Websites for professional genealogists have become increasingly important as the genealogy industry is growing rapidly, with a consistently high number of people researching their ancestors who lived hundreds of years ago.
People who are interested in their genealogy have several resources. This article provides a list of the top websites for professional genealogists.
What is A Professional Genealogist?
A genealogist is a person who researches, studies, and records family history.
The term “genealogy” comes from the Greek words “genos” and “logos,” which mean “generation” and “study of.”
A professional genealogist is an expert in family history research who can assist you at any stage of your genealogical journey.
I’d be thrilled if you took a moment to read my piece, “Ancestors Research | Free Beginner’s Guide.”
Also, for an extensive rundown of resources, don’t miss our list: “Unlocking Secrets: Best African American Genealogy Websites.”
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What does a professional genealogist do?
A professional genealogist can help you with any aspect of your family history research and discovery.
Whether you are just beginning to explore your roots or have already completed extensive research.
A professional genealogist can help you find ancestors in many different ways. These services include:
- Searching public records for information about your ancestors, such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, death certificates, and more;
- Identifying living relatives through personal interviews;
- Tracing immigrant ancestors back to their home country;
- Locating records outside the United States;
- Resolving conflicting information found in different records;
Best Websites For Professional Genealogists
The following are some of the best websites for professional genealogists:
Ancestry
Ancestry is the most popular family history website in the world. It’s a subscription-based site.
But there’s a free trial available if you want to try it out before committing to a monthly or annual fee.
It’s also one of the most comprehensive genealogy sites with;
- Census records.
- Birth.
- Marriage.
- Death records.
- Military records.
Newspapers.com
Newspapers.com has an extensive archive of U.S. newspapers going back hundreds of years.
The site allows you to search its database by keyword or date range.
So if you’re looking for something specific, you should be able to find it here.
The service includes over 150 million articles from over 1,400 newspapers across the U.S.
It’s a great place to start your research if you’re looking for more information about local news stories or other events in your family’s past.
Ancestry Library Edition
Ancestry Library Edition is a subscription service for libraries.
It provides access to the entire Ancestry family tree database and other tools from Ancestry Tools.
Such as their collection of historical newspapers and record collections from around the world.
- The library edition also includes access to Ancestry DNA.
- This allows users to explore their genetic history. Using DNA samples collected from around the world.
- To trace their ancestral history back thousands of years.
Find My Past
This site is excellent for finding British social history records since 1837.
You can search by name or browse through collections of articles written by experts in genealogy.
- The site also includes a social networking platform where you can connect with other researchers in your area and share tips on how to research a particular family line.
In terms of cost, Find My Past provides its users with two tiers of membership (monthly and annual).
- They have two different British and Irish plans.
- The Essential plan costs $14.95 per month or $129 per year.
- And the Ultimate plan, which costs $19.95 per month or $179 per year.
MyHeritage
MyHeritage is another exceptional website for genealogists. You can search for;
- Census records,
- Marriage records,
- Birth records,
- Death records, and more.
The site also has a DNA matching feature that allows you to connect with other family members by comparing your DNA profile with other users to find more information about your ancestors.
MyHeritage has over 1 billion historical records from all over the world and offers a range of advanced tools to help with your research and facial recognition software.
It has a feature that lets you find out how different parts of your family tree are connected (known as ‘DNA Circles’).
Plus, it has an app that enables you to keep track of all those distant relatives who keep popping up on Facebook!
FamilySearch.org
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is the operator of this website.
Which provides genealogy and educational resources that are closely linked to the church’s Family History Department.
The Family History Department was founded in 1894 as the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU) and is the largest genealogy and information website in the world.
Genealogy Bank
GenealogyBank supplies a subscription service that allows you to access a large database of records, images, and other information about ancestors.
This information includes obituaries, which offer resources to help users trace their family histories.
GenealogyBank is one of the largest collections of digitized U.S. newspapers from all 50 states, dating back to 1690.
HeritageQuest
Heritage Quest Online is a free resource that allows you to search millions of records across the country.
The site offers birth, marriage, and death records; census records; military records; immigration records; slave and probate records; church records; and much more.
You can also search for your ancestors by name or browse the collections by location.
FamilyTreeDNA
This website is a database of people who submitted DNA for testing through AncestryDNA.
The site allows you to search for family members by name, location, and estimated relationship.
You can also search for potential relatives who have shared their data with the website.
The site has extensive features that allow you to find records and documents related to your ancestors.
Genealogical.com
Genealogical’s website has over 400 million names in its records dating back as far as 1910.
It also has extensive coverage of family trees, burial plots, and obituaries going back hundreds of years.
You can search records by name or location and learn more about your ancestors’ lives by clicking on their profiles.
Which contain photos, biographical details, and more information about their descendants. Including how many children they had.
Archives.com
Archives.com is a subscription-based service that provides access to more than 1 billion historical records worldwide.
You can search their database by name, location, and date range.
One of the most useful features of Archives.com is that it offers a free trial period of 30 days so that you can explore the site without any commitment.
LegacyFamilyTree
Legacy Family Tree is a popular genealogy software program.
That allows you to create your family tree database and share information with other users on the Legacy Network.
The site also has an extensive collection of searchable databases containing millions of family history research records.
RootsWeb
RootsWeb is one of the most popular free online genealogy sites.
The site has an extensive collection of digitized records, including birth, death, marriage, and court documents.
Because, as an open-source website, anyone can add information they’ve found while researching their family history.
The site also has plenty of helpful forums for asking questions and getting advice from other users. It’s also a great place to start your research.
You can also create your own family tree on RootsWeb and share it with other users.
Who will often be able to help you fill in gaps in your family history?
Google Search
Google Search is an excellent resource for genealogy research.
It’s the most popular search engine in the world and has enormous information available.
You can search for people by name, location, or keyword.
It’s also useful to use Google Search to locate other websites with information on your family tree.
For example, if you have a common last name and want additional information about your ancestors.
You can use Google Search to locate websites that mention your family name and then contact those websites directly.
World Vital Records
If you want to go beyond Google, World Vital Records is a good option. This site allows you to search for vital records from around the world.
If you’re looking for records from a specific country or region, this site makes it easy to find them.
This website is a free online database of worldwide birth, marriage, and death records.
The site includes records from over 100 countries, Including birth records from the;
- United States (before 1960),
- Canada (before 1971),
- England and Wales (before 1837),
- Ireland (before 1864),
- And Scotland (before 1855).
Conclusion
When searching for the best genealogy sites, it is essential to note that they vary in how professional they are.
With that being said, there are two primary differences that you will find among genealogy websites.
One is whether they charge money to access their data, meaning if you want unlimited access to their records, you need to pay a subscription fee.
The second difference is whether they require a membership to view information on their websites.
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