Genealogy can be expensive. But the following free genealogy websites are excellent resources to help you get started researching your family history. I’ll also share tips for accessing subscription websites for free or at discounted prices.

1. FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch is the best place to get started if your goal is to trace your family tree for free online. This is one of the ultimate free genealogy websites which includes a family tree builder, and boasts a record collection consisting of billions of documents. While FamilySearch is completely free to use, you will need to create an account. You can find census records, vital records, church records, wills, published genealogies, just to name a few.

The FamilySearch Full-Text Search Tool has revolutionized genealogy research. This tool searches every word in a document. Researchers are then able to uncover records which mention their ancestor anywhere within a document.

FamilySearch also has many free educational resources in their Learning Center. They also host an annual conference called RootsTech. There’s a fee to attend the event in-person in Salt Lake City, but it’s free to attend virtually.

While all of FamilySearch’s records are free, some records can only be viewed at a Family History Center. To view these records, find your local center and use the computers there. Click here to find your nearest family history center.

2. FindAGrave.com

FindAGrave is a free genealogy website for finding an individual’s burial site. The website has more than 250 million memorials that can be searched. Users don’t need an account to use the site unless they are creating or managing memorials, or requesting photos.

Each memorial corresponds to an individual whose gravesite has been added to the website. Memorials can also be linked to relatives including parents, spouses, children and siblings. The memorials may also contain:

• Biographical information
• Tombstone photo
• Photo of the individual
• Record images, such as a death certificate or obituary

If you find a memorial for an ancestor that does not have a photo of their tombstone, you can request a photo of the grave. Volunteers respond to these requests and photograph graves and upload the photos. There’s no cost to make these requests, but you will need to create an account.

3. County Archives Websites

Once you’ve identified counties where your ancestors lived, search online to learn if that county has an archive dedicated to storing the county’s records. If so, the archives website may have searchable indexes of their record collections.

These indexes could include court records, tax lists, vital records, wills, and much more. However, only the index may be available. You may be required to pay a fee to obtain copies of the records. In some instances though, the record images may be available through the archives website. The index may also include all the pertinent information contained in the record.

4. Google Books

You can find the complete text of many books completely free in Google Books. Use it to search for published genealogies for a surname in your tree. Also look for county histories for locations where your ancestors lived. These books often include biographical sketches and other facts about early settlers.

Free Genealogy Websites for Researching Veteran Ancestors

5. National Park Service Civil War Soldiers & Sailors Database

If you know or suspect that your ancestor served in the military during the Civil War, you can search for them in the National Park Service’s online database of soldiers and sailors. Users can find soldiers who fought for both the Union and Confederacy. The website has eight databases to search:

• Soldiers – Includes both Union and Confederate soldiers
• Sailors – Includes 18,000 African American sailors
• Regiments – Includes unit histories from both Union and Confederate regiments
• Cemeteries – Includes names of servicemen interred in each cemetery, along with some photographs of grave markers
• Battles
• Prisoners – Includes Confederates held at Fort McHenry and Union soldiers held at Andersonville
• Medals of Honor Recipients
• Monuments

How to use the site to find a soldier:

Here’s the steps I took to locate my ancestor and learn about his unit:

1. On the homepage I clicked Soldiers.
2. Using the filters on the left-hand side of the page I selected Union and Pennsylvania.
3. I entered his name, James Higgins, in the search field.
4. My ancestor was the 5th search result. I clicked his name, and learned his unit name, company and rank.
5. I clicked the unit name, and found the history of his unit.

This website is a good starting point to learn which unit in which your ancestor served. However, to find more details about their service, look for obituaries and request their service records and pension applications from the National Archives. Be aware that the National Archives charges fees for record requests.

6. DAR.org’s Ancestor Search

If your ancestor lived during the American Revolution, the Ancestor Search tool on the website of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), may reveal if they supported the American cause during the war. This database contains more than soldiers. You can search for men and women who have been identified by DAR as a patriot. Eligible patriotic service includes military service, or other aid to the cause of American independence, such as nursing, or even paying a tax that helped fund the war.

To search the database, visit the Ancestor Search page. Enter at least one of the following criteria:

• Ancestor’s last name
• Ancestor’s first name
• Ancestor’s number (assigned by DAR to identify patriots)

If you receive a match, you may find the following information about your ancestor:

• State where they served
• Rank
• Date and place of birth
• Date and place of death
• Pension number (use this to locate their pension application, leading to more information about your ancestor)
• A description of their service (for example, the company in which they served)

When you click the name of a patriot, you’ll find more information. This additional information includes names of their spouse(s), and names of any children whose descendants applied for DAR membership. You can often find transcriptions of DAR applications listing generations of the patriot’s family. You can also purchase reproductions of applications.

However, remember that these are not original records. Mistakes have been found in many early DAR applications when the organization’s application guidelines were less strict than they are today. This is a good place to start, but always look for original records whenever possible.

Free Genealogy Websites for Newspaper Research

7. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers

Chronicling America is a digital collection of American newspapers made available by the Library of Congress. The collection includes newspapers from 1736 to 1963.

8. Fulton Search Historical Newspapers

Fulton Search Historical Newspapers includes more than 57 million newspaper pages from the U.S. and Canada. Although the website identifies itself as the Old Fulton New York Post Card Website, you can find newspapers from many other states besides New York. The website is not very user-friendly, but check the website’s FAQ page for guidance.

Free Website for Genetic Genealogy

9. GEDMatch

GEDMatch is a free website where users can upload their DNA test results and compare the results to the millions of other users on the GEDMatch site. This website does not sell DNA testing kits. You will need to purchase a test kit from another provider. Once you’ve completed the test, you can download the raw file of your test results.

To use GEDMatch, you will need to create an account. You will then have the capability to upload DNA test results from any of the following providers:

• 23andMe
• Ancestry
• Family Tree DNA
• Living DNA
• MyHeritage
• tellmeGen

How to Access Subscription Genealogy Websites for Free or at a Discounted Rate

1. Contact your local library

Your library may provide its cardholders with access to subscription sites such as Ancestry Library Edition. You are not able to build family trees with a library subscription account, but you will have the ability to access historical records.

2. Join a local genealogical society

Genealogical societies sometimes purchase subscriptions to genealogy sites which members of the organization can use. These groups typically charge an annual fee to join, but this fee will likely be less than the cost of an annual website subscription.

3. Take advantage of free trials

Subscription sites often offer a free trial before they begin charging users. For example, Fold3 offers a 7-day free trial, while Ancestry offers 14 days free. Just make sure to cancel the subscription before the trial ends to avoid being charged.

4. Sign up for email lists on subscription sites

Creating a free account on any subscription site should automatically add you to the site’s email list. Look out for emails alerting you to free access to collections. For example, Ancestry and Fold3 have previously offered free access to military records around Veteran’s Day.

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If you enjoyed this blog, check out 5 Steps to Starting Your Genealogy Research.