How to find your ancestors for free

2 min readUpdated 19 October 2026

Short answerYou can trace your ancestors for free by starting with living relatives and family papers, then searching FamilySearch (free with an account), your country’s national archives, released census records, digitized newspapers and cemetery records. Public libraries often give free access to paid databases too. Work back one generation at a time and confirm each link with a record.

1. Start at home

Before any website, ask relatives and look through what the family already has: birth, marriage and death certificates, funeral cards, family Bibles, letters, military papers, passports and photos with writing on the back. These name the generation above and give you dates and places to search. See questions to ask relatives.

2. Free databases

  • FamilySearch, run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offers billions of indexed records and digitized images for free with a free account, plus the FamilySearch Research Wiki with country-by-country guides.
  • National archives: in the United States, the National Archives (NARA) has free databases and research guides; in the UK, The National Archives; in Ireland, the National Archives of Ireland’s free census returns for 1901 and 1911; most countries have equivalents.
  • Census records: US census records are released 72 years after each census, so the 1950 census, released on 1 April 2022, is the most recent and is free to search on the National Archives’ 1950 census site.
  • Digitized newspapers: the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America has historic American newspapers for free; many national libraries run similar projects.
  • Cemetery and grave records: volunteer-run grave indexing sites and local cemetery offices often list burials with dates, and photos of headstones that name relatives.

3. Your public library

Many public libraries give card holders free access, in the library or online, to databases that otherwise need a subscription, as well as local history collections, city directories and help from librarians. Ask at the reference desk.

4. Work carefully

  • Search one person at a time, using their full name, an approximate birth year and a place.
  • Look for at least two records that agree before adding a parent.
  • Try spelling variations: clerks wrote names as they heard them.
  • Write down where every fact came from.
  • Treat other people’s online trees as clues, not proof.

Doing this in Family Trees

Family Trees doesn’t search historical records; it’s where you keep what you find. Add each person with dates, places, photos and recorded memories, and invite relatives to fill in their branches. If you’ve built a tree elsewhere, export it as a GEDCOM file and import it (Plus, 7-day trial included).

Questions

Is FamilySearch really free?

Yes. FamilySearch is free to use. You need a free account to see most records and images, and there is no paid tier.

What is the most recent US census I can search?

The 1950 census, released by the National Archives on 1 April 2022 under the 72-year rule. The 1960 census is due to be released in 2032.

Can I find my ancestors without paying for Ancestry or MyHeritage?

Often, yes. Relatives, FamilySearch, national archives, free census and newspaper sites, cemetery records and public library access cover a great deal, especially for the last 150 years.

Does Family Trees search records for me?

No. Family Trees is a family tree maker for keeping your family’s names, photos, dates and stories together and sharing them. Use record sites for research and keep the results in your tree.

Sources

Links go to other sites. Checked 19 October 2026.

Questions? Email support@familytreesapp.com and a person will reply.