10 FREE ACTIvITIES

ON ANCESTRY.COM
The worlds largest online family history resource is here to help you discover, preserve and share your family history and there are plenty of ways to get started on Ancestry.com for free.

1. Build your family tree. Start your free family tree with a few simple facts. Or upload an existing tree and grow it, share it and store it safely online. Ancestry.com makes it easy to add photos, documents and stories to your tree and share it with family and friends. You may also see green leaves (Ancestry Hints) pop up in your tree. These can lead you to new information about your family in historical records and other members trees. 2. Search selected census indexes. Census records create a virtual snapshot of your family at a given time and place in history. Here are two censuses you can search for free on Ancestry.com: the 1880 U.S. Federal Census is an every-name index and the last available U.S. census from the 1800s and the 1881 England and Wales Census is an every-name index that includes enumerations for England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. 3. Learn from your last name. Many a Fisher came from a long line of farmers. See what your last name can tell you by clicking on the Learning Center tab and scrolling down to Facts About Your Surname. Then enter your last name (or a last name youre researching) to find out where it originated, where people with that last name lived in the U.S. at different times, plus likely occupations, Civil War service and ports of departure. Youll also learn how this information can help you discover more of your story. 4. See what we have from specific states. Searching for an early American settler in New England? Or a legendary character from the Wild West? Click on the Search Records tab, scroll down to the U.S. map and click on a specific state to see a list of what records you can find from that state on Ancestry.com, plus tips for searching those records. 5. Access The Source and Red Book. These two invaluable genealogy books are now easy to browse for free on Ancestry.com. The Source takes you through types of historical records and what can be found in each of them, while Red Book is an expansive guide to the most useful resources in each of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Contact Ancestry.com Public Relations at mediarelations@ancestry.com or 1.800.573.8508

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6. Download helpful forms and logs. Make notes and keep track of details in your family tree with forms like these: Ancestral chart Family group sheet Research calendar Correspondence record Source summary Research extract U.S. Census forms, 1790-1930 (includes 1890 veterans Schedule and 1850/1860 Slave Schedules) UK Census forms, 1841-1901

7. Participate in the message boards. Connect with fellow researchers around the world on topics ranging from surnames to cemeteries. Search the message boards for specific subjects or browse current topics and try posting a message or two of your own. To get started, click on the Message Boards tab on the home page.

8. Register with Member Connect. This helpful free service allows you to contact other Ancestry.com members, share research with them and be notified when they add new information about one of your ancestors to their public family trees. Click on Recent Member Connect Activity under the Collaborate tab to get started with Member Connect.

9. Find answers in the knowledge base. Simply click on Help in the top-right corner of most Ancestry.com pages to access our Knowledge Base, which lets you view answers to questions that have been asked by Ancestry.com members or email your own questions to Ancestry.com Support.

10. Explore the Learning Center. Learn about various family history topics and historical records in dozens of articles and videos. Get search tips, read success stories from other researchers and more. Start by clicking on the Learning Center tab on the Ancestry.com home page.

Contact Ancestry.com Public Relations at mediarelations@ancestry.com or 1.800.573.8508

revision #: 0611res