Free Research Records, Wealth Of Info

It's a well-known resource. It's operated by the LDS church. They have search centers at many chapels where you can search many record sets not available on line. If your search finds one of these there'll be a notice that it's available at search centers. You don't have to be a member of the church to use the centers (I used them twice).

Perhaps it's just me and learning to use the site but I've found it difficult if not impossible to find certain types of records that I can easily find on Ancestry (e.g. military, city directories) but they also have things Ancestry doesn't have; I use both. I find it a bit klutzy in many ways but it is free.
 
You do have to register, but you don't have to be LDS. And they don't try to convert you. I have to say that the quality of their indexing is poor, and their search engine sucks. With that said, they have tons of info and it's my go-to genealogy site.
You're right that they don't try to convert. However, you and all those in your tree likely will be baptized in the temple (which is why they have these genealogical resources). As I'm an atheist I couldn't care less but if such a thing might upset you then don't put your tree on their site.
 
I've found it difficult if not impossible to find certain types of records that I can easily find on Ancestry
Maybe because I don't have a subscription to Ancestry but I use FamilySearch all the time and just love it! original Wills and all the accompanying estate records; Freedmen's Bureau and Freedmen's Bureau hospitals records --- I dont know if ancestry has all of the same, but I use those all the time. And I actually like the search functions especially for census searches because it finds and returns soundex results as well as the ones properly spelled.
 
Maybe because I don't have a subscription to Ancestry but I use FamilySearch all the time and just love it! original Wills and all the accompanying estate records; Freedmen's Bureau and Freedmen's Bureau hospitals records --- I dont know if ancestry has all of the same, but I use those all the time. And I actually like the search functions especially for census searches because it finds and returns soundex results as well as the ones properly spelled.
It may be that I just don't know how to use the site very well. I started out with Ancestry and am just very familiar with it and how best to use it so that's my go-to. I do use both since, as you point out, Familysearch does have things Ancestry doesn't have. I once found burial records for a very old cemetery that the cemetery and the local historical society had never seen (and which noted the burials of relatives I had thought were probably there). Who knows how they got that (did have to go to a chapel to access it though).
 
I use both, though I keep my tree on Ancestry. As with anything, familiarity brings ease and if you use one site you will be better and faster at searching it than the other. I think Ancestry is easier for new researchers - they work hard to make it user friendly. FamilySearch has some non-indexed records that I like having access to, even though they take work to view.

In the end, the more info that is out there the happier I am - wherever it is.
 
You're right that they don't try to convert. However, you and all those in your tree likely will be baptized in the temple (which is why they have these genealogical resources). As I'm an atheist I couldn't care less but if such a thing might upset you then don't put your tree on their site.
I'm more of an agnostic, and that doesn't bother me at all. But maybe they should be a little more open about it.
 
I'm more of an agnostic, and that doesn't bother me at all. But maybe they should be a little more open about it.
I think so, too. I know members of some sects of various religions have been upset to learn of the practice. There's really no way to keep them from doing it but at least persons would know that if one shares one's tree with them that pretty much everyone in the tree will receive the ceremony eventually. For church members there's even a database where they can see if someone has been baptized already (some have reportedly been baptized many times in multiple temples). I think most don't know why the LDS is so keen on genealogy (way back when I started I didn't).
 
Perhaps it's just me and learning to use the site but I've found it difficult if not impossible to find certain types of records that I can easily find on Ancestry (e.g. military, city directories) but they also have things Ancestry doesn't have; I use both. I find it a bit klutzy in many ways but it is free.
It's not just you. I find FamilySearch clunky and more difficult to use as well.
 
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