Free Data Sources?

[Nicholas Shanks]

Hi there. I was wondering if anyone has compiled a list of free
websites, software, old census databases etc that I could use in my
research. I'm just starting out and cannot afford to pay for
subscription sites, microfilm etc. so it all has to be free!

My mother's side is all from Hungary and quite well documented, my
father's is Scottish, but he was adopted and little is known of his
father (a WW2 Canadian, stationed here).

As you may have guessed from my previous post, I'm a Mac user, so
anything that requires Windows is gonna be pretty useless to me.

- Nicholas.

[Hugh Watkins]

Nicholas Shanks wrote:

Hi there. I was wondering if anyone has compiled a list of free
websites, software, old census databases etc that I could use in my
research. I'm just starting out and cannot afford to pay for
subscription sites, microfilm etc. so it all has to be free!

My mother's side is all from Hungary and quite well documented, my
father's is Scottish, but he was adopted and little is known of his
father (a WW2 Canadian, stationed here).

As you may have guessed from my previous post, I'm a Mac user, so
anything that requires Windows is gonna be pretty useless to me.

- Nicholas.

start with rootsweb.com and explore noticeboards and lists

there is a world wide community of volunteers who help each other do
"shoe string genealogy"

I can't affor any subscriptiuons for a few more months so I go to a
public librarywhen I need ancestry.com

I just recieved 20 photos of danish church book pges made for me on
Friday in Copenhagen after I enquired on behalf of a friend in Phoenix
Arizona


recently I did the same with a Birmingham England coroners report and
sent the results to Canada

make yourself useful
be helpful and share all you have

we also use chat rooms
this afternoon I was sharing their morning coffee with some US east
coast folks in an AOL chat room

another important resource is familysearch.com

Hugh W

[Dr. Brian Leverich]

On 2006-05-20, Nicholas Shanks <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi there. I was wondering if anyone has compiled a list of free
websites, software, old census databases etc that I could use in my
research. I'm just starting out and cannot afford to pay for
subscription sites, microfilm etc. so it all has to be free!

Linkpendium has links to:
* USA Localities: 501,493 data sources
* Surnames Worldwide: 4,160,400 data sources
A fraction of the links are to commercial databases, but those
links are clearly marked and you can simply ignore them.
Linkpendium is at:
http://www.linkpendium.com/

CyndisList has links to 249,800 data sources worldwide, and is
definitely worth a visit:
http://www.CyndisList.com/

Cheers, B.

[mousepotato]

"Hugh Watkins" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

Nicholas Shanks wrote:

Hi there. I was wondering if anyone has compiled a list of free
websites, software, old census databases etc that I could use in my
research. I'm just starting out and cannot afford to pay for
subscription sites, microfilm etc. so it all has to be free!

My mother's side is all from Hungary and quite well documented, my
father's is Scottish, but he was adopted and little is known of his
father (a WW2 Canadian, stationed here).

As you may have guessed from my previous post, I'm a Mac user, so
anything that requires Windows is gonna be pretty useless to me.

- Nicholas.

start with rootsweb.com and explore noticeboards and lists

there is a world wide community of volunteers who help each other do "shoe
string genealogy"

I can't affor any subscriptiuons for a few more months so I go to a public
librarywhen I need ancestry.com

I just recieved 20 photos of danish church book pges made for me on Friday
in Copenhagen after I enquired on behalf of a friend in Phoenix Arizona


recently I did the same with a Birmingham England coroners report and sent
the results to Canada

make yourself useful
be helpful and share all you have

we also use chat rooms
this afternoon I was sharing their morning coffee with some US east coast
folks in an AOL chat room

another important resource is familysearch.com

Hugh W

Hello Hugh,
I didn't know one could access Ancestry.com at their local
public library...aren't they fee/subscription-based?
~mousepotato~

[Robert Melson]

In article <[email protected]>,
"mousepotato" <[email protected]> writes:

snip
Hello Hugh,
I didn't know one could access Ancestry.com at their local
public library...aren't they fee/subscription-based?
~mousepotato~


Many public libraries have the Ancestry collection available. I know the local

public library here in El Paso has and has had for years. I'm not certain, but
I believe there's a difference between what you and I can buy and the library
version, tho' what that difference might be I have no idea.

(non-)Subscriber Ol' Bob


--
Robert G. Melson | Rio Grande MicroSolutions | El Paso, Texas
-----
Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove
that the other party is unfit to rule---and both commonly succeed, and are
right." ---H. L. Mencken

[mousepotato]

Many public libraries have the Ancestry collection available. I know the
local
public library here in El Paso has and has had for years. I'm not
certain, but
I believe there's a difference between what you and I can buy and the
library
version, tho' what that difference might be I have no idea.

(non-)Subscriber Ol' Bob


--
Robert G. Melson | Rio Grande MicroSolutions | El Paso, Texas
-----
Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to
prove
that the other party is unfit to rule---and both commonly succeed, and are
right." ---H. L. Mencken

Thanks for the heads-up, Bob...
I'll have to check it out.
Regards,
~mousepotato~

[Hugh Watkins]

mousepotato wrote:

"Hugh Watkins" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

Nicholas Shanks wrote:


Hi there. I was wondering if anyone has compiled a list of free
websites, software, old census databases etc that I could use in my
research. I'm just starting out and cannot afford to pay for
subscription sites, microfilm etc. so it all has to be free!

My mother's side is all from Hungary and quite well documented, my
father's is Scottish, but he was adopted and little is known of his
father (a WW2 Canadian, stationed here).

As you may have guessed from my previous post, I'm a Mac user, so
anything that requires Windows is gonna be pretty useless to me.

- Nicholas.


start with rootsweb.com and explore noticeboards and lists

there is a world wide community of volunteers who help each other do "shoe
string genealogy"

I can't affor any subscriptiuons for a few more months so I go to a public
librarywhen I need ancestry.com

I just recieved 20 photos of danish church book pges made for me on Friday
in Copenhagen after I enquired on behalf of a friend in Phoenix Arizona


recently I did the same with a Birmingham England coroners report and sent
the results to Canada

make yourself useful
be helpful and share all you have

we also use chat rooms
this afternoon I was sharing their morning coffee with some US east coast
folks in an AOL chat room

another important resource is familysearch.com

Hugh W


Hello Hugh,
I didn't know one could access Ancestry.com at their local
public library...aren't they fee/subscription-based?
~mousepotato~

yes it is paid by the local taxpayers

after a vote in the library committee
ancestrylibrary

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=an ... gle+Search

ancestrylibrary site:uk
also county libraries I see

http://www.google.com/search?q=ancestry ... f&filter=0

http://www.familysearch.org/

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library ... et_fhc.asp
Family History Centers are branch facilities of the Family History
Library in Salt Lake City. Centers provide access to most of the
microfilms and microfiche in the Family History Library to help patrons
identify their ancestors. Everyone is welcome to come to the centers
and use Family History Center resources.

and if they have the internet they ahve ancestrylibrary as a freebie too

regards

Hugh W

[T Flynn]

On Mon, 22 May 2006, Hugh Watkins wrote:

Hello Hugh,
I didn't know one could access Ancestry.com at their local
public library...aren't they fee/subscription-based?
~mousepotato~
yes it is paid by the local taxpayers

Actually, in our case, a local history organization is subsidizing our
subscription. If any local history/genealogy groups want to contribute to
public research, this could be an awesome gift to your community.