Where to Look Online for Free Public Records

If you've ever tried to piece together a family tree, you know it can quickly become a paper chase. One document will lead to another and then another as information is filled in about your relatives' past. Unfortunately, the trail all too often goes cold much sooner than many of us would like. This is where a free public records search can come in handy to help you pick up the trail or even find a new one.

While it is not possible for every amateur genealogist or historian to visit every city where their ancestors once lived to perform a records check, the Internet makes "virtual" trips possible. Type in "free public records" into just about any search engine and the results will no doubt be mind-boggling. The key to finding the best sources for free public records online is to carefully explore the options.

There are some services available that provide free public records or nearly free records searches to members. The services might charge a nominal membership fee or a processing fee to pull the documents for you. Many of these services are fantastic to use and can net results that will help you pick up the trail and run with it.

Some services, however, are less than reputable. They are nothing more than tools used to glean personal information, and sometimes even payment information, from unsuspecting researchers. To cover yourself, check out the services before diving in. Don't give out your personal information or payment information for "processing fees" or membership, unless you are sure the sites are reputable and secure. Genealogy forums and websites are wonderful places to check references for specific services.

If your research turns up information that a service is reputable, go for it. These sites are often very useful in helping researchers find the links they are missing to fill in branches on a family tree. By cutting the paperwork and legwork down to a bare minimum, they can also speed up the research process.

Most professional researchers will also tell you there are some additional tricks of the trade that can be used to find free public records online. Some of the best sources of information for tracking down relatives are through records, such as birth, death and marriage certificates. These pieces of information can sometimes be viewed and requested online for free by going directly to the recording agency itself. For example, state departments of vital statistics or health departments in certain counties can copy and mail, or e-mail, the information to you. Some of these agencies might require a written request or even a check for five or ten or even to twenty dollars payment to cover research and copy fees, but others will have these documents online and available for anyone to view.

If your desire is to flesh out information about different relatives' pasts to help give a better picture of who they were and what they did, there are other places to turn as well. Creating a more three-dimensional view of a person might require library and newspaper searches to find articles about your ancestors and their accomplishments. These may or may not be there to find. When they are, however, these pieces of information can really give you a better glimpse into your own past than a name and a few dates on a page.

Anyone can create a family tree. It takes a special kind of drive to want to fill in more about the people than just a bunch of dates. If you're one of these special kinds of researchers, you're likely to find a need for seeking out free public records. Just exercise a little caution before getting involved in services, and don't discount any possibility before checking it out. Remember, it isn’t all about the "project’s completion" but also about the journey itself!