So far, I’ve shared my review of Fold3 and Newspapers.com. This time, I’m sharing my opinion of arguably one of the most popular genealogical websites–Ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com is often considered the place to build your family tree! Not only do you have access to birth, death, and marriage records, but you’ll also find censuses, wills, probate records, military documentation, and more. An added bonus? Public Member Trees let you see what information other folks have found, and “hints” can make researching a breeze (learn more in “Research Tactics” section). At Ancestry, you can discover records dating from the 17th century all the way up to the 21st century.
While Ancestry is wildly popular among genealogists, researchers can expect to shell out some pretty big bucks–way more than a subscription to Fold3, for example. The “U.S. Discovery Membership” is priced at $24.99/month, while semi-annual plans clock in at $119.00, and yearly plans cost $229.00. If you think that membership option is pricy, bad news–the membership cost only goes up from there. A “World Explorer Membership” is $39.99/month, semi-annual options are $169.00, and a yearly membership is $319.00. Or you can go with an “All Access Membership,” which includes Ancestry, Fold3, and Newspapers. The cost? Well, a yearly membership is a whopping $409! I will note, though, that this price equates to about $34.83/month. So if you’re already paying for a monthly “World Explore Membership,” going with the all access package is actually cheaper.
One of my biggest tips? Never pay full price for Ancestry, Fold3, or Newspapers. If you wait until memberships go on sale, you’ll save a bundle. Memberships often go on sale around the holidays, including Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Christmas, and more. For example, on July 4, 2022, a 6-month membership was 50% off. So if there’s any way you can wait, it’s always more cost effective to snag your membership on sale.
Wondering which Ancestry plan is best for you? Keep scrolling!
With three different Ancestry plans, you might be overwhelmed on which one to choose. No worries! Here’s a breakdown of what these plans offer:
- U.S. Discovery Membership – The U.S. Discovery Membership is best for those who will be searching records within the United States only. For example, if you know your family has been in America since the 1600s, and you only plan to take your search back to the 1700s, there’s no need to search documents outside of the U.S. With the U.S. Discovery Membership, you’ll still be able to build your family tree, search over 7 billions records, view documents from every state, receive hints, and see what other members have been researching.
- World Explorer Membership – If you plan on researching family members who migrated to America from another country, then the World Explorer option is better for you! With a World Explorer Membership, you’ll have all the perks of the U.S. Discovery membership, but with access to more than 5 billion records from abroad.
- All Access Membership – With an All Access Membership, genealogists can enjoy everything from the U.S. Discovery and World Explorer package, except they’ll also gain access to Newspapers.com Basic AND Fold3. Basically, instead of having to pay for Ancestry, Newspapers, and Fold3 separately, the All Access Membership rolls it into one tidy payment! Plus, by bundling the subscriptions, you’ll end up saving some money. Note: If you went with the All Access yearly membership over the World Explorer membership, you’re spending $90 extra. However, when you factor in the yearly costs of Fold3 and Newspapers in addition to a World Explorer Membership, you’re actually saving about $100 with the All Access package! So with some simple math, the All Access Membership actually proves to be cheaper if you have the extra cash.
I’ve been using Ancestry.com on again and off again for over 5 years. Within that time, there have been some changes to the Ancestry website. Even so, many of the research tactics I learned all those years ago remain unchanged.
My first tip is to use the Ancestry hints, but don’t rely solely on them. The Ancestry hints should be your starting point, not your ending point. While the hints can be a good way to find some preliminary censuses, there have been plenty of times when I’ve found some of the records used for “hints” actually belong to some other individual, not my own ancestor. That said, the good of the hints often outweighs the bad, so I’ll always give them a quick perusal. In short, don’t be afraid to use the hints, but do dare to delve deeper by manually searching censuses, marriage records, death certificates, and more. (See hint example below.)
Much like the Ancestry hints, Public Member Trees can be a great place to start the research process! Oftentimes, other members might have found records you failed to discover. Or they might have uploaded a photo or primary document from their personal collection. Public Member Trees are a sort of collaboration! However, do be aware that Public Member Trees can be far from accurate. I’ve found tons of members who have skewed research or missed valuable documentation. Use Public Member Trees, but be sure to “branch out” (pun intended) to do research on your own. (See example of Public Member Tree below.)
