Home » Relationships & Family » Family History » Genealogy and Family Trees

Shaking your tree with free family history search resources?

I love to hear from other genealogy enthusiasts

From the lens How To Do Your Family History Research For Free.

Have family tree free search tools on the Internet helped you find out more about your ancestors? Do you have interesting family history stories to share? Or just curious about how to get started?

  • EclecticNana May 15, 2012 @ 6:03 am | delete
    GREAT lens! I am always looking for free places to do research. I learned a few things today! Thank you!
  • asphyxia May 9, 2012 @ 11:55 am | delete
    A free site that I used to do much of my own research is www.familysearch.org. The site has advanced search options and contains thousands of scanned records. I was able to cross-reference tons of records to ensure that they were accurate and learned a lot about my great-great-grandparents.
  • HeirHound May 3, 2012 @ 8:59 am | delete
    If you're on a limited budget Family Tree Builder and GRAMPS are two software packages you can install and use for free.
  • WordCustard May 3, 2012 @ 10:06 am | delete
    Thanks for the tip. I'm a big fan of GRAMPS (mentioned above) but Family Tree Builder sounds worth exploring.
  • YayasHome Apr 13, 2012 @ 2:53 am | delete
    I've been shaking my family tree for over forty years. I have only recently begun to see some success in finding my ancestors, but I have enjoyed every minute of the learning process.
  • Amkatee Mar 30, 2012 @ 3:45 pm | delete
    I've used mainly Ancestry, but be sure to google if you have names or variations of ancestor names, place of birth, who they married, any other family members. It took some searching to find missing information on some family. My mother's grandfather remarried for instance, and we had a hard time tracking him down.
  • WordCustard Mar 30, 2012 @ 4:13 pm | delete
    That's good advice, thanks for sharing it!
  • RosemaryB Mar 17, 2012 @ 8:49 am | delete
    Finally a sensible topic for a lens.
  • kevingomes13 Feb 27, 2012 @ 6:11 pm | delete
    My family are islanders
  • eblack88 Feb 14, 2012 @ 2:43 pm | delete
    A topic that I find fascinating - hope to delve into my family tree at some point! Nice Lens!
  • Heather426 Dec 7, 2011 @ 5:57 pm | delete
    This morning I got an email from Geni that Queen Elizabeth of England is my 16th cousin once removed. Next I got one that Prince Charles is my 16th cousin 2 times removed. Next, Prince William and Prince Harry, 3 times removed. So I went up to the Geni site and clicked on the Queen. Guess who manages her profile on Geni? Prince Harry! Posted on facebook and posted your lens up there too. Came back to share the story.
  • jimmyworldstar Dec 5, 2011 @ 3:11 pm | delete
    Wow your great ancestor had to move to a whole other continent! Imagine where you'd be if he stayed in the UK? It's always interesting to find little known facts or rumors about previous family members.
  • markettrol Nov 12, 2011 @ 4:55 pm | delete
    Great lens....I just started my family tree....Thanks
  • Heather426 Nov 3, 2011 @ 11:22 am | delete
    I just started my family tree, so this is a fantastic resource for me! Thank you so much! Bookmarked...and shared.
  • EileenGoodall Oct 24, 2011 @ 3:31 am | delete
    What a great lens - thanks for sharing - I photograph and transcribe local gravestones in the hope that I can reach their ancestors. I'm new to Squidoo and seeing your lens has taught me a lot.
  • slotowngal Oct 23, 2011 @ 5:05 pm | delete
    Thanks for featuring so many fun genealogy tools... I have lots of 'interesting characters' in my family tree, from bootleggers to counterfeiters, Revolutionary War soldiers to plantation owners. Finding out about family is fascinating. angel blessed...
  • poddys Sep 13, 2011 @ 2:06 pm | delete
    Rootschat is where Debbie and I met. It's a wonderfully friendly site, and there are even people who will repair and patch up scanned photos for you. Highly recommended, as is Legacy Family Tree.
  • ideadesigns Sep 10, 2011 @ 10:09 am | delete
    My grandmother was deep into genealogy and printed a small book, I wish I could get a copy, some day I will. I know that I had a great or great-great grandfather was a preacher. It's interesting to learn about ancestors, just lots of research and work! I want to search online and see if there are connections.
  • WordCustard Sep 10, 2011 @ 11:09 am | delete
