Many genealogy search websites these days allow you to create an online family tree. And MyTrees is no exception. Besides this critical tool, there are many other benefits with this site that you can utilize.

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If you are ready to trace your family tree and explore the lives of your ancestors then MyTrees can help you.

Find out with this review whether this resource is for you and if it can help you with your genealogy research.

What is the MyTrees site?

MyTrees is a genealogy resource that has been online for more than 20 years.

So, you can imagine with that number of years under their belt that they have a lot of experience helping people trace their family tree.

Coming to the Internet in 1996, this company was the first for many initiatives:

• Provide an online family tree,
• Give away a genealogy software program that you can use offline,
• Allow their users to download their family tree as a GEDCOM file,
• Present data in the family pedigree format, and
• Provide an automated name search forever name that is featured in a user’s family tree.

That’s quite an impressive list of accomplishments, isn’t it?

With two decades of expertise, you can expect that there have been advances in how easy it is to find your ancestors.

And you would be right.

They make it easy to search for your ancestors based on relationships, places, and finding your ancestors by name as I have just mentioned.

The advances that they made with their searching technology make it possible for your to find your ancestry in a matter of seconds.

And again this is quite impressive as they have a database containing more than a billion names.

Access millions of records!

Using this site you will have access to millions of records that you can use for your genealogy research.

Not only will you find national records featuring your ancestors but also international as well.

This though can give you more results than you would want to wish for, so using advanced filtering is, therefore, a must.

Genealogical records from all over the world are contained within their database. You will find censuses, books, newspaper extracts, local histories, and more.

Predominantly you will find records from the United States on this site, but there are also records from 37 other countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

However, these international records may not be complete.

Discussed in this post:

• Tools & Features!
• Subscription Packages
• Get Free Access
• Help & Support
• Pros & Cons
• Do I Recommend MyTrees?

When you have finished checking out this site review why not check out my Best Genealogy Sites For Your Family History Research post.

And then after that head on over to Top Ten Reviews where they review the ten best genealogy search websites that are both free to use and subscription-based.

Tools & Features!

Here I will go through each of the tools and features that MyTrees offers to both their members and anyone who wants to use this site for free.

It must be noted that you will have limited access to these tools and features if you are not a paid member of the site.

Types of access available to you:

• Free Access will allow you to access the above-selected options without the need for you to register your details.
• Free Account will allow you to access 7 more features and tools compared to the Free Access option.
• A subscription account will give you full access to the features and tools within this genealogy site.

So, let’s look at the many tools and features that this site has to offer. And as you can see from the following list there is plenty there to help you with your genealogy research.

The Tools and Features:

• Search Entire Site – Search the full index of family trees held within the database, as well as any extracted genealogical records.
• Browse Ancestry Archive by Surname – Search for your ancestors by surname. A useful tool if you do not know the correct spelling of your ancestor, or that they use alternative spellings.
• Search the US Social Security Death Index (SSDI) – This is a listing of all deceased people who had a Social Security Number.
• View Selected Extracted Records Search Results – View complete records from records within the collection.
• Genealogy Resource Helps – Get professional research help, online tools, free software, forms, and more to help you.
• Free Genealogy Newsletter – Get monthly guides and tips to help you with your genealogy research.
• View Newsletter Archives – Check out previous newsletters which also help you with your research.
• Search/Post on Message Board – Get help from fellow genealogists.
• Register your search with “Notify Me” – Get notification of any records that may be of interest to you. Here you will need to provide your ancestor’s name, date range, and email address so that you can be contacted.
• Build Trees with Pictures – Make your family tree more visual with the ability to add pictures of your ancestors.
• Upload/Display your Tree – Share your research with others with the ability to upload a GEDCOM file.
• Allow Access to your Tree – Allow others to view your family tree.
• Create a Family Newsletter – Create a family newsletter that you can share with your family.
• Allow Access to your Newsletter – Allow others to view your newsletter.
• Write your Personal History – Tell everyone your story by using this handy tool.
• Allow Access to your Personal History – Let others see your history.
• Views Notes/Information on all Family Trees – Get complete access to family trees within the database.
• Download Family Tree Branches – Ability to download branches of pedigree charts from the database to aid your research.
• View All Extracted Records Search Results – View the complete records from within the collection.
• Perform an Every Name Search on your Family Tree – Handy feature that will allow you to search for every name within your family tree with just one step.
• View Books/Records Search Results – Get access to genealogical records and documents, newspapers, and family history books.
• Chart Maker Online – Create and print out Pedigree charts of your family tree. You can customize these charts by selecting different colors, custom frames, and backgrounds as well.
• Free Days through Social Media – Add on Free Days to your subscription through Social Media.

Tools and features for members!

I now want to show you what is available for each of the three different levels of access, Free Access, Free Account, and Subscription i.e. paid membership.

Subscription Packages

Researchers from all over the world can use this genealogy search website to trace their ancestry.

MyTrees offers 4 different subscription packages that vary in the duration of your membership.

There is no limit to what you can access with these four packages, just how long that you want to be a member.

Cost of the Subscription Packages

• 10 Days – $10.00
• Monthly – 1 Month – $20.00
• Quarterly – 3 Months – $45.00 ($15.00/month)
• Annually – 12 Months – $120.00 ($10.00/month)

I would suggest trying the site for 10 days for $10.00 to see if it is right for you.

