Free record sources by country
Before you start
- Start with the FamilySearch Research Wiki page for the place your ancestor lived. It lists which records exist, for which years, and where they are.
- Paid sites like Ancestry are free to use at FamilySearch centers and many public libraries.
- Use our word lists to read records in Dutch, German, Latin and seven other languages.
Worldwide
- FamilySearch historical records · Free account
Billions of indexed records and images from more than 100 countries: censuses, church books, civil registration, immigration.
- FamilySearch Research Wiki · Free
How-to guides for every country, state and county: which records exist, for which years, and where to find them.
- Find a Grave · Free
Volunteer-made memorials with gravestone photos, dates and family links.
- BillionGraves · Free
GPS-tagged gravestone photos, transcribed by volunteers.
- WikiTree · Free
One shared, collaborative world tree with sources.
- Internet Archive · Free
Scanned county histories, family histories, city directories and yearbooks, full-text searchable.
- Google Books · Free
Old books that mention your ancestor by name, many readable in full.
- Geneanet · Free account
Family trees and records, strongest for France and Western Europe.
- Ancestry · Subscription
Large paid record collection. Free to use at FamilySearch centers and many public libraries.
United States
- National Archives: genealogy · Free
Census, military, immigration and land records, and how to order copies.
- Chronicling America (Library of Congress) · Free
Historic American newspapers, full-text searchable: obituaries, marriages, local news.
Canada
- Library and Archives Canada · Free
Censuses, immigration, military and land records.
England and Wales
- FreeBMD · Free
Index of births, marriages and deaths registered from 1837.
- FreeREG · Free
Parish register baptisms, marriages and burials, transcribed by volunteers.
- FreeCEN · Free
Census transcriptions, 1841 onward.
- General Register Office indexes · Free account
Official birth and death indexes with mother's maiden names; order certificates.
- The National Archives (Discovery) · Free
The catalogue of the UK National Archives: wills, military and more.
Scotland
- ScotlandsPeople · Pay per view
Official Scottish parish, civil, census and wills records. Index searching is free.
Ireland
- IrishGenealogy.ie · Free
Civil births, marriages and deaths, and some church records, with images.
- Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911 · Free
Every household in the 1901 and 1911 censuses, with images.
Netherlands
- Open Archives (Open Archieven) · Free
Hundreds of millions of Dutch and Belgian records from many archives in one search.
- WieWasWie · Free
Civil and church records from Dutch archives.
- AlleFriezen · Free
Records from Friesland: civil registration, church books, population registers.
Belgium
- State Archives of Belgium · Free
Parish and civil records, with many scanned registers.
Germany and Austria
- Matricula · Free
Scanned Catholic church books from Germany, Austria, Poland and more (browse, not indexed).
- Archion · Subscription
Scanned Protestant church books from German regional church archives.
- GenWiki (genealogy.net) · Free
German genealogy wiki: places, parishes, old regions, local family books.
Denmark
- Danish National Archives (Rigsarkivet) · Free
Church books, censuses and probate, free to view online.
- Danish Family Search · Free
Indexed Danish censuses and church books.
Norway
- Digitalarkivet · Free
Norway's national archive: church books, censuses, emigration lists, many indexed.
Sweden
- Riksarkivet (National Archives of Sweden) · Free
Church books, household examination rolls and censuses, free to view.
Finland
- HisKi · Free
Index of Finnish parish baptisms, marriages and burials.
France
- FranceArchives · Free
Portal to French national and departmental archives, where parish and civil registers are online.
Italy
- Portale Antenati · Free
Italian civil registration (stato civile) images from the state archives.
Poland
- Geneteka · Free
Index of Polish parish and civil births, marriages and deaths.
- Szukaj w Archiwach · Free
Scanned records from the Polish State Archives.
Australia
- Trove · Free
Australian newspapers, gazettes and more from the National Library of Australia.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.