How to Create a Family Tree Online for Free
Posting your family tree on a free online genealogy website is a convenient way to share your family history with your known relatives and anyone else who is interested in your family. By having your family tree available on the web, you may be able to find previously unknown collateral relatives who are also researching surnames in your family tree. When you find new relatives and exchange family information, all of you will be able to expand your family trees and find new avenues to explore. Many websites offer free online family trees, so you need to decide which site to join before you can start creating your family tree.
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Instructions
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Select a Free Genealogy Website
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Evaluate several free genealogy websites before deciding which site to join. You can start by looking at some of the sites in the resource list at the end of this article.
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Look at several family trees on each site to see if you like the format. Also, check how easy or difficult it is to navigate the family trees on the site. If you plan to ask relatives who are not computer-savvy to view your family tree online, make sure the site you select is easy to use.
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Find out if the website is popular. Many family tree websites list the total number of people listed in the family trees they host. If you put your data on a popular website, you have a better chance of connecting with distant relatives. Popular genealogy websites also have active message boards where researchers post queries and exchange information.
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Read the terms of service and policy statements for each website carefully. Before signing up with a site, you need to understand who can access your family tree, whether you retain ownership of your data, how the website might use your data in the future and what will happen to your data if the website is sold or closed down.
Create Your Online Family Tree
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Sign up for a free account on the website you selected. You can join more than one site if you want a wider audience for your family tree.
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Read the instructions for using the website. Some sites also have video tutorials you can watch to learn how to use different features of the website.
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Create a family tree. Take note of the web address for your personal tree so you can send it to your family.
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Enter your family tree information. Some websites let you upload a GEDCOM file from your computer; others require you to type the information directly into their website. A GEDCOM is a file in a special format designed for the exchange of genealogical data. If you have already organized your information on your computer using a family tree application, you will be able to export your existing data to a file in GEDCOM format.
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Tips & Warnings
Always keep at least one backup copy of your family tree data. You cannot depend on a website being around forever. Store backup copies of your family tree on another computer, external hard drive, flash drive, CD or DVD.
