In a message dated 1/18/2007 11:37:34 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, lhoffman@acm.org writes: The usual on-line census record site is that of Ancestry. com. There are some others, but I do not recall them off-hand. Ancestry.com IS a pay site although the cost is not too bad depending on how much you use it. If you only want a couple of searches about once a year, it may be that you should put it off until you can make a trip to some library. On the other hand, you will probably spend more on that trip than Ancestry costs unless the trip is for other reasons and the library is on the way. Ancestry.com cost me $299.00 for a year. Most people cannot afford that luxury.

ScubaRW4@aol.com wrote: >Ancestry.com cost me $299.00 for a year. Most people cannot afford that >luxury. I would agree IF I and others paid that much. You don't have to buy more than one month at a time. Further, I believe, that $299 is for the entire range of databases and other search material they have available. You can pick and choose the areas/databases to which you want to subscribe. In that perspective, the cost is relatively low. In fact, for some users who live in distant, out of the way places, the $299 a year is fairly inexpense considering that they would spend that much and more to travel to a repository for one day's research -- much less two or more days. It's all relative -- including the people you're trying to find <VBG> - Lee Hoffman/KY TMG Tips: <http://www.tmgtips.com> My website: <http://www.tmgtips.com/lhoffman> A user of the best genealogy program, The Master Genealogist (TMG)

We are fortunate here in Elmhurst, IL as our library makes Heritage Quest available to their cardholders. There have been a few times when I could not get access to it, however. Too busy, I guess. HQ does not offer the full complement of censuses (?). But I have found that the HQ census search sometimes is a little easier to use when I don't know exactly who, where or when though. I have a partial subscription to Ancestry, including the census records and a few other options. I use it often and for me it more than pays for itself. I could not afford the travel expenses etc. to find the information I find at Ancestry. Again, I was fortunate because I received my first subscription as a gift from my older sister who was encouraging me to hunt for our ancestors! Now, I continue to renew it for myself. Thank heaven for online genealogy resources. While I would love to be able to travel to Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and North Carolina to delve into all those courthouses and libraries, I do still have to maintain my "day job" and take care of my family. Still, there's nothing quite like spending a day in a library or courthouse pouring over old records. And of course, the thrill of finding that link you've been looking for is just great. I'm hoping to be able to do more research trips when I retire--if I can afford it! Marilyn Wills Rabens Becraft, Carrington, Cassity, Downs, Faulkner, Highley, Hodgkin, Hon/Honn, Pritchard/Pritchett, Rout/Routt, Shultz, Strode, Stull, Wills