Ancestry Organizations

Who hasn't wondered at least once about her family's history? Luckily, a number of ancestry organizations preserve and provide access to a wealth of public records that help amateur genealogists get to the roots of their family trees.

Family History Library, Centers and Family Search

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has gathered and organized genealogical records since 1894. Its main library, the largest of its kind, is in Salt Lake City, Utah, but more than 4,500 branches called family history centers are located worldwide. The centers are open to the public for free with nominal fees for photocopies, computer printouts and loaned microfilms and microfiche. You can do online research or find a history center near you on the church's genealogy website, Family Search, which is linked in the Resources section.

Ancestry.com

• Ancestry.com is the largest online resource for genealogical documents and family trees. The website provides access to thousands of searchable collections of records from around the world, from birth and death certificates and newspaper clips to military and census records. Some information is free, but access to much of the information is available through a monthly or annual subscription. The website is linked in Resources.

The USGenWeb Project

• A non-commercial, volunteer-driven website, The USGenWeb Project, provides free genealogy information for every county and state in the United States. The link to the website is in the Resources section.

Footnote

• Through an arrangement with the U.S. National Archives and other organizations, the website Footnote allows people to view and share digital images of original documents. Many are available for free, but a subscription allows greater access. The website is linked in Resources.