In most public libraries
(and certainly all the ones I’ve ever been in), resources for patrons to
conduct family history and genealogy research are present, and sometimes form
quite a large part of a library’s collection.
Many counties, provinces,
states and countries have made vast amounts of data available for research.
However, in many of these instances, the content is only available for a price
– a fairly steep one at that. Some sources may let you see materials online
without charge, but ordering a copy is far from free.
Any librarian who has
aided someone in genealogical research has encountered the ‘usual suspects’:
namely various Ancestry websites, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints FamilySearch.org. Ancestry is fairly expensive, even for their
stripped-down ‘Library Edition’ (available through annual subscription only),
and the information available at FamilySearch.org is not all that coherent. For
those beginning research in Alberta, or Canada in general, the FamilySearch.org
collections are largely limited to census data, with some province-specific
sources (though none from Alberta!).
So where to next?
While there are many,
many great not-for-free sites out there with mountains of good information, the
internet (as it so often is in many areas) is rife with free family history
research content; you just have to know where to look. A word of warning: the
information available for free is of varying quality and reliability, but a
keen eye can help to sort the good from the bad.
If you’ve done much work
in this area, there’s every chance that you’ve encountered Cyndi’s List.
At the ripe age of 15 years, Cyndi’s List is a veritable internet veteran, and
nearly a one-stop-shop for free online genealogical resources. When I don’t
want to pay, this is always my first stop. Note: not everything is free. A
large number of the links are to Ancestry.com, in particular those with census
data, and require payment to actually see anything.
The website has been remade
in the not-too-distant past, and the navigation is fairly straightforward.
Everything is sorted into categories. Country, record type (military, census,
adoption record, etc.), societies and groups, and the list goes on… and on, and
on.
If, for example, you go
to Canada > Provinces > Alberta > Birth, Marriage, Death, you’ll see
links to the Alberta Family Histories Society, Ancestry.com, Calgary Newspaper
Announcements and a link to Vital Statistics sources from Service Alberta.
The sheer volume of
resources available through Cyndi’s List makes any detailed discussion here
impossible. I would encourage you to head there and give it a try yourself.
Though owned by Ancestry,
rootsweb is an entirely free service. The best use I’ve found is to search for
names, and investigate the family trees people have posted. Oftentimes they are
posted with no source information, but the site can prove useful for getting
suggestions for names (and spellings) that can lead to detailed research from a
more concrete source. Some people will have linked (or cited) sources with
their family trees. If you encounter one of these, be sure to note the
information for future use. It may prove quite valuable.
Find a Grave is, to be
blunt, a fantastic website. Thousands of individuals have dedicated their time
to locating, photographing and detailing the graves in cemeteries across the
country. As well, the US database is even larger. On top of this, members can
submit individual graves, also often with photos. I have personally found
graves of a number of relatives while conducting research. The site can help to
nail down dates and places, and adding a photograph to the family research
scrapbook is always welcome. Best of all, it’s all free!
This has been only a tiny
sample of what’s available out there, and I’d encourage you to do some digging
around on your own. There’s really no telling what you’ll find for a patron, or
what you might find out about your own past.
If you have any experiences you wish to share, feel free to comment!
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