    The more you manage to learn about them, the more you will want to learn! I hope you get hold of that book, it sounds like it will give you a wonderful start.
  • EileenGoodall Oct 24, 2011 @ 3:32 am | delete
    Have you tried searching on a site called Abebooks they have lots of old books that are out of print and hard to get.
  • Genjud Sep 4, 2011 @ 8:47 pm | delete
    There are so many wonderful resources for help with your family history. I just love the free sites and all the helpful ideas presented. Love your lenses. Keep looking for those ancestors, they really want to be found.
  • A-Redneck Aug 29, 2011 @ 9:21 am | delete
    I just picked up a large section of our family history while visiting with my sister. It is amazing between the two of us the gaps which we were able to fill in.
  • Jools99 Aug 27, 2011 @ 11:54 am | delete
    Genealogy is addictive stuff and can cost a packet if you don't know where to look! Well done on a really good lens, very interesting stuff.
  • Joie Aug 20, 2011 @ 7:24 pm | delete
    I am totally fascinated with genealogy. I have done extensive research, but find that I love it too much! Too much? Yep, I start researching, and before I know it the day is gone, and maybe the night, too! So I have had to take a break. I want to resume again soon - and try to exercise more self-control and balance! :)
  • WordCustard Aug 25, 2011 @ 5:38 am | delete
    I know just what you mean... it is a seriously addictive hobby!
  • njg May 30, 2011 @ 9:48 pm | delete
    Thank you. very helpful.
  • yourgoldenfuture Apr 17, 2011 @ 1:26 am | delete
    wonderful lens
  • whaleriders6 Apr 12, 2011 @ 10:50 am | delete
    Awesome lens! This is great info. When I first started doing research for my family tree I paid somewhat of a hefty fee for use of a site, so this is really helpful!
  • Pastiche Apr 1, 2011 @ 6:40 am | delete
    Genealogy fascinates me but it's always seemed such a daunting task. I''m hoping my aunt on one side of the family and a cousin on the other will share their research with the rest of us. I do know my grandfather changed his name when he left Scandinavia, so my maiden name is not actually our family origin name. Interesting and helpful info here.
  • WordCustard Apr 1, 2011 @ 6:49 am | delete
    It's so hard when people change their names. I've been looking at the census and so many of my ancestors were known by one name and supplied it to the census taker but actually had a different birth name.
  • Joie Aug 25, 2011 @ 11:11 am | delete
    Tricky, isn't it? My Swedish grandfather was born with the name Axelsson, but the 1901 Names Adoption Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_surnames) changed it to Jansson. Then when he moved to America, the Ellis Island officer heard and put it down as Johnson. Tracing Scandinavian roots back before 1901 is VERY hard. If anyone has any knowledge of how to do it successfully, I'd love to hear from them.
  • capriliz Mar 17, 2011 @ 11:45 am | delete
    This is a wonderful collection of tips and places to research your family history.
    ~blessed!~
  • WordCustard Mar 18, 2011 @ 4:54 am | delete
    Thank you so much! It was the very first thing I wrote for Squidoo and I still love researching my family tree.
  • mrscookie Feb 15, 2011 @ 11:34 am | delete
    A really good and concise lens with loads of excellent information.
  • WordCustard Feb 16, 2011 @ 2:39 am | delete
    Thanks for the kind words.
  • happynutritionist Feb 14, 2011 @ 10:27 pm | delete
    Oh I am so excited about finding this...I just started working again on our family tree, and am so happy about how much easier it is to do with the internet...I started about 30 years ago. So I'm adding another blessing to this...a "Cupid Kiss", and it will be featured on "Nutrition SquidAngel" even though it's not about food...oh, wait, you're little avatar looks like a pear, and you use the name "WordCustard", that sounds like food enough for me...LOL:-)
  • WordCustard Feb 15, 2011 @ 8:41 am | delete
    Delighted to qualify as food... even if it's 'food for thought'! Thanks so much for the kind words.
  • NancyOram Feb 12, 2011 @ 8:46 pm | delete
    Excellent information! Would like to add that Ancestry.com offers a lot of free resources before the subscription level, so it's worth a visit. Also, you mentioned the LDS Family History Libraries - the main one being in Salt Lake City, Utah, but there are branches all over. There you can have free access to use Ancestry.com as well as all their other free resources. Blessed by a brand new angel.
