Free Apps for Family History On The Go!

Who Do You Think You Are? magazine's forum app

There seems to be a mobile app for just about anything these days, including family history.  The ones I’ve listed below are, naturally, all free to download and use, although companies like Ancestry and FindMyPast charge for the full use of their main websites. 

Free apps are, in effect, a method of attracting new customers for the commercial organisations.  They can be extremely useful when you are away from home and don’t have access to your records, especially when the opportunity arises for some unexpected research!

Some apps allow you to organise, access, and investigate your family tree while on the go, in different ways.  Others are specifically aimed at graveyard research, either remotely or on-site.  This blog post is not meant to be a comprehensive listing by any means, and of course there are other apps which you can buy for your phone or tablet.  I've just chosen a few with which I'm familiar.

BillionGraves App

BillionGraves in particular is aimed at encouraging users to photograph cemetery headstones and upload pictures to its website.  It uses GPS technology to help you locate a gravesite when you’re out and about, and to share what you find with other users.

Similarly, FindAGrave has introduced this function with their app, powered by Ancestry, and you can learn how to use it by clicking on the “Tutorials” button on the website.

Most (if not all) of these apps are available for Android and Apple devices.  There is no charge for any of them.  Some of those that enable you to access your online tree are

☙  Ancestry

☙  FamilySearch Family Tree

☙  FindMyPast

☙  Heredis

If you’ve ever tried to photograph a page of a book or document, only to find your picture is unreadable, consider using an app such as CamScanner which acts more like a scanning device than a camera, producing sharper images.  Just make sure you download the free basic account.

Finally, Who Do You Think You Are? magazine has an app to connect you to its user forum, where you can ask and answer genealogy questions - very handy if you're visiting a new ancestral area and the archives are closed for the day!

Frugal Family History Tip  Remember to read an app’s customer reviews as well as all the product information in your online store before deciding to download it.  Frequent updates can mean changes in the way an app functions, and users are normally quick to point out any glitches or faults that may have developed.