I Do 90% of My Research on Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com  is by far my favorite of the bigger genealogy sites. With the ability to build a tree, using an intuitive and easy to navigate interface, it's where I keep my main family tree. Combined with extensive record sets and user submitted data for research around the globe, plus DNA testing/matches/tools, the majority of my research can be done in one location. I'm not saying I don't use other sites, I definitely do! I actually have subscriptions to several other sites as well. But Ancestry.com is the closest to a "one stop shop" as I can get, so I spend more time on this site than any other. If I had to pick just one site to have a membership, it would definitely be Ancestry.com.

Building a tree on Ancestry.com is simple. You have the ability to upload your own photos and stories or link to those submitted by other users. You can search for and save records from the Ancestry record collections, edit citations and add as many facts as you want (including custom facts). You can also save links to external websites and add sources of your own. Always keep copyright in mind and don't upload anything you don't have permission to when adding your own images, stories and sources. When in doubt, link to the information instead. Ancestry.com will help by building a story of each person's life and showing helpful insights into the time period they lived and the records pertaining to them. You can keep private notes, include comments for other users, add tagging (for easy filtering) and of course, the algorithms will keep the little green leaf hints coming! You can also easily invite and share your tree family and friends (and limit what those guests to your tree have access to do). Ancestry.com provides all the basic tools you need to easily manage your tree (or as many trees as you may want to create) and they regularly update and add new features and record sets.

I personally find the World Explorer membership to be a great value. With access to US and International records (a must if you want to trace your heritage to other countries), as well as a basic subscription to Newspapers.com and Fold3 (also owned by Ancestry.com) it's a good deal for the serious family researcher. But there are other lower priced, or even free options available (with limitations on which record sets can be viewed) for those who may not be able to financially afford the "deluxe" membership. You can absolutely use Ancestry.com with the free membership, but it may require a lot of research on other sites in combination with the free record sets at Ancestry.com (and not every record is available for free no matter how many sites you search.) Memberships to the site go on sale often, and you can even let your membership expire and rejoin using a sale/gift price. (I personally don't do this as there are huge costs associated with maintaining such an all-encompassing site, and I feel I get a good value for my membership. But for some, cost is a significant factor and this method is an option).

You'll find Ancestry.com DNA tests on sale regularly to help jumpstart your research. While Ancestry.com does not allow uploads of raw DNA results from other sites, you can download your raw DNA file from Ancestry and upload to any number of other sites to find additional DNA matches. DNA tools on Ancestry.com are expanding, and with the largest database of testers, it's definitely the place to start if you're interested in DNA matches. Serious DNA testers can also manage results for DNA tests of other family members with ease (if they give permission). You receive not only DNA matches, but ethnicity results, and potential ancestors (but do your research, these are curated from other member trees and may not be 100% accurate). For additional fees, you can also receive traits information based on your DNA.

There are tons of valuable links and educational information on the site as well. I'll detail some of those options in a future post.

If you have to pick just one site to join, make it Ancestry.com. You aren't likely to be disappointed! Just remember, it's still up to you to do your research. Hints are just that, hints. Not every hint is accurate. Do your due diligence when researching. From personal experience, don't just attach every hint or you'll  end up with a tree full of errors. I can't imagine a scenario where I wouldn't use Ancestry.com. It's the leader in genealogy websites for a reason. If you don't have an account yet, go sign up for free and check out the various available resources. You have nothing to lose, and a lot of family history information to gain.