During this time of year, television ads overflow with sales on toys, home products, and ancestry, especially DNA kits (which are currently on sale until the end of the year). Ancestry.com is a wonderful place to find your long, lost ancestors. But did you know you can do the same thing for free?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsors FamilySearch.org where you can create a free account and make many of the same discoveries you’d pay for elsewhere.
There is one major difference between Ancestry and FamilySearch. On Ancestry, you have your own tree to do with as you like. It’s yours and no one else can mess with it without your permission. FamilySearch has ONE universal tree that everyone contributes to.
There are pros and cons to having one tree. The pros include entering minimal information and discovering that your family tree is already there, maybe out to 8-10 generations. But, just because it’s there, however, doesn’t mean it’s correct. You still need to verify the sources you find. It’s quite possible, however, you don’t have to do much work at all to see who’s in your family.
The major “con” is you can add information to an ancestor’s profile and if someone else thinks it’s wrong they can change it…without asking you. That is the most frustrating part, but again it’s FREE.
This week I was messing around with some of their activities found on the menu bar. When I clicked on Famous Relatives, I couldn’t believe I was related to 22 presidents, 2 Mayflower passengers, and other incredible people. Now again, I would have to do the research to make sure this was correct, but what a fun project! I’ve always known my husband’s lineage traced back to the Mayflower, but mine may also.
One last reason to visit FamilySearch is the opportunity to register for RootsTech. The RootsTech Family History Conference takes place annually in Salt Lake City, Utah. I went in person in 2019 and had a ball.
For more information go to this link: https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/home . In the past, if you attended virtually the conference has been free, but check out the website for the latest details.
If you haven’t signed up for an account at FamilySearch, what are you waiting for? It’s fun, it’s informative and it’s FREE.
Genealogy tip: There are so many databases and subscription sites to join, but don’t forget about the ones that offer amazing information at no cost to you.
If you need help navigating FamilySearch or Ancestry, let me know. I can help.
