be short or nonexistent) and some ancestry reports. Obtaining access to the rest of their ancestry reports and their health report is an additional cost. If you purchase their DNA kit, you gain access to more reports at no additional cost.

MyHeritage

MyHeritage allows you to upload DNA data from other testing companies (Ancestry, 23andMe, and FamilyTreeDNA) to gain free access to basic DNA matching and some ancestry reports. You can also create family tree with up to 250 people in it and access some genealogy research materials for free. Unfortunately, you have to subscribe to gain access to their record collections and MyHeritage is on the expensive side. If you purchase their DNA kit, you gain access to more reports at no additional cost.

yourDNAportal

yourDNAPortal allows you to upload DNA data from many other testing companies (23andme, Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage, LivingDNA, Genes for Good, Vitagene, 24Genetics, sequencing.com and Geno 2.0) to gain free access to basic ancestry analysis and health reports. They also have a DNA relatives matching feature still in beta. For additional fees you can gain access to more ancestry and health reports.

clipart from FreeVector.com

Your local public library

In addition to personal library collections, some libraries also allow patrons to remotely access digital genealogy resources via a library proxy. Contact your library for more information.

Early American Sources

A long list of free and premium resources related to the Americas. The time period is roughly 1500 to 1900. Despite the name there are some international databases.