# Any quality free or low cost geneology resources?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-quality-free-or-low-cost-geneology-resources/567901>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 17, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-quality-free-or-low-cost-geneology-resources/567901 "2011-01-17T03:48:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-quality-free-or-low-cost-geneology-resources/567901/1 "2011-01-17T03:48:53Z")

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My mom spent a couple of decades tracing our family lines. One going back to the early 17th century IIRC. In 1997 the Great Flood hit Grand Forks and we lost everything. (Note to youngsters: this was before cheap mass storage). Then mom was taken too quickly to reassemble any of it. (Second note to youngsters: you never have as much time left as you think). So I need to start over from scratch. I’m going to start small and start with my Dad’s line back in Scotland. Funds, of course, are very limited so I’d like to start free and go from there. So what site(s) would you recommend?

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**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-quality-free-or-low-cost-geneology-resources/567901/2 "2011-01-17T04:27:18Z")

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Start at [www.familysearch.org](http://www.familysearch.org) it is the site run by the Mormon Church. That church also has regonial centers where you can go an do research with material (like microfilms) that are not online.

For user contributed family trees, try [WorldConnect](http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi).

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**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-quality-free-or-low-cost-geneology-resources/567901/3 "2011-01-17T05:19:51Z")

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Thanks, I’ll check those out.

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-quality-free-or-low-cost-geneology-resources/567901/4 "2011-01-17T05:48:40Z")

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Also, check with your public library, which may have both print and online resources.