Ancestry.com Free Records

Ancestry.com has many always-free genealogy databases. Be sure to take advantage of these free Ancestry records to search for your ancestors and help build your family tree.

Free Databases at Ancestry.Com

The Most Popular Free Ancestry Databases

1. FREE Family Tree Online
   Record your family history by creating a FREE family tree online. Start your tree by entering what you know about yourself and your family. Ancestry.com will use what you enter to try and find more about your family in the world's largest online collection of historical records and family trees.
   
   
2. 1940 US Census
   Ancestry.com has put the newly released 1940 census images online and they are working to complete the indexing. Meanwhile follow the instructions on the site to browse and locate your family.
   
   
3. 1880 US Census
   Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have worked together to put the transcribed 1880 U.S. Federal census online. Find family relationships, residence, and occupation.
   
   
4. 1881 UK Census
   Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have worked together to put the transcribed 1881 UK Federal census online.
   
   • 1881 England Census
   • 1881 Wales Census
   • 1881 Channel Island Census
   • 1881 Isle of Man Census
   
   
   
5. American Biographical Library
   Contains over 75,000 full-text biographies of notable Americans.
   
   
6. Ancestry World Tree
   The original Ancestry family tree database has over 400 million names in family trees submitted by Ancestry users
   
   
7. Charts & Forms
   Ancestral Chart, Family Group Sheet, Census Forms, and other charts that are helpful while doing genealogy research.
   
   
8. England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892
   The criminal registers are a listing of individuals charged with crime. The registers provide information about the charged individual, their trial, and sentence (if convicted) or other outcome.
   
   
9. England Census Sample 1891
   The English government took its first national census in 1801. A census has been taken every ten years since that date, except in 1941. The census sample is from Oxforshire.
   
   
10. Family Facts
    Last Name Meanings, Last Name Distribution in the US & UK, the top countries of origin for each surname based on passenger lists to the US, and much more.
    
    
    • Civil War Service
    • Immigration Year
    • Life Expectancy
    • UK Name Distribution
    • US Name Distribution
    • Name Meanings
    • Newspaper Headlines
    • Occupations
    • Places of Occupation
    • Ports of Departure
    
    
    
11. Free BMD
    England and Wales, Civil Registration (Birth, Marriage, and Death) Index: 1837-1983
    • Birth Index
    • Marriage index
    • Death index
    
    
    
12. Family Trees
    This Public member family tree database contains family trees submitted to Ancestry by users and available for public viewing. Many trees contain photos and stories.
    
    • Public Member Trees
    • Personal Member Trees
    • Public Member Photos
    • Personal Member Photos
    • Public Member Stories
    
    
    
13. Geographic Reference Library
    Locate nearly any town, city, county, or other populated place in the United States as well as many schools, churches, courthouses, cemeteries, or major geographic features across the United States
    
    
    
14. Learning Centers
    Family history how-to and genealogy learning materials. Have a question about an area of genealogy research? This is the place to get ancestors.
    
    
    • African American Research
    • Birth, Marriage, and Death Records
    • Census Records
    • Court, Land and Probate Records
    • Directories and Member Lists
    • Family and Local Histories
    • Immigration Records
    • Military Records
    • Newspapers and Periodicals
    • Reference and Finding Aids
    • Trees and Community
    
    
    
    
    
15. Message Boards
    Over 130,000 message boards organized by surnames, geography, and research topics. Post or answer queries.
    
    • Localities
    • Surnames
    • Topics
    • Advanced Search
    
    
    
16. Research Registry
    Member Connect will help you stay in touch with other members who also happen to be researching your ancestors.
    
    
17. U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885
    Enumerates the individuals who had died in the previous year 1850-1885. This database also included the names of the slave owners whose slaves had died.
    
    
18. U.S. Historical Postcards
    This database contains over 115,000 historical postcards with photos of places in the United States. Historical postcards of your ancestral homeland adds an interesting visual detail to your family tree.
    
    
19. U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992
    Indexes to naturalization records. The states whose records are currently included in the database are Alaska, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New York, Tennessee, Washington, and Vermont.
    • 1795 - 1972
    • 1791 - 1992
    
    
    
20. World War I Civilian Draft Registrations
    Index to 24 million men in 1917/18, (98% of men present in America), born between 1873 and 1900 completed draft registration cards
    

Ancestry Free Databases Listed by Location

United States

• 1940 US Census
• 1880 US Census
• American Biographical Library
• Biographical Cyclopedia of U.S. Women
• Biographical Directory of the American Congress
• U.S. House of Representative Private Claims, Vol. 3
• New England Irish Pioneers
• U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992

Military

• Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots
• U.S. Naval Deaths, World War I
• U.S. World War I Mothers' Pilgrimage, 1930
• World War I Civilian Draft Registrations
• U.S. Seamen's Protection Certificates, 1792-1868

Jewish

• JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry
• The Philadelphia Jewish Exponent Obituary Index, 1887-2006
• The Cleveland Jewish News Obituary Index, 1964-2007
• The Boston Jewish Advocate Index to Obituary Notices, 1905-2007
• U.S.: Selected Jewish Obituaries, 1948-2002
• USHMM: Czechoslovakia, Jewish Applications for Social Welfare After WWII

