Genealogy: Favorite Resources

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I have been researching my genealogy off and on since early 2003. Over time, I have made use of different resources to aid me in my research. Here are some of my favorites. 1. Ancestry.Com Everyone probably knows this one, and with good reason. It is probably the most extensive library of records on the web. I have also found that I can go to one of my local libraries and access its contents for free. I can e-mail any of my findings back home or save them to a flash drive. If you are interested in exploring Ancestry, but don't want to pay any of the monthly fees, check your local library - you might be able to access it there. 2. FindAGrave.Com This is by far the best free resource I have come across. It is user-driven, which can be both good and bad (I have had to submit corrections on several of my family members' profiles), but the data contained on this site is extensive. You can sign up for free, and make a profile for any of your ancestors you don't see listed, or request that a certain profile of one of your relatives be handed over to you so that you can maintain it yourself. One of the features I really like is the virtual cemetery, where you can save and organize your relatives' profiles for easy access. I have one for each branch of my family tree. 3. FamilySearch.Org FamilySearch is a lot like Ancestry. You must pay for membership, but the downside is I don't think my local libraries have it. For what it's worth, however, there was a brief period about a year ago when I was able to search their files for free and I found a number of things that I did not find on Ancestry. 4. Newspaper.Com This is another site that charges a monthly fee for full access, after a free trial period. But it is probably the largest newspaper library around if you think any of your family may have been mentioned in the news at any point in time. 5. MyHeritage Family Tree Builder This is a program that lets you build your own family tree. The cool thing, though, is that it connects to the internet, and will inform you of other users whose family trees may contain common ancestors. If it is a match, you can add their listings to your family tree. I have been able to add 45 ancestors to my family tree in a single click in this way. You can also make individual profiles for each family member, and even invite other relatives to add to your family tree. 6. Google Books Not everyone will have a lot of success with this one. For me, it primarily works for one particular branch of my family tree due to having a relative who was rather well known in his day. Certain parts of my family history specific to him have appeared in quite a few books. Occasionally, I will find various newspaper and magazine mentions, and court cases - things of that nature. It may or may not yield a lot of information for you, but it's definitely worth a shot. 7. FultonHistory.Com This is another one that is very hit or miss. It is a newspaper library, but unlike Newspaper.Com, you do not have to pay to access their files. It is not nearly as big of a collection as Newspaper.Com, however. For those of you who do genealogy research, what are your favorite resources? I am always looking for new places to find information!