When I research a family member, I normally end up with hundreds of returns. Sometimes, I research a family member from the Civil War era and end up with results from the Korean War–years after the individual I’m researching had passed away. Is there a way to limit the years you search? Absolutely! On the left hand side of your screen, on the same page where search results appear, you’ll see an area labeled “Filters.” There, you can sort by census decade, record location, and century. (See example below.)
There are many researching tips for Ancestry, and I have no doubt that you’ll discover some of your own. The final tip I want to share here, though, applies to every area of research, no matter what database you’re delving into. That is, be flexible with name spellings. I’ve had family members who have their last name spelled three different ways, while one side of my family decided to change their entire last name! If you’re not willing to research a lot of different name variations, you might end up missing some important documentation.
Ancestry.com is where my genealogical researching roots first grew, so I’d be remiss not to point out some perks of an Ancestry membership.
Probably the largest pro of Ancestry is the ability to research records from a slew of eras and all different states! When it’s not possible to head to a courthouse in California or the National Archives, it is convenient for Ancestry members to grab their laptop and get to searching. While Ancestry can never take the place of heading to courthouses and in-person archives (I mean, there are still tons of records that aren’t digitized!), it does give researchers a chance to find documents they can easily explore.
Plus, Ancestry.com lets you create a family tree in one tidy space. For present day researchers, much of the paper family trees have been replaced by Ancestry’s online version. A perk of having your family tree online (besides ditching the messy papers that somehow end up scattered all over the place!) is that you can link documents to your ancestor. If you’re looking up some research you’ve previously completed, this can save you a ton of time.
A final pro of Ancestry is how easy the program is to use! I started Ancestry at about 14 years old, and I had no previous genealogical experience. The information my family had about our heritage was pretty scant. However, using Ancestry, I’ve discovered that I’m the descendant of Revolutionary War veterans, 11 Civil War veterans, and a cousin to some famous folks. Ancestry was a starting point that helped me expand my knowledge of my ancestry, a gift that has proven invaluable.
There aren’t many cons I can think of when it comes to Ancestry.com, but the one I can think of is a big one–the price.
I’ll admit that I’ve been a “yo-yo” Ancestry member for years. When there’s a good sale, I might be able to snag a few months of Ancestry. (As an aside, I scored a 3 month membership of Ancestry for just $1 in 2020–the best deal I’ve seen.) But after the sale ends and it’s time to renew my membership, this college student just can’t justify spending over $400 for a year of Ancestry All Access. Besides, if I’m going to pay that much for something, I’ll admit it’d have to be a historical artifact.
I know I’m not the only one who feels this way about Ancestry.com’s cost. I’ve spoken with several other genealogists over the years who find that Ancestry is just too much of a financial strain. And with the rising cost of, well, everything, there’s no sign that Ancestry will ever lower their prices. So now I wait for Ancestry’s next good deal.
Nothing in life is totally clear-cut, and the same is true of Ancestry.com. While there are plenty of perks to the program, the large price tag can be unjustifiable for many potential members. That said, Ancestry’s modern look and high-tech family trees bring genealogy up to the 21st century. So should you become an Ancestry member, or not? Ultimately, that’s up to you! I will say, though, that snagging a subscription on sale always seems like a good, more cost effective option. Just remember to cancel your membership before you’re charged the full price. If you’re willing to try Ancestry.com, you can discover valuable information about your family’s heritage. Sometimes, that information shatters any family legends that may have been circulating for years…
Thanks for joining me over these last few months as I’ve shared my reviews of Fold3, Newspapers.com, and Ancestry! I hope you’ve learned something about the programs. If you’ve decided to take the leap and become a member to one of these sites, congratulations! I wish you all the best of luck as you continue your genealogical research.
Keep the History Alive!
Disclaimer: This review is not funded by Fold3, Newspapers.com, or Ancestry.com, as TSGS is not affiliated with any of these businesses. The opinions found within this review do not reflect the views of TSGS as a whole, and cases of the program’s pros and cons will vary.