  • WordCustard Feb 14, 2011 @ 5:38 am | delete
    Thanks for all the extra tips, Nancy! These are useful. I appreciate the angel blessing too and sounds like they picked just the right person for the job!
  • Jodi_k Dec 10, 2010 @ 8:03 am | delete
    In the US, there's also the Ellis Island records of immigration. I looked up my great-grandfather and grandmother and found a photo of the ship, a copy of the ship's manifest, and the dates they arrived. Blessed.
  • WordCustard Dec 10, 2010 @ 11:29 am | delete
    An excellent tip, thanks for sharing Jodi. Must have been interesting to see the very ship they sailed on. Thanks too for your angel blessing.
  • AnnsHomeDecor Sep 17, 2010 @ 10:23 pm | delete
    So glad I came across your lens. I am in the process now of doing family history and you have given me some resources I was not aware of. Thanks!
  • WordCustard Sep 18, 2010 @ 5:17 am | delete
    I'm glad this was helpful, Ann! You will get a lot of pleasure I think from taking the time to do your family history.
  • ajgodinho Sep 15, 2010 @ 5:15 pm | delete
    This is a great lens with free resources. I've never done research on ancestry, but I'd love to do it down the line. It's great to see that you've dug a lot of information from your search. This is very interesting!
  • WordCustard Sep 16, 2010 @ 8:14 am | delete
    It truly is a fascinating and absorbing hobby to have. Thanks for your kind words AJ.
  • eclypsechic Sep 13, 2010 @ 3:25 pm | delete
    I'm so excited I found this lens while reading through your 50 lenses in 3 months!
    I want to start researching my family history so badly, but the free 14 day trial at ancestry didn't get me very far. I can't wait to sit down and read through this entire lens. :)
  • WordCustard Sep 14, 2010 @ 2:58 am | delete
    I hope you find some useful tips! There is quite a lot you can do before you need to start paying for a service. Good luck!
  • burgessvillian Aug 23, 2010 @ 2:00 pm | delete
    This is a very helpful lens. I want to explore my family tree and you have listed some great resources here.
  • WordCustard Aug 23, 2010 @ 3:08 pm | delete
    Good to know -- thanks very much, Ron. :)
  • lollyj Aug 12, 2010 @ 7:53 am | delete
    In addition to being a fascinating exploration, I learn a LOT about myself and my family from revisiting our ancestors. Certain illnesses and patterns of behavior have been carried through countless generations. This is a great, and helpful lens. Thanks!!
    And thanks, also for the Squid Angel blessing on my Dissociative Disorder Lens. I'm thrilled beyond words.
  • WordCustard Aug 14, 2010 @ 3:16 pm | delete
    My pleasure, Lollyj! And good point, we can learn about traits that have carried through the generations -- just one more thing that makes family history research such a fascinating journey.
  • familystorykeeper Jul 17, 2010 @ 12:14 am | delete
    I found out online historical documents at www.familysearch.org that one of my ancestors was a Hessian soldier sent to American to fight for the British against the Americans in the Revolutionary War. He ended up defecting from the British side, stayed in America after the war and married and raised his family in America. It can be very interesting to learn about your ancestors. Thanks for the information you share in this lens.
  • WordCustard Jul 19, 2010 @ 2:14 am | delete
    What a wonderful story, it's these kinds of discoveries that make family history research so worthwhile! Thank you for stopping by to share it here.
  • d-artist Jun 25, 2010 @ 3:11 pm | delete
    I came back to give a ~"Squid Angel Blessing "~ to a very interesting and informative lens...I found the story of your ancestors going to Australia for punishment interesting....yes I can imagine what a headache it must make for research if they chose not to come back to the England.
  • WordCustard Jun 26, 2010 @ 5:05 am | delete
    Much appreciated, Delia, thank you so much. I think when they were shipped to Australia, there were few possibilities of making the return trip for people of limited financial means. So a 6 or 7 year sentence could in reality mean 'life'.
  • Light-in-me May 8, 2010 @ 12:21 pm | delete
    I have been thinking about doing this a lot lately. This lens is fantastic interesting and informative. I am going to give it a try, thanks for sharing.
    Robin :)
  • WordCustard May 9, 2010 @ 4:43 am | delete
    Watch out, Robin -- it's thoroughly addictive! Good luck with finding out lots of interesting things about your family history though.
