Sites that are free that I have found usefull

Free sites that I have found useful.

Compiled by Allyson Luders

Overview

As with all things on the internet, you need to wade through a lot of information that is not relevant to yourself to get to the information that you need. So be prepared to take time finding what you may need. And as all the experts say, there is nothing that beats researching by snail mail and archive repositories.

In addition, the best free source of info I have found is if you have your own web site. Once you are listed on search engines you will get a number of hits each week. Again, you will get a majority of hits that are American who do not understand that when you put the country in your database such as Australia or England, that it is not the USA, but you do get some real gems out of this option.

GENERAL

Church of latter day saints - http://www.familysearch.org/

This site now holds 1880/81 Census as well and Birth and Marriage through the IGI and also other people’s personal research that has been posted with them.

IGI batch numbers for British Iles and North America - http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hughwallis/IGIBatchNumbers.htm#Page

This site lists the IGI batch numbers by parish. It helps cut down the time for searching if you know the parish.

Cyndi’s List - http://www.cyndislist.com

Again very American based, but you can turn up some useful sites on occasion – you can’t have a list of web sites for Genealogy and not include this one.

One-name studies - http:///www.one-name.org/

This site has a listing of all one-name-studies that have sites on the web. You can strike it lucky here, if your family name is being researched. Then you can post your info and get others to contact you.

Search for genealogy and your specific family name – in any search engine if you include the words ‘genealogy’ and your family name you will get a response of many entries. Most of these will be individual’s home pages and will be American, but again, you can strike it lucky.

British Census for 1901 - http://www.census.pro.gov.uk/

For those who have family still in England and Wales – this will give you some info on where they lived etc. There is a small cost involved with this site.

GEDLink - http://www.gedlink.com/v2/welcome/default_gedlink.asp

I have only just come across this site – you can pay and have unlimited access to this set of databases – or you can limit yourself to 6 searches a day. If you pay you can post info up yourself, but without paying you can contact people who may have links to your family.

GENUKI - the UK and Ireland Genealogical Information Service - www.genuki.org.uk
I have found some useful info on this site – but not names of individuals. Good for General research and finding links to other places.

SOCIETY OF GENEALOGISTS - England - http://www.sog.org.uk/

FREE BDM - http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl

A searchable database for Births Deaths and Marriages in England

MY TREES - http://www.kindredkonnections.com

A searchable database

NAMES LIST - http://www.users.on.net/proformat/engnamesL.html

National Archives of Ireland Online Database - www.nationalarchives.ie/onlinesearch.html
I have not used this site to date. Scotland also has a database on line – but it is one that you need to pay for searches.

Encyclopaedia of Important People - 43.1911encyclopedia.org/B/BE/BEDFORD.htm

This is an encyclopaedia of important people. I have a relative Godwin-Austen. Go to "G" and see the info which I was able to retrieve. This site could be suitable to someone.

White Pages - http://www.whitepages.com.au/wp/
White pages are very good for finding living relatives and getting phone numbers and addresses when you want to bring info on living relatives up to speed or when you need to find info on that missing branch of the family tree.

MAILING LISTS AND FORUMS

RootsWeb - http://lists.rootsweb.com/

Roots Web – Australian Mailing Lists - http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/AUS/

Cyndis Lists of Mailing Lists - http://www.cyndislist.com/maillist.htm

Somerset Names Forum - http://genforum.genealogy.com/englandcountry/somerset/

Names forum - http://www.cousinconnect.com

BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES IN AUSTRALIA

NSW BDM - http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/

I have found many additions to the family in this way. By ordering over the net and quoting the certificate number you get certificates a little cheaper. Be careful with spelling. I was unable to find my grandfather, even though I knew his date of birth – found that had spelt LUDERS wrong when recording the information.

Vic BDM - http://www.maxi.com.au/devs/main.maxi?service=5&product=3&newsession=y

This site you pay for each screen you view – 99c per screen. However, what I have found useful is if you have the index number you can order the certificates on line at a lower rate. You need to visit somewhere like the genealogy society to search their CD set for free.

As far as I am aware, these are the only two states that have anything online at this point in time. Lets hoe the rest catch up soon.

CONVICTS

Convict Central - http://www.convictcentral.com/index.html

I do not have any convicts in the family so I have not looked at this site in detail.

MIGRATION AND SHIPPING

Vic shipping - http://proarchives.imagineering.com.au/default.htm

NSW shipping - http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/

NEW ZEALAND BOUND -

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~nzbound/

Includes links to other sites containing information on ships that took passengers to New Zealand. Has a very useful introduction to New Zealand sources for ancillary leads to the ancestral ship. Also has a very important reminder:

ONLINE SOURCING OF AUSTRALASIAN PASSENGER LISTS -

http://www.users.on.net/proformat/auspass.html

A cooperative site containing a list of ships and their passengers. Some are direct links others are links to people who will do the lookup for you and email the information.

