Three Top Genealogy Search Engines
Genealogy research is fun, and genealogy search engines make research easy. There's something special about reading your ancestor's name on an old passenger ship manifest or census record. If you are about to start conducting genealogical research, be warned that it can be addicting! Finding one ancestor usually provides clues for finding more ancestors, and before you know it you are filling in your family tree with previously unknown branches.
If you're not sure where to get started, this list of a few genealogy search engines may help you find your long-lost relatives from yesteryear. For all the genealogy search engines, try a variety of spellings - a census taker or scrivener may have spelled your family name differently than your family spells it today.
Ancestor Hunt
Ancestor Hunt is a portal to the free genealogy search engine for Latter Day Saints Mormon Church records. For Latter Day Saints, genealogy is more than fun and games. Mormons believe their dead ancestors can be posthumously baptized by proxy, so they search fervently for their own ancestors and ancestors of other Latter Day Saints.
Required fields in the Ancestor Hunt search engine are first name and last name. Optional fields are spouse first and last name, father first and last name, mother first and last name, and an exact spelling check-box. The URL for ancestor hunt is: http://www.ancestorhunt.com/mormon_church_records.htm.
Family Search Pedigree Resource File
Pedigree Resource File is a genealogy search engine maintained by members of the LDS church who have researched their genealogy and have made their information with the public. As such, the information is only as reliable as the person who posted it. Nevertheless, it does contain a wealth of information.
In addition to the first and last name fields found at Ancestor Hunt, the Pedigree Resource File allows the user to search for specific events like births, marriages or deaths that occurred during a specific year or within two to 20 years of a specific year.
The URL for the Family Pedigree Resource File is http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=prf/search_PRF.asp&clear_form=true.
U.S. Social Security Death Index
The United States Social Security Death Index is a powerful genealogy search engine for Americans to find deceased family members. Once an ancestor is found, the searcher can obtain a copy of the ancestor's Social Security Application form which contains the ancestor's date and place of birth, occupation at the time of the application, and the names of the ancestor's parents.
The URL for the U.S. Social Security Death Index is http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=ssdi/search_ssdi.asp&clear_form=true.
