Since expanding my genealogy research to the Internet I have been blessed to meet some wonderful fellow researchers and distant cousins who have added so much information and fun to the experience!   Many have been researching the same family for decades and are thrilled to share their information.  Others may have stories or vintage photographs to share.  I've become an active volunteer and county host for several USGenWeb and
American Local History Network (A.L.H.N.) sites, which is very rewarding in its own way.

     As you progress in your research you will find more and more wonderful history and
genealogy web pages, but these sites are a great place to start, and most offer free information and the ability to register your surname.

FREE INFORMATION

USGenWeb Project
This is a not-for-profit organization of volunteers dedicated to promoting
free access to genealogy on the Internet.  The main US page will lead you
to the State and County web pages.  Some contain more information than
others, but all will offer basic county genealogy and history, and the opportunity to register "queries" about your search.   Most also offer a free subscription to an e-mail mailing list for researchers to share questions and information in that county.
 
RootsWeb
Although RootsWeb sells space to advertisers, information and services are
available at no cost to researchers (many researchers also sponsor RootsWeb through annual membership).  RootsWeb offers an enormous variety of services,
from surname and county cluster pages, to mailing lists, to the World Connect for gedcoms (family trees), to a surname registry.  RootsWeb hosts many USGenWeb  State, County, and Special Project sites.

Cyndi's List
Cyndi's List is the largest genealogy directory of links on the Web.  Cyndi offers links to genealogy sites of almost every region and country, a multitude of topics, and family web sites.  It's a site you'll want to bookmark!

Family Search
Sponsored by the LDS (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or the Mormon Church), this site is growing every day.  Always dedicated to genealogy research, many LDS churches also offer genealogy research libraries on site.  The web site just debuted this year and is one of many very helpful free sites on the Internet.

Christine's Genealogy Website
Christine's site is very much like Cyndi's List, but it is a  directory for African American genealogy sites.  The number of African American sites on the Internet is growing, and many USGenWeb State and County sites have special sections for African American genealogy, but Christine is a great place to start!
 

Gen Forum
GenForum's original claim to fame was it's query, or bulletin boards, for specific surnames (it just added thousands of new names).  It now offers regional, state and county boards, as well as special topics.  I've made some good connections this way.
 

 
COMMERCIAL SITES THAT OFFER SOME FREE INFO
 
Family Tree Maker
Although Family Tree Maker is a commercial site, it does offer a free surname search.  I have found some helpful information there, although I've found their links
to personal genealogy webpages are usually out of date (a lot of bad links).  FTM
also has a genealogy library of transcribed genealogy books and other materials,
but it is a pay subscription.  Its main goal is to get you to buy its products.

Ancestry.Com
Ancestry.Com offers a membership for a fee, but still offers some free information.
I have found some connections here.

 

1.  Always use a short but specific subject line in your query or e-mail.
     Instead of "Genealogy" or "Smith Family", use something like,
     "John Smith, b. 1805, Greene County, TN."

2.  Don't use all Caps in the body of your message-  it's considered
     "shouting."

3.  When you register your surnames in a surname directory, when possible list
     your family's  migration, ie:  "UK>Craven Co, NC>Charleston SC>Atlanta GA
     1850"   This makes it easier for a fellow researcher to identify a family line
      which may be a connection.

4.   State and County hosts do not do personal research and often do not live
      in the region in which they host a public site (their contribution is maintaining
      the State or County site).  However, many mailing list subscribers DO live
      in the area and are happy to answer special questions,  or even do
      "look-ups".    The best place to ask a question and get a response is on a
      query or bulletin board, or on a mailing list.

5.   GenConnect is a bulletin board offered by many county sites for the purpose of
      posting queries.    The county may also have GenConnect boards to enable you
      to transcribe and post a deed, will, biography, obituary, or other official
      document.  If you have a query, this should be posted only on the query board.
      If you would like to contact a researcher who has posted a deed, will, etc.,
      you should contact that person privately and not as a response on that
      bulletin board.

6.   It's easy to get excited and want to share your questions or findings, but it
      is not considered  good  netiquette to send an e-mail attachment without
      notifying the recipient in advance.  These attachments can take a
      considerable amount of time to download, and unless the recipient is expecting
      it, it can be annoying.  Also, most viruses are transmitted through e-mail
      attachments, so be careful not to open any unexpected attachments ...even from
      someone you know (the sender may not know the virus has attached itself
      to  his/her Address Book).

Search Engines (the ones I use first) Alta Vista Google Yahoo

History and Genealogy Web Sites I Host can be found at Pat's Place  

I hope this page has been of help.  Enjoy!

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