familyhistory.com or ancestry.com

Okay, I really need to check out as much information online as possible. My question is, which of these websites is better? Do they both list all of the censuses? Which do you use and why? Which do you think is better and why?

I've read that FamilyHistory.com is a subsidiary of Ancestry.com, and that you have to go to Ancestry.com to view the search results.

(But I don't think I've tried using it.)

Before you pay for access to a site, be sure to check to see if your library subscribes. You may also be able to use Ancestry at a FHC.

Okay, I dont know familyhistory.com, never looked at that one.....but familysearch.org, only does some basic info (soc sec death index, 1881 Eng, 1881 Canada, and 1880 US census, and a few other things) They do have a free PAF download to organize your info. And it is all free
Ancestry.com you have to pay for nearly everything.

I use mainly ancestry.com myself, but go to other sites (rootsweb and familysearch) If I cant find what I am searching for on ancestry.

I can access Ancestry.com for free from home -- through my county library's web site. All I have to do is enter my library card number on my library's web site and then select Ancestry.com. I'd check and see if your libary does that...

PDX, what do you get for "free" from ancestry? Can you access the census records for free?

My error...I get remote (at home) access to HeritageQuest.com and can access Ancestry.com's library edition from the library. Got mixed up!

Thanks for the library suggestion. However, I'm overseas, no such luck there.

#7 You say in your profile you are going to school online --- have you tried going through their library?
My husband is going to school online through University of Maryland and can access quite a lot of online sources through their library system.
We're in Georgia, I just tried the library system here. They have ancestry but you can only access it at the library but I was able to access heritage quest.

HomeSchoolMom:

Is "sumi-masen" the right kind of "sorry" if you forgot something? I forgot you were overseas. Maybe a relative would let you "borrow" their library card number -- you can access the library services via the internet, even from far away Japan!

Oh and I meant to add. You can also pay for ancestry piecemeal. I did this just recently. There is very little of use to me on ancestry so I didn't want to pay for the full subscription but last month I wanted to look for a family in a particular census and so I paid only for what I viewed. It would get expensive to do it this way if you were going to look at lots of records but it's a good way to try the site out and see if you like it.

Sodapop-I actually just fixed my profile, thanks for reminding me. I finished my class in Jan and took a break because I have to go the States for a month, right in the middle of two terms. It would be too difficult to try to continue and I want to spend as much time as I can with my family, its been four years.

pdxwoman-Sumimasen is correct or gomenasi. Gomenasi is commonly used if you were in an accident, you would apologize, give the person you injured a small monetary gift (gomen) and then all would be forgiven.

I'm trying to get all my notes together with all my questions and research to look up on census' etc. I'm hoping if I'm somewhat organized, I can subscribe for a month and then go from there to see what I get. Time will be needed for hard copies of birth/death certificates so if I can subscribe a couple of times a year that would be great!

Thanks all for your help!

Gencircles.com is a free sie much like Rootsweb. It is very easy to use.

> My error...I get remote (at home) access to HeritageQuest.com
> and can access Ancestry.com's library edition from the library. Got mixed up!

This is the way it works at the public libraries I patronize. I can logon their website, open their online database access and/or genealogy resources links, and peruse HeritageQuest.com and others.

In the case of Ancestry.com (and some others), I have to use a terminal that is physically located in the library or one of its branches.

This is the cheapest "Free Trial" anyone could hope for, that I know of. Its also quite possible you could locate help from someone in the library that could point out shortcuts and features that would take you weeks or months to find in a solitary setting; like at home, for instance.
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I have subscribed to Ancestry.com off and on over the past year and have found a great deal of information. However, I have also found that about 80% of the census information I need can be found for free through USGenWeb census project or the various county websites. Unless you need to view the original document this is a wonderful option.

Also WorldVital Records is adding databases everyday and their subscription rate is really low compared to Ancestry.

I am about to discontinue my Ancestry subscription because I generally get very frustrated with them overall. Their search engine leaves a lot to be desired. I would recommend subscribing for a couple of months early on in your search but after that, i think there are better options. Just my .02.

Thanks for your thoughts and information. Unfortunately, since we've overseas, using the public library's subscription is not an option. They don't have it.

Thanks again for all your info.

Butting in with a notice that LostCousins.com is running a special - register now and get free unlimited access through May 7th. I've put every single relative I could think of from the US 1880 and Canadian 1881 censuses on there. No matches with other descendants so far, but at least the info's out there.

I have a question asked of me by a friend. She has been keeping her ancestry records online somewhere, and just got nervous about identity theft. If people have access to your mother's maiden name, isn't it easier to steal identities? Does anyone worry about this?

#17

I worry about it. I usually ask banks and others to come up with another security question. And I also try not to post info about myself or my parents in online trees. I'm not looking for my siblings or first cousins! --- haven't lost any of them.
I usually cut off my direct line for an online tree at my grandparents. Software may want you to start a tree with yourself, but you can usually ignore that.

And, of course, it is a no-no to post info on living individuals without consent. My mother would have skinned me alive if I'd posted her birthdate and maiden name. Her obit, with maiden name, is now online, but I still can't see any reason to put the info in a tree.

I agree with myshelves; I never post information on public sites on my parents or living relatives although I do occasionally share some of those details in private emails with people I share family lines with.

So my advise to my friend could be to just take the info to her grandparents and not beyond. Thanks!

What I have done, is one of my sites (tribalpages.com) they ask you if the person is still living, if they are, for the public, it only lists the last name, I dont think it shows the birthdate, and it defenitely does not show first or middle names. And since alot of my family has common names (Smith, Davis, Sparks, Jackson, etc etc) as I said for the ones still living, I just click on it that they are still alive........just shows last names.

I have been told that if you link to ancestry.com through a Mormon website that you can get a discount on joining. However, I've never found the right site. Does anyone know if this is true and if so can you point me in the right direction?

>22 varielle: If you're talking about the partnership between familysearch.org, ancestry.com, MyHeritage and findmypast.com that was recently announced, here's some info:
Q. How can someone get access to records that have been indexed by the partners earlier than the end of the restricted period?
A. Part of the agreement with our partners stipulates that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will gain the ability to access the full collections of records published on their sites. We would like to be clear that members will be able to view these images free in nearly all circumstances. These same sites are available free to all researchers in the Family History Library and our more than 4,700 family history centers worldwide. The other way to gain access at this point is to subscribe to the partner services.
Source: https://familysearch.org/blog/en/questions-answers-familysearch-partners/