Why is genealogy search site charging when the persons you look for are long ago dead?

Question

I've been doing family search for the past 3years and Ancestry gave 3 days free due to a special they were doing. Many other site say they are "free", but when you get in that site and start to search they cut you off and ask for money. It should be either free as they offer or just state that you have to pay instead of tricking people. Family search is serious not a joke. Especially when you never met your grandparents and this is the only way to meet them and with the investigation you can see where they came from, how they arrived to America and how they got started here. I found out it all the hard way, but it was a wonderful trip and experience. I found out a lot of surprises in my ancetors. So let's see if these genealogy sites can do better. For most of the time I thank Ancestry.com they are great.

Answer 1

To make money off of people interested in thier genealogy. Nothing is ever free, how do the people who do allll that hard work to dig through old books and records and writings for you get paid?

Answer 2

You can complain about their tactics, but not their strategy. Some of their advertisements are sneaky. You are right - they should put "(Fee)" on their ads.

As to the strategy of fee sites: Charging for data is not new on the web. All of the porn sites do it. Many legitimate stock research companies do it. (NOT the ones who send you free "Investment tips" about stocks you've never heard of guaranteed to double next week.) Some newspapers and magazines do it.

You can go to a Mormon Church Family History Center, wait for them to open, order microfilm, pay a $3.50 shipping fee, wait 3 weeks, go back when it arrives to read it. (Making sure to wear a nice shirt and good pair of slacks each time, out of respect.) Or, you can subscribe to Ancestry and look at the census images at 3 am from home, in your sarong. The convenience is worth it, to me.

RootsWeb, US Gen Web and the UK's Free BMD are free. They can both use volunteers.

Cyndi's list has lots of free sites.

My site is free:
http://www.tedpack.org'genhead.html

Answer 3

The people at Ancestry.com spend a lot of time researching things so you don't have to go through all the hassle and they expect payment for their work.

I have also been irritated at Ancestry.com and Genealogy.com's constant requests for money but if you want the info and do not want to spend days looking for it and the possible expense of having to travel to seach archives and records; then you pay the fee and get it at your finger tips.

Answer 4

Because the people who run the site are not dead.