Is there a cheap, easy way to look up my family history?

congrats on getting started with your family history! it's a frustratingly fun process that can really sharpen your research skills. as for cheap, easy ways to look things up, a lot of the cost will depend on what you're looking for and where you're looking for it. here's some tips that helped me when i got started:

1. start with what you know: write down everything you know about your family & ancestors -- names (including varying spellings), dates, locations, parents, grandparents, siblings, etc. -- even if all you know is a nickname. use ancestor or pedigree charts to record your direct ancestors, and family group sheets to record siblings of ancestors. some of these types of charts are available for free online (see the Family Tree Magazine links below). writing that information down will be valuable as you trace your folks, especially if you have a lot of common names like "John Smith".

2. interview any living relatives to get more information about them, or about what they may remember about other ancestors. again, write down whatever you find, even if you think it's strange (i once found a set of 3rd great grandparents because of the nicknames they had given one of their sets of twin sons -- Big Boy & Little Boy). if you want to record your interview, make sure you ask your relatives' permission first, as there may be some things that they would prefer to not say on tape.

3. look for any documents at home: your relatives may have copies of vital statistics information on themselves or other ancestors, such as birth or death certificates, marriage certificates, draft registration cards, Social Security applications/confirmations, or other documents that can confirm (or narrow down) information on your ancestors. and if your relatives are willing to let you make a copy of the stuff, that's relatively inexpensive, if not down-right free.

now that you're armed with background information, you're ready to take another step in diggin' your roots...

4. genealogy libraries and/or Family History centers: search the web for the locations of any genealogy libraries in your area, or for any Family History Centers (associated with the LDS church). depending on the area of the country that you're researching (see the MCPL link example below), the library or center may already have access to Census records, wills or probate records, or other resources that you can transcribe (free) or copy (cheap, depending on format). *definitely ask the librarian or center worker for assistance in finding what you're looking for.* some of these documents are organized and indexed in different ways.

5. Family Search Record Search web site: keep in mind that not all states are covered in this database, and even for the ones who are, not all of their documents have been scanned in; privacy issues and storage time frames will vary greatly from state to state. nevertheless, you can use this free site (see below) to see if a microfilm copy of a vital document is available. some states won't have anything available; other states, like Texas, have been a goldmine for death records within a certain time frame. when you find a record, you can print it or save it to your computer for later review.

6. consider a short-term subscription to a service: the bummer about this is that places such as Ancestry.com aren't cheap, even for a 3-month subscription. the cool thing about this is that once you're on, you have access to all available Census records that have been added to their database (1790-1930, including what remains of 1890, plus some local Census records), as well as index listings for births, deaths (local and Social Security listings), some obituaries & newspaper listings, and some marriage & divorce indexes. and if there are other researchers on the site who have some of the same relatives, you'll get "hints" that can help fill some of the gaps in your research.

7. lookup volunteers: some genealogy libraries or genealogy societies will offer to look up information in local resources, if you're not able to travel to view the information on your own. the charges will vary from place to place, and when there is a charge, it's usually just to cover the cost of copying and/or mailing the information to you. always remember that these folks are often volunteers rather than paid employees, so if nothing else, at least thank them for making their services available for free or minimal cost.

i'm sure that there are other options available, but these are the ones that have been most helpful for me. good luck to you with your research!

The mormon website (familysearch) is free, and okay. Here are some other free places to try as well.

Join your local Family History Society if your family has been in the area for a long time, or the one where they spent most of their time.

Bear in mind that unless if it's less than 100 years ago, there are data protection rules that prevent you from finding the data.

There is a website GenesConnected affiliated to FriendsReunited that is also good for a small charge.

If you start collecting data, you should seriously invest in some database software for storing it all. It can quickly get very complicated to remember who was related to who and how you found out, especially when searching for common names, where several people could fit the bill.

Holly gave you sage advice.

I recently found out by looking at a family tree on Ancestry.Com that me, my sister and my brother-in-law were dead. We all died in New Jersey. I was married to my brother-in-law and his and my sisters two children were mine. My sister was also married to my brother in law and they married in New Jersey. The only time my sister and I were ever in New Jersey was in 1956 when our family drove through going to and coming from New York. So we have been dead for 52 years.

After looking at other info in the tree I found family on both sides were born, married or died in Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey.

My ancestry is southern colonial except for some ancestors that came from Ireland after the uprising of 98 and a pair of great great grandparents along with a great grandfather that immigrated through the Port of New Orleans in 1853.

Now, if the subscriber of this family tree had put it in any of the other genealogy websites it would have been accepted. You can make up an entirely fictitious family tree and any of the genealogy websites will accept them. If you disagree with information on a family member that someone else has, the owners of the websites will tell you that is between you and the other subscriber.

I think Ancestry.Com is the best for the original source records it has online. It isnt cheap but your public library might have a subscription to it.

They have all the U.S. censuses through 1930. The 1940 and later are not available to the public yet. They have U.K. censuses through 1901. They have military,land, immigration records. They have indexes to vital records of many U.S. states. Now, not all records are online but the ones they have will save you time, money traveling all over the country to get them.

A good free source is a Family History Center at a Latter Day Saints(Mormon) Church. They have records on people all over the world, not just Mormons. In Salt Lake City, they have the world's largest genealogical collection. Their Family History Centers can order microfilm for you to view at a nominal fee.

I have never had them to try and convert me or send their missionaries by to ring my doorbell. I haven't heard of them doing that to anyone else that has used their resources. Just call the nearest Mormon church or visit their free website, FamilySearch.org, to get their hours for the general public.

There is no magic website. It's a lot of hard work and it doesn't come cheap as you need birth, death, marriage certificates.

Start with yourself and work backward. Your family may have a lot of the certificates that you need.

I also suggest that you get a book called unpuzzling your past by Emily Croom. She takes you step by step. Its about $20.

Use the web as a TOOL only. The research online is only as good as the researcher and you can get lead down the wrong path very easily. That is why documentation is extremely important.

Good luck with your quest