Signing up and Starting the Search
You can sign up for a 14-day free trial to access Archives; to do this, simply enter your billing information. Follow the instructions and take note of the reminder to cancel the trial before the 14 days are up to avoid the subscription auto renewal at the end of the period.
After this step, you’ll see the welcome page, which includes search results determined by Archives based on your the details you entered while signing up. You can check those out, start building your family tree or start getting familiar with the database by searching for specific historical records. The Archives YouTube channel has a whole suite of tutorial videos for new members; if you’ve ever unsure of what to do or how to do something on the site, you can check there for advice.
9th Place5.5 out of 10Building Family Trees with Archives
Like most genealogy websites with a paid subscription tier, there is a family tree building tool available for use. You can upload a GEDCOM (Genealogical Data Communication) file, if you have one, and start from there; or you can begin by creating a new one.
Standard Building
Your family tree will be initially populated by what you already know. A series of steps will walk you through a process that will collect the names, birthdates, birthplaces and genders of yours and three generations of close relatives: siblings and spouses, parents, and both maternal and paternal grandparents. Archives then creates the tree and shows it you in pedigree chart format. You can edit it and add more information later–either by adding more names or by fleshing out the entries that are already there. There are share functions to show your family tree to relatives and other interested parties; but these functions are in no way unique or special.
Sometimes, a red icon will appear at the top corner of a family member’s box in your family tree. This means that Archives has found a record that potentially matches your ancestor. Click to view it and even add it to your family tree. There is also the option to let Archives know that the record is unrelated to your research; it will strike that results off all succeeding search hits it shows you.
Basic Searching
You can also search for records to pin to names in your family tree yourself. Be warned, though, that the search results will be as frustrating as the hints. Compared to other genealogy websites, the hints are not very accurate. Perhaps this is because there is nothing about Archives that makes searching an easy task: no provision for alternate spellings, no searches cross-referencing mentions of related people. Even when you enter exact names and dates, Archives will serve you records that don’t fit all your parameters.
Purchasing Hard Copies of Vital Record Certificates
This is the feature that truly sets Archives apart from its competitors, and even lends some context and meaning to its US-only approach. You can search for, order and purchase hard copies of vital record certificates: birth certificates, marriage certificates, and the like. The copies may be for personal use (such as for US passport applications or Social Security benefits) or for filing, if you’re the type to keep physical records of your family history research. The rules for procuring vital record certificates differ from state to state, so to have a way to do it online is a big deal. Because there are many moving parts–different state rules, postal fees, etc.–the price of which varies, though it does tell you what the amount is before you confirm payment.
Paying for Premium Service
After the 14-day free trial, you can opt to continue your subscription for a monthly fee of $9.99. Of course, this amount does not include additional services you may avail of throughout the month. For instance, if you request a hard copy of a vital record certificate, you will still need to pay for it separately.
An important clarification: Just because Archives’ parent company is Ancestry does not mean that Ancestry members get free access to Archives. In fact, there is no mention of that kind of access in any of Ancestry’s subscription tier descriptions. The same is true the other way around–although it seems that searches done in Archives also go through Ancestry’s public member profiles.
What's the Verdict on Archives?
Archives Review 2020 – Conclusion
Archives is an excellent source for old, rare and interesting records to add to your family research–if your family is from the US or the UK, with very deep roots. Should your family be relatively new to the United States, Archives can still be useful, if only to be able to easily order hard copies of vital record certificates from anywhere in the country. Otherwise, don’t even bother; there are many other genealogy websites with a lot more to offer you.
The site’s slogan is “family history made simple and affordable”, which is accurate and correct for all the wrong reasons. Archives is simple: Of use if you’re from the US and maybe if you’re from the UK, of no consequence if you’re not. The built-in search engine that goes through its database, while not terrible, is simple to the point of being frustrating. There is no real way to filter results beyond the very basic facts about an ancestor. The family tree builder is easy to use, but not very advanced; with a hint feature of a quality far below that of its peers. However, Archives is very affordable; there’s no doubt about that, unless you call into question value for money. In that case, it’s easy enough to assess: just go through the 14-day free trial to see how Archives can potentially serve your needs.
No Comments... Yet!