Best Genealogy site?

[GixerGirl]

As a newcomer to the world of genealogy I am very pleased to have found this forum which seems to be a brilliant place to get lots of hints and tips. I am looking forward to tapping into this wealth of knowledge.

As a starting point I wondered if anyone could advise on which Genealogy site may be the best to use, is there much difference between them?

Thank you 

[Guy Etchells]

The best genealogy site depends on the needs of the individual user as does the best genealogy (family tree) programme.

For example Scotland's People is a great site for Scottish records but is of little use when chasing English records.
Each site has its own strengths and weaknesses and each site will lend itself to one person's or another's style of searching.

Cheers
Guy

[Ruskie]

I agree with Guy's comments.

The more popular sites, as you probably know, are Ancestry and Find My Past.

Have a look at both to see which might suit your needs the best, though I suppose if you are new to family history, you may not yet know where your research will take you yet.

Both sites offer a two week free trial so give them both a try. But remember to cancel before the fortnight is up or you will be charged the annual fee.

You may wish to ask for help on rootschat to give you a start with your research, with a view to purchasing a subscription a bit further down the line.

There area number of free sites too such as Familysearch and Freebmd/Freecen/Freereg which are worth investigating regularly as new records are regularly added.

[Ringrose]

I would look at the free ones first....Free BMD and Free Reg and Free Cen.Family search can offer a lot but needs to be checked and if you are lucky on Family Search your area may have Certs to look at which is what you need for proof.The main thing is not to copy any trees you see as these are often wrong .They can give guidance but don't be satisfied till you have the proof.Family History Sicieties are often useful to join ....some counties are better than others.Look at wHats on offer on the county pages on Roots Chat.Googlethe villages your ancestors come from with the question parish registers.There is a lot if free info out there and so many free genealogy sites.In the end you will probably want to subscribe to Ancestry or FindMyPast.
Have fun
Ringrose

[KGarrad]

You haven't updated your profile, so we don't know where in the world you live?

If you are in the UK, then try your local library - it's likely they offer access to Ancestry (Library Edition) or FindMyPast.
So you can try them out for free!

[TerriG]

In the latest edition of Who Do You Think You Are magazine, they have road tested all the sites.  As was said before, it depends who & where you are researching as to which site is best for you. 

If you are in the UK, I would also recommend the library - my local one has Ancestry, Find My Past & family history magazines you can borrow for a week.  Some libraries also offer genealogy courses. 

Another option are the LDS family history centres which are dotted all over the place.

Good luck!

[nanny jan]

Hi,

OPC (online parish clerks) sites are useful; coverage varies as they are all run by volunteers.  Here's the link to Dorset with the other counties listed at the bottom of the page.

http://www.opcdorset.org/


Nanny Jan

[gaffy]

As a starting point I wondered if anyone could advise on which Genealogy site may be the best to use, is there much difference between them?

Hi GixerGirl. There isn't one, it depends on your needs.

What I would recommend, however,  is that you look at "Resources" in the various geographical areas of this forum (especially for the free online material), good luck. 

[GixerGirl]

Thank you so much for all your really helpful comments, I guess I do just need to get started and see where things take me, at least I know that there are lots of you out there who can offer a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Sorry as well I should have said that I am in the UK!

Thank you again.