Six Free Ways
to reach websites that require
an expensive subscription
to reach websites that require
an expensive subscription
A free way to access any subscription based websites is to make a login to the website you wish to use. That is not the same as subscribing. They will send email notices occasionally and often a free trial. The trial free offers are anything from a weekend to 2 weeks.
It gives you free access, but you do have to give them your credit or bank card number. I never had a problem with any of them' and I stop the trial a day before it expires. If you decide you don't want any contact, look at the bottom of their email to you. It will have a way to unsubscribe.
The main thing must do is to the subscription before the end of the trial.You can do the same again during a new campaign, there is no limit of trial times.
See the note at the bottom of this page for tips on being ready for it!
Go to this page after signing in https://texshare.net/subjects , select Genealogy and History. It will open a list of things free that will help you do genealogy. Be sure to explore all of their other databases to! It will give you an access for all kinds of subjects.
You can look for articles and obituaries, the ProQuest has a lot of searchable information. And the Fold3, has a lot of information, newspapers, databases, and especially military records.
*You'll note the name "library edition" on 'free' websites, they are great for finding information, but do not offer a personal login, you are unable to make 'bookmarks' and you have no place to enter your own genealogy. That is their only drawback. But we are after records!!!
*There are similar programs for each state. If you do not live in Texas then visit your library's web page and look for or call to get the name and sign in for that.
You may already have a login if you have school age children. This resource access is used on homework or other assignments.
See the note at the bottom of this page for tips on being ready for it!
(They often have newspaper databases, but they are usually for the last 30 years).
Their websites may answer your questions. Also consider visiting a college library or other library and see if they allow you to use any digital websites.
Skip all the suggestions and go with this!
Go to a FamilySearch Center
Most FS center's can make an appointment if needed especially if the hours are difficult.
You may find a listing in the FamilySearch center location page and the link is to a regular library or even a museum. That means they have at least one or more computers at that facility, that gives you the same databases that you can get in any FamilySearch center.
~They have fantastic, free to use websites~I've listed them below
Be sure to read the help note at the bottom of this page so you are fully ready when you go.
If you have a computer at home, take a thumb Drive with you so you can save anything you want. If you don't have a computer at home, paper copies are free.
*Tip - If you take a thumb drive with you, tie something bright to it. A ribbon or piece of yarn. I lay the end of it on my purse, that way we won't accidentally leave it behind! That happens a lot.
Read about the databases and websites below so you have made your plan of attack!
Newspaper.com (largest of all newspaper databases)
The FamilySearch "Portal"
Newspaper databases in a FamilySearch Center
NewspaperArchive.com (another large source)
19th century British library newspapers
The Times (London) - contains birth, marriage, death notices from all over England.
19th census US Newspapers
British Newspaper Archive -(British and Irish newspapers)
Genealogy Bank - lots of genealogical information & it has a huge obituary collection.
ProQuest Obituary Listings - more than 10 million!
Genealogy websites in a FamilySearch Center
Ancestry.com is the largest of the commercial websites an has a lot of information to explore.
My Heritage.com all about genealogy
American Ancestors (Covers New England)
Genealogy Bank - lots of genealogical information - has a lot of obits too!
paper Trail - US pioneers who crossed the plains, journals, histories. 1800- 1899.
Foreign databases in a FamilySearch Center
Find My Past. com - Lots of record sets and it has an emphasis of British & Irish records.
Arkiv Digital (Swedish Church Records- color images)
SVAR - researching Swedish records. click top right hand link to view in English.
Famnet - New Zealand Roots
Genealogy Quebec - records from Quebec, Canada
Geneanet - Continental Europe
TheGenealogist.co.uk A variety of UK resources
Civil war & Military databases
Fold3 - Genealogy data in general & it has the most military records (US)
The American Civil War Research Database
the American Civil War - Letters and Diaries
Images of the American Civil War
Images of the Civil War
History & Maps
Historic Map Works - Maps and city directories
Historical Abstracts - (US and Canada) History
America History & Life -Searches "US Books, Academic Journals, Newspapers, and Magazines"
JSTOR - Academic Journals, letters and images. For history study .
Social and Cultural History - Letters and diaries online
Original Sources - World & US History
Oxford English Dictionary
See the note at the bottom
Others, will alert you that they found the specific book in some corner of the internet in digital form. Either way, it can help, for free!
*This brings up the most important tool you need for any free or any physical brick library or website online.
You need to make a note book. Not fancy, it's for your eyes only. Take a spiral and keep lists of information you need. Just scribble notes to keep track of what you want. After you find what you want you ant on your list, cross it off! Get some sticky notes, they are handy to show where you stop on a list when you run out of time.
The types of lists you want;
keep a list of obituaries you want.
Look for newspaper articles about your family where they lived.
Little town newspapers cover reunions and often gives a list of who was there and where they came from for the event. That same info will follow up after a funeral.
Look also for columns in the nearest county seat or large cities, their newspapers often have a section telling the local news in local smaller towns.
You want to locate military files, enlistment articles and military unit stories, school photos and records, maps and insurance maps, birthdays, retirement articles, disaster stories relating to the town or city your family was in. Articles list courthouse public notices, divorces, marriages, deaths and estate notices, licensing, deeds and other historical information.
Collect family business' advertising. Club meetings may give you a source to search for lineal organizations, DAR, UDC, SAR and so on, They appear in many articles during the year. That means they have an organized family file they joined the group with , you want to find their linage in the groups main pages or in books by the organizations.
Same for the Masons and Odd Fellows and other fraternal groups. That means articles and members information is in the local newspapers and keep watch in obituaries for a lodge or group to at a funeral and maybe pallbearer etc. Church articles and photos may have your family in the articles. I have even stumbled on family recipes that were shared in the newspaper articles a hundred years ago. They were in local paper articles of the homemakers, economy, canner clubs, & extension clubs.
Knowing personalities and hopefully finding photographs can be really fun.
Your notebook will save a lot of time when trying all the free stuff, and its handy to go into a any free website or library. You know what you want and, you want it all and as fast as possible!
It is sad if you took a trail period and forgot the most important items you should have looked for.
Susan Hawkins
©2025
If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message.