  • nelabai Apr 1, 2010 @ 2:28 pm | delete
    My distant relative has done a full family tree and after that she found me and my sister via facebook. What a wonderful experience to know who were your family members, even distant ones.
    Great lens by the way :)
  • WordCustard Apr 2, 2010 @ 6:36 am | delete
    Isn't it amazing what you can do with modern technology? Thanks for sharing your story!
  • familystorykeeper Mar 24, 2010 @ 12:18 am | delete
    Searching for information on your family can lead to some wonderful experiences. I had an email address for my late husband's stepbrother, but it wasn't current. I did a Google search and found him and sent him a message to make sure he was my husband's stepbrother. He just sent us two 9' x 14' x 1 1/2' books full of family history. Doing a search online for a family member may just lead you to connect to someone who has such treasures.
  • WordCustard Mar 24, 2010 @ 6:02 am | delete
    Wonderful to hear about your find! The Internet makes it so much easier to make these connections. Thanks for commenting here and best of luck on Squidoo.
  • starlitparlit Jan 15, 2010 @ 8:11 pm | delete
    Amazing lens. So much information I can use for researching my family tree. Thank you for making it! Favoriting and rating 5*'s
  • WordCustard Jan 16, 2010 @ 10:21 am | delete
    Thanks for visiting and for leaving such kind comments, they made my day! Good luck in your own family tree research.
  • KathyMcGraw Jan 15, 2010 @ 7:13 pm | delete
    This is the first lens I remember you making....and I favored it then, just came back to Bless it :)
  • WordCustard Jan 16, 2010 @ 10:20 am | delete
    Kathy, it was my first lens and you one of my first supporters. How lovely that you remembered it and left a blessing, it means a lot.
  • arncyn Nov 25, 2009 @ 11:46 pm | delete
    This is amazing work from you once again Nicki, very interesting topic, beautifully-written and crafted and chock-full of information! I would love to know more about my ancestors -- all I know is that I am mostly Filipino with a sprinkling of Chinese & Spanish ancestry... I've got to start researching on it some more.
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 6:48 am | delete
    Lovely to see you here, Cynthia. Best of luck with your family history research - you'll have fun with it!
  • Jewelsofawe Nov 15, 2009 @ 1:24 pm | delete
    Well, I have not done my family tree, but I know my ancestors come from Scotland and Sweden as well as Ireland. I know which ones came to America as well, so that is cool. They are not alive anymore but were my great grandparents and great great grandparents. So my family is a fairly new American.
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 6:47 am | delete
    Thanks for stopping by, Patricia. It sounds like you have a pretty interesting family if you ever decide to research your roots further.
  • WindyWinters Nov 11, 2009 @ 3:06 am | delete
    Your lens is shaking with great information. Genealogy is a very fascinating hobby. I researched my maternal great-grandmother's family tree for nine years! About two years ago, I finally found some records on her 1st husband (my great-grandfather) and finally found her sister's descendants. Along the way I gathered many new friends, cousins, and relatives. It was a lot of fun. Now I'm Squidooing!
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 6:45 am | delete
    What a lovely comment, thanks so much for your visit. It quickly becomes a very rewarding hobby.
  • BevsPaper Nov 10, 2009 @ 9:21 pm | delete
    Great genealogy information!
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:45 am | delete
    Thanks so much, Bev!
  • spunkyduckling Nov 8, 2009 @ 12:15 pm | delete
    Excellent topic and outstanding title for a lens. Yay..I favorite.Fun to read too. Time for me to start shaking my family tree...5*
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:44 am | delete
    Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words, Nicole!
  • d-artist Nov 3, 2009 @ 6:12 pm | delete
    very nice lens!....5* hope to get back to my genealogy research this winter.
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:43 am | delete
    I love your own family history stories, can't wait to hear more about your research.
  • Light-in-me Oct 26, 2009 @ 1:02 pm | delete
    This is a fascinating and interesting lens and this is something I have been interested in for a long time. Time to do something about it, this will help.

