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Guides to free records

Where each record set lives, how to search it without paying, and how to cite what you find so it counts as a source.

Guides

1950 census: how to search it freeFree at the National Archives, no account. Search by name and state, or by place when the name index misses. 1940 census: how to search it freeFree on FamilySearch and the National Archives. Name search, then the page image, then the citation. Freedmen's Bureau records: where to search freeFree to search at the Smithsonian and FamilySearch. Labor contracts, marriages, rations and letters from 1865 to 1872. Chronicling America: free old newspapersFree from the Library of Congress. Obituaries, notices and local news, searchable by name and place. Social Security Death Index: search it freeFree on FamilySearch. Birth and death dates, last residence, and the route to the SS-5 application. Naturalization records: how to find them freeUse the census citizenship columns to get a year, then find the papers. The forms changed in 1906. Find a Grave: how to use it wellFree to search. Memorials are volunteer work, so check dates against the headstone photo and other records. Ellis Island passenger lists: search freeFree to search at the Foundation site. Arrivals through the Port of New York, with the ship manifest image. Export an Ancestry tree with its photosThe GEDCOM download has no photos. Here is what users do about it, and how to import both into RootsFree. Move your tree from MyHeritageExport the GEDCOM, save the photos, import both. What users say about MyHeritage billing, quoted. FamilySearch vs Ancestry: what users sayFree records versus a paid index. What r/Genealogy users say about each, quoted with links. Why family tree hints go wrongCopied trees turn one mistake into a pattern. How grading facts PROVEN, LIKELY or GUESS stops it. Cancel Ancestry without surprise feesAncestry's own words on renewal, the two-day rule and the six-month plan fee, then the steps.

Free records by state

Where each state keeps its birth, death, marriage and land records, and which of them are free online.

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.