Genealogy Sites

Updated 05-28-2013

Genealogy sites help you discover, organize and publish your family's history. They allow you to search historical documents such as census reports, crew manifests, draft records, and birth and death records, giving you unparalleled access to once-scarce information. Many sites even allow you to add to your family tree with your own photos, videos and family documents. Genealogy research sites also help you discover and network with other family members. Not sure which site to use? We've carefully reviewed each of these genealogy sites and our rankings below can help you find the site that's right for you.

Genealogy Site Reviews & Ratings


Services: Our Ratings: Bottom Line:
Ancestry.com Rating:stars
Most comprehensive service with the largest resource base; easy to navigate
Archives.com Rating:stars
Well-priced with good family tree builder though archive search could be better, more comprehensive
Footnote.com Rating:stars
Great document viewer and fascinating archives; is better for historians than most family-tree builders
Onegreatfamily.com Rating:stars
Inexpensive, can yield far-reaching results but limited archives means you need a good bit of family history to start
FamilyBuilder.com Rating:stars
Expensive service returns highly general and abstract results that shed no real light on the specificity of one's origins

NextAdvisor Genealogy Blog Headlines

Ancestry.com's New Photo Scanning App
May 28, 2013 - If you are looking to add photos to your family tree to make it even more special, you are in luck because Ancestry.com is currently working on a new app which will allow you to scan your family photos with your

Mother's Day Gift: Stationery, Cake Plates, Apothecary Jars and More From Minted
Apr 30, 2013 - Still looking for that perfect gift for your mom? Let Minted help you out. As one of our top-rated photo card services, Minted offers a wide-variety of options ? from budget-friendly to high-end ? for Mother's Day gifts. These include personalized stationery,

Use Ancestry.com For Free Through Sunday, April 21
Apr 17, 2013 - From now until Sunday, April 21, Ancestry.com is offering free access to their marriage records database to help you start putting together your family tree. Start tracing back both sides of your family tree, with Ancestry.com's vast database of marriage

Ancestry.com's Rolls Out New Features and Pricing for DNA Testing
Apr 4, 2013 - Recently Ancestry.com unveiled their latest features and prices for the start of 2013. These new features make it easier to communicate, make connections, and utilize their DNA test results. Direct Communication Links: One of the new features is a direct link

How Does Ancestry.com's DNA Test Work?
Mar 15, 2013 - Finding out ones genealogy is difficult. Searching through seemingly endless amounts of photos, documents and records can only get you so far into your families heritage. What if there was a way to go beyond papers, documents and historical records helping you to find

Genealogy
Research
Overview

What is genealogy?

Genealogy is the study of families, genetics, and ancestors. Our modern technological world has not diminished our desire to know where we came from, but it has made finding out about it a lot easier, and a lot more fun. Modern genealogy is a mix of worldwide records research, family tree building, social networking, and even DNA testing. There are a number of different services offering a number of different ways for you to research your family tree. They offer a unique exploration of family history powered by the reach of the Internet.

A long way from the old way

Most of us, at one time or another, have attempted a family tree, often as part of a school assignment. Sooner or later our knowledge of family history ran out and we gave up. Quite simply, we didn't have the tools or the information. If family records weren't kept, details are lost to history, residing in obscure record books moldering in libraries half a world away. Today, genealogy research is made easier by the easy accessibility and searchability of census, military, birth, death, immigration, and other records. The best genealogy research sites allow you to look at scanned versions of actual historical documents. DNA testing can reveal the unique migration patterns of one's ancestry. Finding common ancestors with other genealogists on the web can help complete the puzzle. We reviewed the best genealogy services, and help you find the right one.


Discover the past

Genealogy is about discovering the way our family lines link us to history: migrations, wars, booms, busts, new discoveries, and other world-altering events. It brings history alive as you see how world events affected your ancestors, and how your ancestors may have affected world events. And discovery is just the first part. You can share your research, download a GEDCOM (GEnealogical Data COMmunication) to use with other genealogy services, and find other family members. Genealogy research is a way of understanding our place in the world, how we arrived, and where we came from.


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