I want to find my ancetors records so bad, and every site i go to you have to pay, i want to get free records, does anyone know any free records? Thanks..Where can i get FREE old Public records for my ancestors?
When people ask about public records, many times they are looking for vital records or birth, death and marriage records, which are not considered public records by all states and counties within those states. Each state has its own rules and regulations, but for privacy reasons, death records are closed to the public for around 50 years, and birth records for 75 to 100 years.
The LDS/Mormon [FamilySearch.org] site has many free records at: http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Home/Wel鈥?/a> Texas and Ohio death certificates are available on FamilySearch.org on their pilot site at: http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsear鈥?/a> Also, a new beta site on FamilySearch.org at: http://fsbeta.familysearch.org/s/collect鈥?/a> additional records were added.
Also, be sure to check each state that you need information from as many have their own projects, for example, the state of Missouri has a great website that has many free source documents online at http://www.sos.mo.gov/mdh/ , South Carolina has many free wills and other court documents at http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/onlinear鈥?/a> and West Virginia birth, death, and marriage original records can be found at: http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_select.a鈥?/a>
Indexes do not contain as much information as actual certificates but they are helpful and their value in research should not be overlooked. The most popular index is the Social Security Index, which can be found at: http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ or http://www.familysearch.org/ENG/search/f鈥?/a>
There are other Death Indexes that you can search, most notably the California Death Records and Indexes at: http://vitals.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ca/d鈥?/a> , which is the (free version) at Rootsweb.
A Genealogy Guide for Finding Obituaries, Cemetery Burials and Death Records for the state of California can be found at http://www.deathindexes.com/california/i鈥?/a> ,some free and some fee.
Also, USGen Web is a free online resources that has records for every state and most counties within those states. http://www.usgenweb.org/ . For example, from the main page you can click on Tennessee, then on a county of your choice鈥 picked Monroe, then click on Monroe Co., Tennessee Marriages 1921-1954 http://www.tngennet.org/monroe/marriages鈥?/a> or Cherokee Co., NC Marriages through 1905 1906-1930 http://www.tngennet.org/monroe/chmarriag鈥?/a> 鈥?Cherokee Co. was once part of Monroe Co.
If you don鈥檛 find what you need in this manner, you could go to the library and search the newspaper archives for birth, engagement or wedding announcement and obituaries. Or you could post a query on Rootsweb to the surname board you are interested in to see if anyone has the particular record of interest http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
Ancestry.Com has more records online than any other website. Many public libraries have a subscription to it you can use for free. Still no way are all records online, not by a long shot. Also you must distinguish between the records they have obtained and put online and their subscriber submitted family trees. Family trees on ANY website, free or fee, must never be viewed as records. They are submitted by folks like you and me, the subscribers. Even when you see the same info repeatedly by many different subscribers on the same people that doesn't mean the info is accurate. Too many people copy without verifying.
FamilySearch.org has a new pilot program where they are transcribing LDS records and putting them online. In Salt Lake City, the Mormons, have more genealogical records in the world, not just on Mormons. Actually you should check their website, FamilySearch.org, to get the hours for the general public to the nearest Mormon Family History Center. I have never had them to try and convert me nor have I heard of them doing that to anyone else that has used their resources.
This is a link to their pilot program where they are transcribing records.
http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsear鈥?/a>Where can i get FREE old Public records for my ancestors?
If you are just starting your FH research before you launch into websites and get fed up because you can't find what you are looking for, or more likely don鈥檛 know what to look for, do your groundwork first.......
Look on this site, it will help you make a start in understanding the principles of researching your family history http://www.familytreefolk.co.uk/page_110鈥?/a> , also www.bbc.co.uk is another good website that will give you all the information to get you started, search for heir hunters or family history.
Down load family history sheets http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/genlh/forms/ %26amp; starting with yourself fill one in. You will find the sheets act as a check list you may also find that you don't have all your own information %26amp; have to go searching in your home and asking your parents/other relations about it, look for any certificates, baptism cards, wedding invitations, newspaper clippings and any other papers which can give you information, we all have these and most are put away and forgotten about.
