GenealogyReady

Trace your family tree and find the stories behind the names.

What it is

GenealogyReady is a research guide for anyone tracing a family tree. Start with one person or one mystery, say what you know, and it points you to the next record to look for and the free place to find it, then helps you label every fact as proven, probable or just a story.

Meet Nathan, the GenealogyReady Specialist. Ask Nathan a question in your own words and get an answer in plain language, in text for free and by voice for members. Everything on the page can be read in about 30 languages.

What you can research here

• Where to find a specific record for an ancestor, with free sources first
• What a veteran's service records can tell you and where they are kept
• Where to start when the family came from another country
• What headstones, obituaries and cemetery records can reveal
• Whether two records are really the same person, and what to do when they disagree
• Questions to ask before ordering a DNA test
• Which scanners, archival supplies and research services are worth paying for

Free tools, ready to use

• Start with One Person or MysteryAnswer what you can.
• What's Your Question?Pick the question closest to yours.
• Free First FinderAlways start free.
• Free Record DoorsThe big free places, and how to use them well.
• Record Source ChecklistThe records most likely to hold each life event, and a free place to start.
• Find Their Military Service"Dad served in WWII, but I don't know his ship or rank." That is a great place to start.
• Country Research PacksWhere to start when the family came from another country.
• Cemeteries & ObituariesHeadstones and obituaries often name parents, spouses, and hometowns.
• Proven, Probable, or a Story?Every claim in your research gets a label, so a guess never quietly turns into a "fact."
• Cite It in Five FieldsWrite down where every fact came from — and keep a log of searches, even the ones that found nothing.
• Conflicts & Same-Name PeopleWhen records disagree, or two people share a name, slow down.
• Before You Order a DNA TestEight questions to ask first.

Members get even more

Members unlock a deeper set of tools, and a personal file you can save and bring back any time. A few of them:

• My Research Setup
• My Open Cases
• One-Tap Research Plan
• Family Research Case File — People
• Facts & Sources Log
• Evidence Matrix
• Person Timeline
• Conflict Comparison Packet
• Brick-Wall Research Plan
• My Research Dashboard
• Family Report & Story Builder
• Family Share Packet
• Where My Documents Are
• Annual Family History Refresh

What you can achieve

• Turn a name and a hunch into a step-by-step research plan, free sources first
• Keep every fact labeled proven, probable or a story, with where it came from
• Name the faces in old photos while the people who know them are still here
• Respect living relatives' privacy while you share what you find
• Save your whole research file and bring it back any time

GenealogyReady is a research aid. It cannot guarantee any record exists or that a family story is true.