Find your family roots for free

September 10, 2017

There is nothing quite as intriguing as your family tree. It’s human nature to wonder, “Who am I? Where did I come from?”

Of course, families like yours have always passed down information about ancestors by word-of-mouth. This has been going on for millennia but, of course, your family stories have gotten murky over the years.

A lot of details are missing and various family members tell different versions of the same story. Which is exactly why websites like Ancestry and MyHeritage have become so popular.

For a fee, usually after a free trial, you can get reams of information about your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on. Suddenly, your life becomes clearer. You know which countries your ancestors came from and when. You know how many kids they had and a lot more.

There’s a reason these sites charge you money. It takes a lot of work to gather official records that go back decades or centuries.

Still, you don’t need to pay for your family tree. If you’re willing to do some of the work yourself, you can find your ancestry for FREE.

Keep reading and we’ll tell you where to start your search and which websites can fill in details.

Tip in a Tip: Find my Friends, and two other crucial personal security apps

Public libraries and cultural centers

Before you pay anyone or any site to find your ancestry, call or visit your public library. Some libraries have access to genealogy websites that would otherwise require you to pay for a subscription.

If your library is paying for the subscription, there is a good chance you’ll have free access to these sites. You may also want to visit cultural centers in your city.

(Bonus: Click here to have the Library of Congress available at your fingertips.)

If your background is Irish, German, Italian, Japanese or something else, there is most likely a cultural center that can help you track down your family history. Often, these cultural centers have computer rooms where you can search their records and other genealogy websites. They also have staff on hand who can help you find information about your family.

Note: Do not expect to find your whole family history in just a few minutes. In this age of Google searches, it’s easy to think every bit of information about you will just pop up. You may luck out, but more likely a genealogy search could take hours or days. Take your time and enjoy the process.

National Archives

The United States National Archives and Records Administration has loads of information about your ancestors and you. The best part is, you can access a lot of it for free, either online or in person.

You can find information such as passenger records from Ellis Island. Plus, if you go to your local National Archive office, you may have free access to genealogy websites that would otherwise require a paid subscription.

Better yet, you can get loads of FREE information from the National Archives website. Click here for more information on Archives.gov.

Once there, scroll down to the bottom of the home page. Go to Research Our Records >> click on Research Your Ancestry >> Start Your Genealogy Research.

Free Family Tree

If you’re Mormon, you know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints espouses the importance of knowing your family history. Even if you’re not Mormon, you’ve probably heard that the church has a large collection of family records.

You can contact your local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to ask if they can help with your search. Or, even easier, check out their FREE genealogy website, FamilySearch.org. Just create your profile and get started.

Note: You will be asked to provide your email address and phone number.

Genealogy in Time

The FREE online magazine, Genealogy in Time, is a fantastic, bare-bones resource for your ancestor search. You can find links to hundreds of websites that can help you create your family tree.

But, at Komando.com, we like to give you the easiest route to a solution. Start your ancestry search with GenealogyInTime.com’s search engine.

The site has access to 4 billion public records. Type in your name and see where it takes you.

Note: While Genealogy in Time is a free site, it sometimes directs you to sites that charge for records about your ancestors and you.

Public libraries and cultural centers

National Archives

Free Family Tree

Genealogy in Time

More stories you can’t miss: