Getting the Most Value From Genealogy Subscriptions

Note: I do not receive any compensation (affiliate or otherwise) from any of these sites. This post is simply my observations on the value of various genealogy subscriptions and ways to save money accessing subscription resources.

Subscriptions come and subscriptions go. For several years, I maintained a lot of genealogy subscriptions. Truth be told, I still have more than I need. But I get really excited when one of the sites I subscribe to rolls in a new membership benefit providing access to another site I'd otherwise have to pay to access. Each site below offers many on-site features, but this post focuses on the additional website access provided with each subscription. Prices shown are regular price. Many sites have sales throughout the year to help make subscriptions more affordable. (All prices are shown in US dollars).

Let's start with the big sites:

Most everyone knows, Ancestry.com offers several membership levels. Personally, I stick with the All Access Family Plan ($269.00 every 6 months). Not only have I been able to share the subscription with 4 others (encouraging new family historians) but I also get full access to Fold3 military records and Newspapers.com including Publishers Extra. You can find out more about the All Access Family Plan here. The value of having Fold3 and Newspapers works out to about $30 every 6 months (based on the current pricing I've found). The biggest value in this plan is the ability to share it with 4 others (and they don't need to be related to you). You can ask the others to contribute to the cost if you need to bring your price down, but this is something you coordinate yourself. You cannot split the price between members directly on the Ancestry site. 

At MyHeritage, the Omni Plan comes with access to OldNews (newspaper archive). The cost is currently $399 per year. Additionally, you receive access to GeniPro and Legacy Family Tree Webinars. On the MyHeritage site, you'll also have access to some outstanding photo and AI features at your disposal. More information on all the benefits of the Omni Plan can be found here. If you subscribed separately to all the features it would cost over $600 per year!

FindMyPast offers an Everything subscription. This includes not only all their record collections, but all the newspapers you'd have access to with a British Newspaper Archive subscription (a value of $133 per year). They also offer a 15% discount on continued subscriptions (no playing games, cancelling and resubscribing necessary). The current price is $299 per year. The 15% discount works out to about $45 per year off the annual price (so $254 as of this post). For more information on their subscriptions please click here.

And now for a few of the lesser known sites offering a good value:

A few years ago, the National Genealogical Society (NGS) added access to Newspaperarchive.com and Storied. My $85 membership to NGS (already providing many nice benefits and access to their Family Papers Collection) was expanded to save me $95 on a separate NewspaperArchive and Storied membership (based on the current pricing shown on their website). It's worth noting, while Storied does have the option for a standalone membership at $99.99 per year (for Unlimited), all the features are included in a regular NewspaperArchive subscription. The subscription to NGS literally pays for itself! For the complete list of member benefits visit this page.

One super value is AmericanAncestors. A regular price Individual Membership is $99.95 per year. In addition to their databases, you also get access to an impressive list of partner databases. For a full price membership, you can also get discounts with partner sites, including a $10 discount on a GEDmatch Tier 1 membership. But let's circle back to the partner databases for a moment. While they don't disclose the full value of all the partner databases, NewspaperArchive is $95.00/year, a New York Times subscription can run in excess of $150 per year, Genealogical Publishing Company (GPC) eBook Collection (a subscription I used to maintain) is worth $135 per year. And there are many more partner databases. Even if you only use one, you've paid for your membership. You can find out more about a membership here. While the full membership is already a great value, I don't use any of the on-site benefits or discounts on services. Last year, I considered letting this membership lapse. I received a couple of discount emails (as most sites tend to offer) but was still on the fence —until I received an email for a truly amazing deal...digital access for just $49.95 per year! This still includes all the partner databases! While they don't seem to advertise this level on their site, here's a link to the digital membership page from the email I received. If it doesn't work for you, I'd suggest reaching out to them to inquire about this membership. 

And finally, there's the Conococheague Institute. This is a "hands on regional learning center" in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. A membership is only $25 per year for an individual. The added value is in the History Commons (formerly Accessible Archives) access they provide as a membership perk, a $90 value per year. From the website, "History Commons presents a curated universe of landmark primary-source collections presented on Coherent Digital’s award-winning, next-generation platform." This is not a one-size fits all site. I needed it for some specific Pennsylvania newspapers, so it was useful to me. But if you're considering it, I'd suggest checking the site out first. For more information on joining the Conococheague Institute, visit this page.

One other resource worth noting is libraries! If you don't often access the brick and mortar building for your local library, you may be able to register for a digital card. Many libraries offer in-branch access to library editions of the big genealogy sites for free. They may also offer digital access to a wide variety of various databases and newspaper resources. And it's worth noting, if the resources at a given library outside your local area are valuable enough, you may even be able to obtain access even if you aren't a resident of the area. The cost and availability vary considerably, but depending on the materials you need, it could be an option. (If you can't find the information for out of state residents online, I'd suggest emailing or calling for more information.) Many libraries now offer some genealogy resources free on their websites. And several offer amazing on-site research areas with collections, manuscripts and other resources not available elsewhere. You can't go wrong checking out library websites for areas you're researching. Family Tree Magazine has a wonderful list of the best libraries for genealogy research. 

I've added all the links in this post to my Genealogy Toolbox (including a new section for both Books and Libraries, and expanding Articles, Tips/Tricks, Guides, to include Webinars and Videos). The cost of doing genealogy can vary greatly. If you're willing to put in the time, many records can be found for free. But sometimes we need a subscription. Finding the ones with the most bang for your buck is always a great feeling.  If you've discovered any other genealogy subscriptions with great bundled perks and membership benefits please share them!

Image by Foundry Co from Pixabay

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist in titling this post, and for the search description. All content is my own.

Drastically Improved Newspapers.com Clipping Tool

Have you tried the new and improved clipping tool at Newspapers.com? It was rolled out about a month ago but I just finally got around to trying it this afternoon - and I absolutely love it! You no longer need to clip and save multiple images when the article isn't a perfect square or rectangle. 

As an example, I'm going to use the wedding announcement for my brother and his first wife. Neither is still living and this is from 50 years ago, published in the Baltimore Sun on February 15, 1976, page 113. As you can see, the article spans over 3 columns (including the photo), but the 2nd column also includes information for a completely different wedding. I don't want the other wedding to be in the area of focus.

Previously, I'd either have to save three separate images or clip the entire area, including the information I don't really want. Now, I can outline the three different areas and create one, much cleaner, image. Here are the steps:

Outline the first area you want to include. Then, you'll see a little blue box with a plus in it:

Click on the "+" and you'll be presented with another box you can adjust the size on. 

In my case, I want to add a third area, so I click the plus again to bring up yet another box I can resize. 

Now, I'm done adding areas and I can save the clip. (But you could keep adding additional areas if you needed to). When I open the clip, I see this:

It's a perfectly highlighted area, clearly indicating the article I want to save. I've long wanted a way to do this, and Newspapers.com finally delivers! This improvement is both intuitive and easy to use. You can even go back and edit previously clipped items. The one thing I don't see any way to do is to combine if the article is on totally different pages. I did try, but it doesn't appear to be an option. 

If you've not yet tried the new and improved clipping tool, I highly recommend giving it a spin. You won't be disappointed!

Two Free Sources For Locating Digitized Newspapers Online

Recently, Thomas MacEntee wrote about Newspaper Finder in his post Newspaper Finder: The Free Tool Every Genealogist Needs to Find Historical Newspaper Archives Online. The site has the potential to be very useful. But it's new. And new generally comes with some growing pains. I'll most certainly be keeping an eye to see how it expands and develops. They currently include 32 databases (all the major subscription sites like Newspapers, OldNews, NewspaperArchive, Genealogybank, and more). I have no doubt they'll be expanding their offering as time goes on. The site is entirely free to search. If you'd like to read another great user review of the site, head on over to Marian B Wood's post Checking Out Newspaper Finder on Climbing My Family Tree. 

The one issue I had was the search results. Upon clicking on a pin on the map, they show as a list of the newspaper names, years included, and the website where the repository is located. It would be most intuitive to click the website (but those aren't hyperlinked). It took me a moment to realize you have to click on the publication name instead. Those are hyperlinked, but they don't really stand out. Once you click the publication name, you are taken to the site so you can do a more detailed search.

However, the location I needed in my research tonight wasn't coming up. To be fair, it only means this new site doesn't have a database where the particular location and potential titles I wanted are included. And to be extra fair, no one site is ever going to have 100% of anything. It's not really a limitation of the site....just a limitation based on the specific area I needed to search. So I did some more Googling and discovered another fantastic resource.

Talk about not being intuitive...the site is the Montana State University Billings (MSUB) library site. I know right?! How can a Montana college website be a great newspaper reference?! Well, under their History resources, they offer Historical U.S. Newspapers Online. The Home page for this section includes not only the option to search by state, but a section on other pages linking to websites with newspapers from many states. While some of these additional resources appear to be a little more specialized, it's still good information. Clicking on a letter in the menu bar takes you to the states, and each state shows an alphabetized list of newspapers with years. Clicking the link takes you directly to the site where you can do further searches. This site is also free to use.

I'm sure there's overlap between the 2 sites. But there are also differences. On the MSUB site, I was able to find a publication more suited to the data I was looking for...but sadly the years did not encompass the ones I need. But whenever I discover new tools (especially free ones) the time spent is never wasted. Both of these sites will be a great addition to your toolbox, and speaking of toolboxes, I've added both to my Genealogy Toolbox under Indexes/Databases/Newspapers. 

Note: While both sites are totally free to search, some results are to subscription sites where you would need a membership to do further research.

American Ancestors: Perks Well Worth the Cost

Disclaimer: All thoughts & opinions are my own. I do not receive compensation or consideration for posts. 

I've subscribed to AmericanAncestors for several years. I've found there are some great benefits to being a member. I do all of my research online, so having extra resources beyond those found on the big 4 websites (Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast) always interests me. 

Ho-hum perks of being a member: They offer the ability to build your tree on the site, But, I didn't find the interface to be anything special - certainly not as good as Ancestry. They also offer a quarterly magazine, but I'm not a big fan of magazines (digital or otherwise) so this wasn't a big factor for me. They also feature additional publications and tools you might be interested in checking out. I haven't used these myself, but they are on the site.

The perks I DO really like are:

• Access to 10 billion searchable names and records in the AmericanAncestors database
• Free access to partner databases

Let's break it down a little. As far as the searchable records on the site, they offer access to hundreds of databases. The search screen shows they currently have 507 databases. Some of these are not necessarily different from databases you may already have access to via the big 4 sites. But 224 are touted as being unique to AmericanAncestors. They also have a Digital Library & Archives containing digitized materials from three repositories: the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center (highlighting records for New England's Jewish community) R. Stanton Avery Special Collections (including family bibles and genealogies among other select records), and the Brim-DeForest Library (a book collection including family and local histories as well as other books). Not all of these collections will be of interest to every family researcher, but certainly these additional repositories could be beneficial to some.

And then there's the magic of partner databases! 

Let's start with a site currently experiencing some issues. NewspaperArchive is normally about $140 per year (I used to subscribe, but stopped when the National Genealogical Society offered it as a free perk of their membership.) I noticed today AmericanAncestors also offers access with their membership. Currently the site is recovering from a service disruption, but hopefully it will be back online soon. Is this newspaper site better than Newspapers.com, OldNews or GenealogyBank? It's hard to give a solid answer. Your research needs may be different than mine, and newspaper coverage can vary widely by site and area. I haven't had the best luck with NewspaperArchive, but I like having the option to search at no additional cost! 

In the past, I also subscribed to Genealogical to access their eBooks in the Genealogical Publishing Company (GPC) eBook Collection. Their current subscription rate is $135 per year. Their digital collection is fully searchable, both within titles and text. You can now access this collection for free with an AmericanAncestors subscription! This is an absolutely awesome perk! I had been waiting to renew until I needed to use the collection, so this was a fantastic surprise.

Additional third party partner databases include:

• Archives Unbound
• Gale OneFile: Diversity Studies 
• The Gale OneFile: Fine Arts & Music Collection 
• Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
• Informe Academico
• Irish Newspaper Archives
• HistoryGeo.com
• The HistoryMakerss
• 19th Century U.S. Newspapers
• Early American Newspapers Series 1
• The New York Times
• Parchemin Notarial Database
• Genealogy Quebec

I haven't added up the value of having all these databases available, but certainly, the value far exceeds the cost of membership to AmericanAncestors.