After all, it is a small price to pay and you should be able to decide for yourself within this time frame whether this site is for you or not.

Do make sure though that you do have free time to take full advantage of the 10-day offer.

You do not want to be paying for it only to find that you currently have no time to research.

What a waste of money that would be?

When you tried this particular option, and if you do decide that you like it then you can go for any of the 3 other packages.

So, take the time and get familiar with the site, its’ features, and tools.

My ultimate suggestion would be to opt for the 12 Months package. The reason I say this is because it is extremely good value for money compared to the other options that are available to you.

Registering your account

If and when you do decide to give this genealogy site a try you will need to register your personal information. You will need to provide your first and last name, followed by your residential address details and your email address as well.

As you will be setting up an account to use the system you will need to create a password. This will give you much-needed peace of mind that only you can access your account.

The second stage of the registration process is to select one of the four packages that I listed above. Make sure that you pay attention to this part of the process as the 12 Months package is the default option.

If an annual membership does not sound appealing then you will need to change your selection accordingly.

During registration, you are also able to opt for a free genealogy newsletter that MyTrees publishes. Expect the newsletter to be sent to the email address that you have provided.

Then finally after this selection stage, you will need to fill in your credit card details so that you can be billed accordingly.

And that’s it!

You can immediately start to trace your ancestry once you have followed the registration procedure.

Please note:

The 10-Day package is non-refundable, so you will need to make sure that you are ready to use it straight away.

Also, when the 10 days have lapsed you will be automatically be placed on the monthly package.

If you decide that you do not like to continue using this genealogy site then make sure that you cancel your subscription before your membership expires.

The same will occur for any other subscription packages.

So, if you do not cancel any of these before your package expires then you will be automatically renewed for the package that you opted for.

Get Free Access!

The 10-Day package is a great way to get a taster for the site. It will give you unlimited access to everything available on the site but only for 10 days.

You may though not wish to spend any money and that is fine as you can use the site for free, albeit there will be some limitations.

As I mentioned during the Tools and Features! section of this review you can choose between Free Access and Free Account.

If you do not want to give your personal information then that is fine you can just go with the former option.

You will be able to search the site with Free Access but you won’t be able to build a family tree.

The latter option will allow you to build a tree, as well as create a newsletter and write your personal history. Both of these you can share with your family.

Help & Support!

Message boards are a great way that you can get help from staff as well as other members of the site.

The great thing about this resource is that it is available to you whether you are a paying member or not.

There is also a FAQ section on the site that covers the following areas:

• Searching in the Ancestry Archive – Learn what Ancestry Archive is all about, what records are available, and how to use it.
• The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) – Discover what SSDI is as well as get tips on how to use this resource for your research.
• My Family Tree – The family tree builder explained and how you can maximize the full potential of this feature.
• GEDCOMs – Learn how to create or upload a GEDCOM file to the site.
• Newsletter Site – A listing of all the newsletters to date.
• Every-Name Search – Get help with searching the names in your family tree in an instant rather than individually. This initiative can save you a lot of time.
• Chart Maker Online – Learn how to create charts that will make your genealogy findings more visual and easier to interpret.
• Subscription Options – The different levels of memberships are explained.
• Surname Browse – Search the collection of names by either entering a name or doing an A to Z search.
• Notify Me – Get a notification for when new information is available.
• Pictures in My Family Tree – Discover the full potential of adding pictures to your family tree.
• Personal History – Learn how to write your personal history.
• Family Time Line – An easy-to-the-representation of the life of your ancestors.
• Family Map – Get help with using the map feature to pinpoint important events in the lives of your ancestors.

If the message board and the FAQs do not help with your query then you can always either email or telephone for support.

A postal address is also provided in case you prefer to write.

Pros & Cons

Pros

✔ Contains genealogical records to help with your research
✔ Build your family tree online
✔ Interact with other users through the message board
✔ Get help from other members and staff
✔ Create newsletters, publish your personal history and create charts
✔ Get immediate notification when new records are available

Cons

❌ Dated website design
❌ Less genealogical records available compared to other sites

Do I Recommend MyTrees?

I first want to mention the outdated design of the site. MyTrees has been around for more than 20 years and so their website shows it.

Despite that fact, you can certainly do a lot as I have mentioned in this review.

Searching for genealogical records and building a family tree are the two main benefits of this site.

I like though how you can personalize your experience by creating your newsletter and writing your personal history.

These two features make MyTrees unique in that respect.

The third feature that I particularly like is that you can get notified when new material is available for you. That means that you do not have to waste your time checking constantly whether a particular record is available or not.

MyTrees, therefore, realizes the importance of making your research experience as efficient as possible.

The Every Name Search tool is another initiative that will make researching your ancestors easier.

I do feel that the number of records offered by this site is below par compared to other genealogy sites.

Here you will get access to more than a million records. This is in contrast to Ancestry and FindMyPast that offer an impressive billion records.

So, do I recommend MyTrees?

Yes, I do recommend MyTrees. If you want a no-nonsense site where you can research your ancestry and build your family tree then this site is for you.

But if you do want more for your money then you may want to check out Ancestry instead.

If you decide to subscribe to this genealogy site then please come back and let me know what you think of it. I would love to hear how it is working for you.

Thank You and Please Leave A Comment

I hope you enjoyed this post reviewing the MyTrees site and what it has to offer. If you have any questions or comments then please leave a comment below.

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