Archives.com

A genealogical site, Archives.com, was launched in 2009 and already has compiled over 1.3 billion searchable records and documents for family history research. They were able to have a vast collection by joining with Genhomepage.com which has already amassed a sizable array of useful sources.

With the goal of making family history research as simple as possible, their search engine on the site filters out the unnecessary web sites to offer only the most reliable and comprehensive information available.

The Archives.com collection is enormous, with resources from the National Archives, individual state records, National Digital Newspaper Program, Canadian Department of Immigration, archives from the individual Canadian provinces and the United Kingdom National Archives. The actual scans and images of each document can be viewed.

Some examples of the types of records include the Kentucky Death Records for 1911 to 1958, England and Wales Marriage Index for 1837 to 2005, divorce records for San Diego, California, casualties from the Korean War, Russian immigrations to U. S. from 1834 to 1897 and passenger records from Europe to the Port of Quebec City, Canada.

As documents are located that relate to the ancestor, they can be saved, notes added and always a review of past searches can be done. The search offers the option of using both the married and maiden names for the female ancestors.

When a search is launched, the results will show how many and what type of records are available, such as marriage, death, or immigration. Next there is a summary with a listing of the source. The researcher can then click on it for full access.

The genealogy site will also assist in the creation of a family tree. Whether an individual is just starting out or has developed a tree already, the site walks everyone through the setup of a family tree. It is viewable at any time, saved on the site. Family photos can be added to the tree. A special feature is that Archive.com emails the researcher if a match is located to any ancestor on their tree from another submitted tree. It is a method to contact and learn from distance cousins.

The site has a method to help locate living relatives with thousands of public databases supplying names, addresses and phone numbers. It can be of great assistance for locating relatives who family members have lost contact with over the years.

The feature of Expert Service uses professional genealogists to create a bi-weekly publication of articles which offer advice and sound tips for researchers. Some of the topics covered range from immigration, U. S. Census, finding living relatives, locating Eastern European ancestors to how to source citation information.

The genealogy site offers a free seven-day trial. The researcher can see if the vast collection of documents can assist in their own search of ancestors. There is one set annual subscription fee under forty dollars. Archives.com has tried to make the family history research easier and less costly.