Where is there free help with genealogy and genealogy-related websites?
Ancestry.com
- “Chat with our virtual assistant to get answers to common questions. If our virtual assistant can’t help, we will provide you with options to contact an Ancestry Expert.”
- Personal experience: Sometimes, the helper spends over an hour helping me. The amount of time waiting for an agent varies, but the chatbot says what number you are in line.
- Hours Eastern Time 9-11 Sunday through Sunday for US and Canada. For the rest of the world there is help available 24 hours a day.
- Phone 1-800-401-3193
BYU Virtual Help
- “The BYU Family History Library Missionaries are offering one-on-one virtual help with family history. Patrons will be helped in the order they join the Zoom link. Consultations will be 20 minutes or less when others are waiting; if a longer consultation is needed, that can be scheduled for another time in a manner that suits your needs. When you join the Zoom link, you will enter the virtual lobby and a missionary will assign you to a helper when it is your turn.”
- Hours Mountain Time: Monday-Thursday 12 pm - 8 pm; Friday 12 pm - 6 pm
- “ Specialized help from missionaries with the following geographic areas and/or languages is generally available at the times shown, either in-person or virtually. Patrons are helped on a first-come first-served basis and consultation times will be limited if others are waiting. Due to individual circumstances, specialized help may not always be available at these times. If you are planning to visit in person, you may want to contact the missionaries on the day of your visit to confirm that the help you need will be available. If the help you need is not available, you may also contact the missionaries to arrange for a time when help is available.”
FamilySearch Centers
- “Center staff members provide free personal help to anyone looking for family history information. Centers provide limited-access records that are not available elsewhere, including family history website subscriptions for free. Centers offers computers, printers, and internet access.” (Source: FamilySearch Center Operations Guide))
- Personal experience: They are friendly and knowledge. Some of been doing genealogy since 1962, know multiple ways to approach a problem, and are familiar with FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, FindMyPast, Genanet, Filea, Google, Newspapers.com, FindaGrave, Fold3, GenealogyBank.com, and other resources. FamilySearch is a “partner”, not competitor, of the other genealogy websites.
FamilySearch Center, Los Angeles California
- Hours Tuesday through Saturday 10am - 6 pm; Thursday 10am-8pm; Closed December 19-31, 2023
FamilySearch Library
- “FamilySearch Library Online Consultations are free, 20-minute consultations with a specialist from the FamilySearch Library.”
- “The FamilySearch Research Wiki is a great place to learn research techniques and discover new resources.”
- “FamilySearch community groups give you access to research experts who can help. Find research groups on Facebook and in the FamilySearch Community.”
- Many other organizations also offer help. Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK), for example, is a global volunteer organization where you can ask for help with research tasks.”
FamilySearch.org
- Personal experience: Emails replies usually received with in a few days.
Hours Mountain time: Monday-Saturday 8 am to 8 pm’ Sunday 1 pm -8 pm
1-866-406-1830
Click here to email FamilySearch.org nasupport@familysearch.org
Find a Grave.com. Click here to contact Find a Grave.com
Fold3.com. Click here to contact Fold3.com
GenealogyBank.com Click here to contact Genealogy Bank.com
Newspapers.Com. Click here to contact Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com
- “Chat with our virtual assistant to get answers to common questions. If our virtual assistant can’t help, we will provide you with options to contact an Ancestry Expert.”
- Personal experience: Sometimes, the helper spends over an hour helping me. The amount of time waiting for an agent varies, but the chatbot says what number you are in line.
- Hours Eastern Time 9-11 Sunday through Sunday for US and Canada. For the rest of the world there is help available 24 hours a day.
- Phone 1-800-401-3193
BYU Virtual Help
- “The BYU Family History Library Missionaries are offering one-on-one virtual help with family history. Patrons will be helped in the order they join the Zoom link. Consultations will be 20 minutes or less when others are waiting; if a longer consultation is needed, that can be scheduled for another time in a manner that suits your needs. When you join the Zoom link, you will enter the virtual lobby and a missionary will assign you to a helper when it is your turn.”
- Hours Mountain Time: Monday-Thursday 12 pm - 8 pm; Friday 12 pm - 6 pm
- “ Specialized help from missionaries with the following geographic areas and/or languages is generally available at the times shown, either in-person or virtually. Patrons are helped on a first-come first-served basis and consultation times will be limited if others are waiting. Due to individual circumstances, specialized help may not always be available at these times. If you are planning to visit in person, you may want to contact the missionaries on the day of your visit to confirm that the help you need will be available. If the help you need is not available, you may also contact the missionaries to arrange for a time when help is available.”
FamilySearch Centers
- “Center staff members provide free personal help to anyone looking for family history information. Centers provide limited-access records that are not available elsewhere, including family history website subscriptions for free. Centers offers computers, printers, and internet access.” (Source: FamilySearch Center Operations Guide))
- Personal experience: They are friendly and knowledge. Some of been doing genealogy since 1962, know multiple ways to approach a problem, and are familiar with FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, FindMyPast, Genanet, Filea, Google, Newspapers.com, FindaGrave, Fold3, GenealogyBank.com, and other resources. FamilySearch is a “partner”, not competitor, of the other genealogy websites.
FamilySearch Center, Los Angeles California
- Hours Tuesday through Saturday 10am - 6 pm; Thursday 10am-8pm; Closed December 19-31, 2023
FamilySearch Library
- “FamilySearch Library Online Consultations are free, 20-minute consultations with a specialist from the FamilySearch Library.”
- “The FamilySearch Research Wiki is a great place to learn research techniques and discover new resources.”
- “FamilySearch community groups give you access to research experts who can help. Find research groups on Facebook and in the FamilySearch Community.”
- Many other organizations also offer help. Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK), for example, is a global volunteer organization where you can ask for help with research tasks.”
FamilySearch.org
- Personal experience: Emails replies usually received with in a few days.
Hours Mountain time: Monday-Saturday 8 am to 8 pm’ Sunday 1 pm -8 pm
1-866-406-1830
Click here to email FamilySearch.org nasupport@familysearch.org
Find a Grave.com. Click here to contact Find a Grave.com
Fold3.com. Click here to contact Fold3.com
GenealogyBank.com Click here to contact Genealogy Bank.com
Newspapers.Com. Click here to contact Newspapers.com