Genealogy tips: free ways to research your family history

For many of us, genealogy is a fascinating way of understanding more about who we really are, allowing us to uncover forgotten ancestors, shocking family secrets and unusual quirks of history.

But genealogy can be an expensive hobby. The major family history websites charge to let you see a record from their archives – often before you can tell whether or not it's the one you're after. If you're unsure where to begin your research, you may end up spending a lot of money before you get on the right track.

However, there are ways to reduce the costs of researching your ancestors. In fact, you can get plenty done without paying a penny. Here are five ways you can start building your family tree for free:

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FamilySearch.org

Run by the Mormon church, Family Search has its roots in the church's belief in posthumous baptism, with the aim being to help members trace and posthumously baptise their ancestors (and, controversially, lucky strangers). Debatable origins aside, the church's vast database of records from the UK as well as the US is an invaluable free resource – possibly the most comprehensive free record database in the world.

Use local resources

If you live within reasonable distance of the archives you want to investigate, you may be able to rummage through the records in person. And if you're very lucky, it may turn out that someone has already done this for you. Many local history societies around the country have members who spend hours transcribing and digitising parish registers and census records. Before you shell out to view records from the major genealogy sites, be sure to check what resources are already in the hands of your local history society.

Connect with other genealogists

There are other things to build a family tree on besides paper trails. Long-running message board RootsWeb may look basic, but the site hosts years' worth of sprawling discussions from people all over the world searching for information on their family members. The sheer volume of content might appear daunting at first, but the boards are subdivided into regions to help you narrow down your search. Many of the members are seasoned genealogists, so can also offer helpful tips and advice on tracing your ancestors.

Learn the lingo

Parish record-keepers and census takers often used a range of abbreviations and specialist terminology that can be difficult for the modern reader to decipher. For instance, euphemisms for illegitimate children at various points in time include 'base', 'byblow' and 'merry-begot'. The further you go back, the more arcane the language and the more obscure the abbreviations. Not many people could be expected to know that 'afft' alongside a burial record is a confirmation that the deceased was buried in English wool in accordance with the Buried in Woollens Act of 1666. Familiarising yourself with some common record-keeping terms could unlock a wealth of details about your ancestors.

Use paid resources for free at the library

When it comes down to brass tacks, only the most fortunate or painstaking amateur genealogist will be able to fill in their family tree without resorting to paid online services, such as Ancestry.co.uk. However, not many people are aware that you can use Ancestry for free at most UK libraries. Just look up your local branch to find out how to get started. The library version of the site is missing some elements included in the paid service, such as the historical newspaper search function – but all the vital data (census records and birth, death and marriage indexes) is there.