I used to pay for an individual membership at AmericanAncestors at a cost of $99.95 per year. This level also includes (in addition to the features listed above) free admission to American Ancestors in Boston, discounts on programs and services, and exclusive offers - including 10% off a Tier 1 membership to GEDmatch (the value of this is about $12). If you live in the area and want to access in person, it's still a very good deal. But I don't live nearby and am not planning on visiting - so I didn't really need the bells and whistles. When it came time to renew this year, I was on the fence. I was cutting back a little on my subscriptions and I was just going to let this one lapse until I needed it. And then I received the email there was a subscription level I didn't see displayed anywhere when browsing the site...

It's a digital subscription only. For only $49.95 per year, I replaced 2 subscriptions - NewspaperArchive AND GPC library (worth $275 if I subscribed direct) AND I still have access to all the other partner databases. It was a no brainer for me. I did lose the free in person access (though passes are available at $20 per day if needed), the discounts on programs and services and the exclusive offers (but the GEDmatch discount wasn't terribly substantial anyway).

So, if you like to have a lot of other database options, for $49.95 per year AmericanAncestors is truly a fantastic value. If you aren't yet convinced, you can sign up for a free guest membership to access a limited number of databases, and get a feel for whether you'd like to upgrade to a digital or individual membership. I believe the digital membership is by far the best value if you do the majority of your research online.

Image by klimkin from Pixabay

A Branch Cut Short (TW: Criminal Violence)

TRIGGER WARNING: This post mentions criminal violence. No names or newspaper links are included to shield the living (even if it may be undeserved). 

I've seen tv shows, and read about, people who uncover disturbing stories in their family tree as they set out on their journey to discover family secrets. Yet somehow, I wasn't fully prepared to find this in my own tree. I was taken aback when I started reviewing a newspaper clipping from spring of 1986 (just a few short months before I graduated high school) to find a 3rd cousin 1x removed, in my paternal line, at the center of a horrific story. 

The initial article (a photo hint from another Ancestry user) only mentioned a father, mother and son had been found dead in their home. Their oldest son had been arrested for murder. In almost all cases, murder is a senseless and selfish crime, pointing not to any form of self-preservation, but to someone who decides extreme violence is an acceptable response to conflict. 

After an additional search on Newspapers, I found the story was worse than I first expected. Maybe I could have rationalized if there was some indication of ongoing family violence, or if the son had mental challenges, rendering him truly incapable of understanding his actions. And while not an excuse, I could have wrapped my brain around a drug fueled spree. None of these were the case.

The eldest son, just 18 years old, had been in trouble before for robbery and theft, spending time in a juvenile facility. He certainly had issues, but from those meager facts alone, I wouldn't have inferred he was an imminent danger to anyone. Yet, on Easter morning 1986, he broke into his family's home, brutally stabbing his parents and younger brother - killing them while they slept. The reason? An argument over using a sports car. 

He was sentenced under the terms of a plea agreement, confessing to 3 counts of second-degree murder and 1 count of crime of violence. He received 48 years for each count of murder, to run concurrently. He was eligible for release after only 24 years (in 2010). Another search on Ancestry found him living in an apartment, and as a registered voter, in 2022. I personally find his release deeply troubling. 

In hindsight, it was probably just a matter of time before I discovered something like this. If we look hard enough, there are secrets hiding under rocks just waiting to be uncovered. Newspapers record the happenings of the time...good, bad, and everything in between. We look through them to find clues to our family history. Just because I don't like this particular find doesn't stop it from being a part of my family's past. But I still wish it weren't true. I wish this small branch of my tree hadn't been cut short, leaving only the perpetrator to carry on. 

The reality is, our family members live, and they die. The circle of life weaves the very fabric of the history we seek out - even when it's ugly. 

Ohio Research Resources: Wayne County Public Library

Image created using DALL-E and ChatGPT

I have lots (and I mean LOTS!) of Ohio relatives and ancestors. One of the websites I've found very helpful in my own research is the Wayne County Public Library site. Local libraries offer a number of resources and Wayne County Public Library is no exception. 

