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Other options for hobbyists to use, some paid and some free, include FamilySearch.org, Archives.com, Findmypast.com and U.S. GenWeb. Bumann advocates keeping family tree information on non-subscription-based software, so that hobbyists don't have to pay to access their own research.

Those interested in the 1940s census can keep an eye on . It will take thousands of volunteers to index the census data, which is due to be released on April 2 by the U.S. National Archives. The information will not be searchable by name for months after its release.

Ancestry.com is not participating in the indexing effort described on The1940census.com, which is organized primarily by three other family search companies.

Ancestry.com spokeswoman Heather Erickson said that while the company had initially pledged to help the census-indexing effort, it would have been more difficult to add Ancestry-themed overlays to the dataErickson said Ancestry has opted to hire third-party indexers and hopes to get an indexed version of the 1940 census onto its site before any other group.