Ancestry.com Two Week Free Trial

After years of it just tempting me every time I logged in to do some family research, I finally signed up for the free two week trial membership on Ancestry.com. Being a stay-at-home mom and having my first official client, I figured this was the best time to try out the membership, especially since (as every parent would know) it is very difficult to find a babysitter during the day.

The sign up was easy, though the first time I went to the page I couldn't find the "Start your free trial" button. Eventually I found it and signed up for the world edition. It turned out that I really didn't need that edition because I didn't get that far back in my client's history, but it was there if I needed it. The sign up did require my credit card so it could charge me if I went over my trial period, but I put a notification in my phone for the day before my trial ended to ensure I didn't get charged. As of now, I haven't been charged and I highly doubt I will be.

It was amazing how fast I was finding information with access to the full edition in my home. I didn't have to worry about sharing a computer with someone at the library, though I had to stop often because my daughter needed my attention. I could also see the entire document rather than just the bits and pieces that I would see if I didn't have the membership.

So if you just want to get the basics of your family history going, the free trial is probably all that you will need. Be warned though...once you start finding out about the interesting people in your family tree, it's hard not to keep going.

Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com is probably the most common site for genealogy research and it's really no wonder why. One of the best things about Ancestry.com is that it has a huge database of records, pictures, other family trees, etc. One of the worst things about Ancestry.com is the price; it can cost up to $45/month. Now, as a stay-at-home mom (and an all around frugal person), that price is not an option. So I continue to use Ancestry.com quite a bit, but with modifications so I can do so freely.

The first is the obvious 14 day trial that they offer. I have yet to use it because I am waiting until I have a slow couple of weeks and a lot of research that I want to do. I believe that time is coming soon! I already know I'll be taking the World Explorer membership for a trial run because all of my ancestors immigrated to the United States, and that is where I am hitting dead ends in my research.

After the trial run expires, aka I end my membership, then all my research will be done at the local library. Most people don't know this, but a lot of libraries and historical societies in Kansas are equipped with the library edition of Ancestry.com. I haven't used it extensively yet, but from when I have used it, it's pretty much like having the full membership of Ancestry.com. When I've done research on it, nothing came up unavailable.

So for all my money-savvy, genealogy loving friends out there, please let me know if there are other ways to cheaply use Ancestry.com.

Happy hunting!

Beginning of a Journey

Welcome to my new blog! My name is Abbi, and I created this blog to document my journey as a private genealogist.

A little background information on me... I'm a stay-at-home mom to the sweetest 6 month old girl and I absolutely love being home with her all day. Before she came along, I taught high school English and Social Studies for the past three years. History was my main focus in school and it's become an intense passion for me in recent years, especially the field of genealogy. I've been working on my own family's genealogy for about a decade now, but was slacking the past couple years with graduating college and starting my teaching career. Now that I have more time at home, I've been thinking of what interests I could start pursuing again that have been put on the back burner for the past several years.

Now for what I'm doing... Since our family is now down to one income with me staying at home, and the need I feel to do something related with history, I decided to be a personal genealogist. This allows me to work on my own family history as well as other people's genealogy to bring in a little extra income. I can not WAIT to uncover a person's history and give them new insight into themselves and their families.

Thanks for your interest in my journey, and I hope you learn some new stuff along the way!