Look at your own birth certificate, it gives you lots of information %26amp; don鈥檛 forget to write the registration number from it down on your form, as this tells you that it is primary document information, which is what you need for every piece of information you collect, once you start researching you will notice that many people don鈥檛 have primary information numbers on their research...which shows you it is hearsay, copied from others , from websites and guesswork and there is no place in family history research for guesswork. One wrong name in your tree and it means you are not researching YOUR family and it is so easy to get it wrong without looking at documentation.
Fill a sheet in for your parents /any living relations you have, go %26amp; talk to them, ask to see any certificates they have, write all the information down they give you, just from a marriage cert you will get both names including the maternal name, where they lived, married the date, their fathers names, occupations %26amp; names of witnesses...also if the bride/ groom could read %26amp; write at that time as if there is an x in the signature box they could鈥檛, which also then helps you later on looking at other records should you find different spelling of their name.....ask if they have any old photographs as this gets people talking and remembering other people in the family they had 鈥榝orgotten鈥?about...write down any 'family stories' you are told, it is all part of your family鈥檚 history and culture....some may be correct, however many are not or have some truth in them and different people in your family will tell you different versions of the same story, you find once you start researching you can sometimes use these stories in your research for clues about where to look at records...........before you go near a website, this information give you a 'feel' for who your family is and makes it s much easier to find ancestors once you do start looking at websites
By using the family sheets it makes it very easy for other relations to see what you are doing %26amp; to understand the information you are collecting, they are more likely to help %26amp; give you more information....as most at first will say, 鈥淚 don't know or I haven't got any idea about our ancestors". It is also nice to be able to give you relations a copy, as by doing this they will look at the information, talk about it and may remember more information for you or even find some paperwork that has been long forgotten. I very often leave these sheets with family %26amp; tell them to add information if they remember, the more family you ask the better, this information is first hand information, most family historians regret not having asked these questions of older family members once they realise how valuable their knowledge could have been, however many often leave it too late to ask .
The very best sources of information is in your home memories of your living relations, any documents, certificates and newspaper clippings that many people keep....you will get lots of information, start lots of interest in what you are doing and will get your family involved in helping you get started and are more likely to have correct information
If you want a computer database a free one is Brothers Keeper http://www.bkwin.net/version6.htm and you can even add photographs, print out family trees, lists or add notes/stories etc
Once you have done all this you will be more aware of who your family is, you get a 鈥榝eel鈥?for who is family and who is not %26amp; websites are easier to look at then as you can cross reference the information you have...
Many will tell you www.familysearch.org or the LDS pilot website, it does have some good information, it also has lots of donated, unverified information which is completely wrong from people who have copied other鈥榮 family trees %26amp; sent it in
Good luck in your researchWhere can i get FREE old Public records for my ancestors?
Right here:
http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_dcsearch鈥?/a>
Here are the first ten counties and years they have on file:
Barbour: 1853 - 1859, 1861 - 1969
Berkeley: 1871, 1875 - 1906, 1917 - 1970
Boone: 1865 - 1873, 1877 - 1883, 1885 - 1968
Braxton: 1853 - 1861, 1865, 1867 - 1969
Brooke: 1853 - 1860, 1862, 1865, 1867 - 1868, 1874 - 1880, 1885 - 1970
Cabell: 1853 - 1854, 1865 - 1866, 1868, 1871 - 1968
Calhoun: 1855 - 1859, 1864 - 1867, 1891 - 1969
Clay: 1858 - 1861, 1866, 1868 - 1873, 1875 - 1878, 1880 - 1896, 1899 - 1968
Doddridge: 1853 - 1855, 1858 - 1859, 1865 - 1970
Fayette: 1866 - 1874, 1876 - 1968
If you aren't in West Virginia, then a state and time range would help. There ARE free records out there for some counties and some years.
Arizona, for another example
http://genealogy.az.gov/
Births 1855 - 1934
Deaths 1844 - 1959
No.
Just like the rest of us you will have to pay for these records.
So figure on investing about 500 hours and 500 bucks and you'll get a good start on your genealogy.
Try Familysearch.org
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