    Thanks for sharing,
    Robin
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:42 am | delete
    Thank you for your lovely comment Robin - I hope this gives you a start on your own family tree research.
  • prosperity66 Oct 24, 2009 @ 11:55 am | delete
    Indeed this is a great lens for a beginner! Wish you the best and hope you'll get a Giant soon!
    Dom.
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 6:42 am | delete
    Lovely to see you here Dom - thanks for the good wishes.
  • ChapelHillFiddler Oct 23, 2009 @ 6:07 am | delete
    I did a genealogy lens on my rare family name. It gets almost no hits but it made my brother and his daughter very happy.
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:41 am | delete
    I visited and it's a fantastic lens. Thanks for your visit, Jane!
  • pkmcr Oct 22, 2009 @ 2:10 pm | delete
    Genealogy is one of my great passions and it's great to see other people creating quality Genealogy lenses. Blessed by a SquidAngel
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 6:38 am | delete
    Thank you for the visit and angel blessing, Paul. Your genealogy lenses are an inspiration.
  • luvmyludwig Oct 22, 2009 @ 6:42 am | delete
    This is wonderful! You're doing a great job.
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:37 am | delete
    Lovely to see you here, Crystal - thanks for your encouragement!
  • KathyMcGraw Oct 21, 2009 @ 11:02 am | delete
    Wow, this is full of great resources and info. My grandmother taught me a lot about how to do this, and the Church of the Latter Day Saints has one of the best places in the country for doing this. I visited it once when I was in Utah.....amazing! 5* and fav for sure.
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:36 am | delete
    Thank you Kathy! Really appreciate your support. :)
  • JaguarJulie Oct 21, 2009 @ 10:40 am | delete
    I've been enjoying reading your portfolio of lenses this morning -- it is an honor to welcome you to Squidoo. Do you know that genealogy was one of the topics that got me started with my lenses? I so look forward to the day that our family tree will be easier to research.
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:35 am | delete
    Thank you for the warm welcome, Julie! Good to see we have this passion in common. Best of luck with your research.
  • WhitePineLane Oct 20, 2009 @ 12:27 pm | delete
    Fabulous lens! Five-starred and lensrolled to my How to Begin Your Genealogy Research lens!
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:34 am | delete
    Thanks for the kind comment and the lensroll!
  • InkedEmma Oct 20, 2009 @ 3:50 am | delete
    Great lens! Lots of valuable information that I will continue to come back and look at while I make & research my own family tree. 5*****
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:34 am | delete
    I'm glad it was helpful, thanks for your visit!
  • GrowWear Oct 19, 2009 @ 11:17 am | delete
    Welcome to Squidoo. Love what you've done so far. :)
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:33 am | delete
    Thank you for stopping by, MiMi.
  • OhMe Oct 19, 2009 @ 6:06 am | delete
    I enjoy using Myheritage.com but will sure check out your recommendations. Welcome to Squidoo!
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:33 am | delete
    Thanks for your visit and welcome!
  • science_fiction_novels_cyberpunk Oct 18, 2009 @ 3:06 pm | delete
    This is a very interesting lens, full of useful information. I'am also tracing back my ancestors and building my own family tree, but I have arrived just at the beginning of 1800... 5 stars.
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:32 am | delete
    Thanks for your visit and good luck with your research - sounds like you are doing fine!
  • Ramkitten Oct 18, 2009 @ 12:19 pm | delete
    I have some neat old photos of some of my ancestors, back through a great-great-great grandfather and mother, but I know relatively little about them. My oldest living relative is my mom at 82, so I suppose I really should ask her to tell me more of what she knows of these people and remind me of what I've forgotten. I'd be very interested to know more about those who came before them as well, but I'm honestly not sure I have the patience to try to find out. A surname change along the way would make things a bit difficult, I'd expect. My mom isn't sure of the spelling of the former name, which was changed by immigration (by accident, I'm told), when my ancestors immigrated to the U.S. Anyhow, excellent, interesting and useful lens!
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:32 am | delete
    It's a wonderful thing to have photos that go back so far. Good luck in your research, if you go ahead with it!
  • AndyPo Oct 16, 2009 @ 12:24 pm | delete
    Great lens and welcome to the lens Promotion group. I started researching my family tree earlier this year. I haven't got very far yet though.
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:30 am | delete
    Thanks for the visit, Andy!
  • janices7 Oct 6, 2009 @ 12:42 pm | delete
    As I've gotten older, I've been consulting our family tree expert - my Aunt Mary. Thanks to all of her info, I was able to visit my 3rd cousin in Germany when I went there last spring and I got to see the little town where my great grandfather grew up in Alsace Lorraine France. It would be great fun doing all the research that she has done. Great lens with lots of good info. I especially like the idea of an online tree that you can share with everyone else.
  • WordCustard Dec 19, 2009 @ 5:30 am | delete
    It sounds like you have an interesting background, Janice. Thanks for visiting - yours was my very first Squidoo comment! :)

by

WordCustard

Discover a number of ways to do your online family history research for free.

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Explore related pages

Related Tags