Without a library card, from their database page you can access various free databases including:

• The Cleveland Necrology File containing local cemetery records and newspaper death notices for the following years: 1833, 1847-1848, 1850-1975
• Community History Archive of WCPL | Advantage Preservation including 26 different titles of Wayne County, Ohio newspapers covering the years 1836-2019. Newspapers were published in the communities of Creston, Dalton, Doylestown, Rittman, Shreve, West Salem, and Wooster.
• Digital Public Library of America, Historic digital collections from libraries, museums, and archives across Ohio and more.
• R. B. Hayes Ohio Obituary Index: This index covers obituaries, death notices, and probate notices from more than 60 partners across Ohio.
• Wayne County, Ohio Online Resource Center: Access to research databases, genealogy and local history information and more.

If you happen to live in Ohio, you can request a library card and unlock even more free resources (some available remotely, others are in-library only). In addition to the Wayne County, Ohio Online Resource Center they also have a Genealogy Portal with links to additional Ohio databases and resources, including Pioneer Families and other notable people/families. 

When considering additional places to expand your research reach, don't forget public libraries! You don't have to limit this to your local library. Check online for libraries in the areas you're researching for records availability. Some may offer collections online, others may not be digitized yet. But it's quick and easy to do a search to see if libraries in the areas where your ancestors lived might be an untapped resource for you. 

MyHeritage: OldNews and Omni Plan Cost

MyHeritage.com announced a new subscription plan today in conjunction with the launch of OldNews.com. You can read more at Introducing OldNews.com, A New Website for Exploring Historical Newspapers. I'm all about newspaper archives. I personally find obits and articles to be a wonderful way to identify and add family members to my tree. But it wasn't just the newspapers I was after! By now you know my addiction to subscriptions...I wanted to know how much the new Omni plan cost and see the features included.

Let's start with what you get. This "superset" of the complete subscription includes:

• Complete subscription from MyHeritage.com with all the features users have come to expect from this service level (regularly $299/year)
• Access to OldNews.com (regularly $99/year)
• Unlimited access to 2,000 online genealogy webinars for all levels on Legacy Family Tree Webinars (regularly $49.95/year)
• Full access to all Pro features on Geni.com (regularly $149/year)
• Unlimited use of all features on the Reimagine app (regularly $7.99/month - $95.88/year)

Since I already had a MyHeritage complete plan, I wasn't immediately presented with an option to upgrade. The cost for the Omni plan wasn't included in the blog post. I had to search on MyHeritage for a newspaper not previously on the site (I used the one shown in the post) so OldNews would prompt me to upgrade. Since I just renewed a few months ago, I was shown the amount remaining on my existing plan and the additional amount I'd be charged today. The only slight downside is now my MyHeritage subscription renews a little earlier in the year. Bottom line, just like supersizing your meal at the fast food restaurant, Omni costs a bit more, at $399 per year ($100 more than the existing complete plan) but it certainly comes with a lot of additional features. Omni is currently only available as an annual subscription. 

I do want to mention, MyHeritage is not my "go to" site for tree building. I find the interface less user friendly than Ancestry. But I do look for records, periodically upload my GEDCOM so I have an up to date backup location, sometimes use the tree consistency checker and utilize DNA matches and DNA tools. Do I get my money's worth? Maybe, maybe not. It's hit or miss, but I'm not planning on cancelling my membership any time soon. If you don't currently have a complete subscription, you may want to spend some time evaluating whether an Omni plan is right for you, or if you'd be better off just subscribing to OldNews if you want access to it.

Of course I subscribed to the Omni plan! Even though the current price for OldNews.com is 25% off the first year (if all you want is the newspapers), the Omni plan is like getting Legacy Family Tree Webinars, a Geni Pro subscription and unlimited use of the Reimagine app as a bonus. Yes, sure, you're paying for them one way or another, but bundled with a new newspaper archive is certainly great marketing. I won't say I was actually considering signing up for any of those additional sites/apps, but since I have access I'll certainly use them. I would likely have subscribed to OldNews anyway and this gives me even more new sites and tools to utilize. MyHeritage often adds new features with no upcharge (unlike some other sites who shall remain nameless, but we all know who we're talking about). MyHeritage is simply taking some of the sites they already own and "bundling" them into a new plan - a stroke of marketing genius likely to increase their subscribers. 

Image by Krzysztof Pluta from Pixabay