Here's my list of the Top Five Free Genealogy Tools for 2010.
Say Howdy Doody to the new year, folks.
- FamilySearch. You just can't beat this one. It covers almost as much territory as the genealogy motherlode at Ancestry.com, but without the need for a subscription.
- Stephen Morse. I love this guy, whoever he is. He created easy-access tools to search millions of records from Ellis Island, Castle Island, and other immigration points of entry to the US. One of the real online genealogical gems.
- Social Security Death Index (SSDI). With more than 80 million records, this database covers almost all deaths in the US for the past 50 years or so...an essential tool for recent family history.
- Google News Archives. Old newspapers are a favorite resource of mine, and these archives span the past 250 years. Also check out NewspaperArchive.com, a subscription service, but one of the best resources there is.
- Find A Grave. Over 35 million records...need I say more?
Conspicuously absent from the above list are the millions of military records available in online lookups. Problem is, it's hard to choose the best from among some excellent resources, mostly from the US and UK. Have a look at the best military lookup sites I know of.
Is there a Top FGT that you think belongs on the list? Let me know in the Comments, and we'll take a look
And as we head into 2010, a happy, healthy, meaningful and peaceful new year to all.
David
4 comments :
Hi David,
I completely agree with your list, BUT wouldn’t it be nice to search on these and 1500 other databases FREE and in only one search?
That’s what MyHeritage Genealogy Search Engine (http://www.myheritage.com/research) allows to all users.
Write the name and last name (or more details if you have) of a person and in seconds you will start getting results from more than 1500 free genealogical databases.
You should give it a try, it save time and effort
Happy holidays
Daniel Horowitz
Genealogy and Translation Manager
MyHeritage.com
Daniel...thanks for your comment. A meta-search in hundreds of databases is a very nice idea, but your site doesn't work for me when I try it. Get it up and running smoothly, and I'd be glad to feature it in a future post.
Free coverage of the genealogy world in a nutshell is found within the Family Genealogy and History Internet Education Directory, located at:
academic-genealogy.com
G'day, I know of a free toolbar for genealogists that I would like to recommend to you post about, can you email me so I can put you in touch with it's owner, as I cant see a way to contact you directly via this blog.
Many thanks
Michelle
patientgenie@yahoo.com.au
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