Alaska

• Fairbanks, Alaska Cemetery Records

Alabama

• Alabama State Census, 1820-1866

Arizona




Arkansas




California

• California Birth Index, 1905-10
• Isaac Mylar, San Juan Bautista Mission, California, 1860s

Colorado

• R.L. Polk & Co.'s Pueblo city directory, 1899-1900

Connecticut




Delaware




Florida




Georgia




Hawaii




Idaho




Illinois

• Kankakee City, Illinois Directory, 1876
• Woodford county, Illinois, Illinois Prairie District library, obituaries, 1887-2000

Indiana




Iowa




Kansas


• Kansas Post Offices, 1880
• Kansas Territorial Census, 1855
• Spanish American War Veterans, 1945 - 1970

Kentucky




Louisiana

• Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy, 1718-1820 (Slave)
• Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy, 1719-1820 (Free)

Maine




Maryland




Massachusetts

• Salem Witches

Michigan

• Michigan Passenger and Crew Lists, 1903-1965
• Iosco County, MI, Iosco County Gazette Index, 1900-10
• Iosco County, Michigan Early Land Owners, 1841-96
• Iosco County, Michigan Glass Negatives, 1892-1905: East Tawas
• Iosco County, Michigan Naturalization Index, 1885-1910
• Iosco County, Michigan Obituaries, 1978-90
• Iosco County, Michigan Paupers, 1869-1934
• Iosco County, Michigan Plat Book, 1903
• Iosco County, Michigan WWI Veterans Index
• Iosco County, Michigan, 1892-1949: Tawas Herald Obituaries
• Iosco County, Michigan, 1901-99: Esmond-Evergreen Cemetery
• Northern Michigan, Newspaper Surname Index

Minnesota

• Minnesota Divorce Index, 1970-1995
• Minnesota Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905
  

Mississippi




Missouri

• Audrain County, Missouri Draft Records, 1917
• Missouri National Guard, the Mexican Border, 1916

Montana




Nebraska




Nevada




New Hampshire




New Jersey




New Mexico

• New Mexico Territorial Census, 1885
  

New York

• Marble Cemetery Records, New York City, New York, 1830-1937
• New York City Immigrants (Austria, Galicia, Poland), 1890
• New York City Immigrants (Austria, Galicia, Poland), 1891
• Hamilton College, New York Graduates, 1879

North Carolina

• Bertie County, North Carolina Vital Statistics, 1700s-1920

North Dakota




Ohio




Oklahoma




Oregon




Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania Naturalization Originals, 1795-1930
• PA Immigrants, 1770- 1775
• Pennsylvania German Pioneers
• Pennsylvania Biographical Sketches, 1868
• PA Oaths of Allegiance, 1727 - 1775
• Philadelphia Bank Immigrant Passage Records, 1890-1949
• Susquehanna County, Silver Lake Township, Pennsylvania, 1878 -79 tax rolls

Rhode Island




South Carolina

• Aiken County, South Carolina Cemetery Inscriptions: Graniteville
• Aiken County, South Carolina: Cemetery Records

South Dakota




Tennessee




Texas

• Ellis County, Texas World War I Veterans
• Johnson County, Texas, Cemetery Inscriptions
• Johnson County, Texas, Marriages, 1854-72

Utah

• Grantsville, Tooele County, Utah Cemetery, 1846-1999
• Utah Cemeteries
• Utah Cemetery Inventory

Vermont




Virginia

• Virginia Colonial Soldiers

Washington




West Virginia




Wisconsin

• British Influence on Wisconsin, 1763-1814

Wyoming

Australia

• Australian Convict Transportation Registers - First Fleet, 1787-1788
• Australian Convict Index, 1788-1868
• Rebellion of 1837, Upper Canada (Ships Transporting Convicted Rebels from Rebellion of 1837 to Van Dieman's Land Australia)
• New South Wales, Australia 1828 - 1842: Bounty Immigrants List
• Maryborough, Queensland Australia Immigrants from the British Isles & Germany 1861-91
• ANZAC Memorial, 1914-1918 New South Wales Branch Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia, 1919.
• Who's Who in Australia, 1921-1950

Canada

• Ontario Canada 1871 Census Index
• Kitchener, Ontario German War Graves
• Rebellion of 1837, Upper Canada

  Canada

  • Paris, France, Vicinity and other French Cities, Electoral Cards, 1900-1932 (in French)

Germany

• Baden, Germany Emigration Index
• Brandenburg, Prussia Emigration Records
• German Leaders of Yesterday and Today
• History of Prussia, Vol. 1
• History of Prussia, Vol. 2
• History of Prussia, Vol. 3
• History of Prussia, Vol. 4
• Memoirs of the Queens of Prussia
• PA German Pioneers
• Wuerttemberg, Germany Emigration Index

Italy

• Varese, Lombardy, Italy: Civil Registration, 1866-1937

UK

• 1881 UK Census
• A history and lineage of descendents of a Scottish family by the name of Sinclair
• England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892
• FreeBMD
• London, England, Freedom of the City Admission Papers, 1681-1925
• Scots-Irish
• Slave Registers of former British Colonial Dependencies, 1812-1834
• Kent, England, Tyler Index to Parish Registers, 1538-1874 New

• Go to Ancestry card catalog
• Type "free" into keyword box in left column.
• Note the drop down box at the top that enable sorting by popularity, database title, date added, date updated, or popularity.
• Sort by date added to find the lastest free databases added.