Immigrant ships to New Zealand 1835-1910

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~shipstonz/shipstonz.htm

This site lists the ships and the ports they came to. It does not list passengers.

Ships of the world : an historical encyclopedia

http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/ships/html/sh_000106_shipsofthewo.htm

An online version of a book published in 1997. Contains an alphabetical list of ships, with full descriptions. Mostly American, but with quite a few English and Australian vessels included. No illustrations.

Palmer list of merchant vessels

http://www.geocities.com/mppraetorius/main-com1.htm

Alphabetical list of merchant ships, most have pictures.

The Maritime history virtual archives

http://pc-78-120.udac.se:8001/WWW/Nautica/Nautica.html

A site full of information on ships from the 17^th century. There is a bibliography for each vessel including sources of pictures. The description of the vessel includes rigging, armament and career.

Marriages at sea

http://www.theshipslist.com/Forms/marriagesatsea.html

The Ships list has many useful databases, including passenger lists and ship pictures. This link is to a transcription of the Marriages at Sea in the English Public Record Office (ref BT 334/117). It covers the years 1854 –1972.

Ships passenger lists Hamburg-South Africa

Covers the period 1858-1863 and 1876-1883. Lists passengers by ship.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/7589/schiff_en.html

PAPERS, BOOKS etc

Full text newspapers, journals & books – http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/

Papers past has digital images of over 30 New Zealand 9^th century newspapers and journals.

Deutsche-jüdische Literaturgeschichte im Web

http://www.compactmemory.rwth-aachen.de/cm2/html/

A consortium of German universities has digitized the 19^th and 20^th century German Jewish newspapers.

Retrospektive Digitalisierung wissenschaftlicher Rezensionsorgane und Literaturzeitschriften des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts aus dem deutschen Sprachraum
Full text digitized newspapers from 18^th and 19^th century Germany.

http://www.ub.uni-bielefeld.de/diglib/aufkl/

Expresse digital

Full text German exile magazines 1933-1945

http://deposit.ddb.de/online/exil/exil.htm

Allgemeine deutsche biographie

German 91th century biographical dictionary

http://mdz2.bib-bvb.de/~ndb/ndbmaske.html

Sydney Morning Herald - http://www.rootsweb.com/~nswsdps/obits/shobit1.htm

very good - they are still putting info onto site.

The RYERSON INDEX - http://www.rootsweb.com/~nswsdps/dpsindx1.htm

This page was created as a project of the Sydney DPS, and subsequently donated to Rootsweb free of any restrictions, for the benefit of the worldwide genealogical community.

THE SYDNEY DEAD PERSONS SOCIETY - http://members.ozemail.com.au/~johngrah/dps.html

Lookups

Lookup sites list people and the genealogical sources they are willing to search for people. Frequently the people do this for nothing. However, some may require reimbursement of expenditure if the service is beyond that normally provided.

One of the best list of links is

Links to look-ups and surname lists

http://members.optushome.com.au/lenorefrost/lookups.html

It concentrates on Australian and British volunteers.

One well organized site is Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, though it is US biased there is an international section.

http://www.raogk.org/

Another is Books we own

http://www.rootsweb.com/~bwo/index.html

For those people wishing to check more details on a World Family Tree CD, there is a site dedicated to just that. http://loricase.com/CDs/cdwftlist.html

MILITARY

Commonwealth War Graves commission - http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/search.aspx

If you had a family member die in service – there will be a record here.

Australian War memorial - http://www.awm.gov.au/database/biographical.asp

If you have family members who served in the forces you will find info here. WWII is very good – all on a computer database – WWI is on PDF so is a little more difficult to get the info you want – often hard to read. But all fields of war included.

National Archives - http://www.naa.gov.au/the_collection/defence/conflicts/ww2/ww2.html

Not only does this site have information on military service, but also naturalisation papers and many other things.

SITES RELATING TO DEATH

Cemeteries and Graves - http://members.datafast.net.au/marrtronics/CEMINDEX.HTML

http://www.esmp.nsw.gov.au/cem_search.htm

note: there are two searches - one for burials, one for crematorium.

Canberra - http://www.canberracemeteries.com.au/cem_gravesearch.asp

Wills - http://www.documentsonline.pro.gov.uk

This is not free - but for 3 pounds you can get a copy of an English will.

Denmark

Danish demographic database

http://ddd.dda.dk/ddd_en.htm

Comprises the census for people born after 1845, a probate index to four counties and the Danish emigration archives, 1869-1940. You can search the Danish emigration archives by surname, full name or town of destination, eg Melbourne (491 emigrants)