The family history pursuit has taken full advantage of the internet and there is now a huge number of websites with historical records, sound advice and plenty of community support. A short selection follows: just click on the link on the right hand side to take a look. Some of these are free, but where there is a payment to be made, the link is marked with (£).
Ancestry: This is a hugely successful website, based in the USA, with many thousands of subscribers. The website features a very significant database of international records, but also enables users to populate their own family tree and to take a simple DNA test which can be subsequently matched to others.
Family History Federation: There is a family history society in every county, sometimes more than one, and the Federation seeks to represent the interests of those societies and to act as a vehicle for co-operation between them.
FamilySearch: Supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka the Mormons, or 'LDS Church'), this is a huge international site - probably the largest - featuring records, tree building and plenty of information and advice. Every family historian really should visit this website.
FindMyPast: A well-established British website which often negotiates early access to recently released British records but also has strong links to UK-based family history groups and their painstaking indexes to local records - this often gives them the edge locally over its much larger rival. The same company is responsible for The British Newspaper Archive and you can search for articles from the FindMyPast pages.
FreeBMD: An index has been published quarterly to all the births, marriages and deaths in England & Wales since 1837 and this volunteer-led site has transcribed nearly all of them. It's simple to use, fast and reliable - which makes it a 'first stop' in finding recent ancestors in England and Wales.
Scotland's People: If you're searching for information on Scottish ancestors, this site will probably serve most of your needs, with access to civil and church records, together with the Scottish census records.
Society of Genealogists: The Society was founded in 1911, is based in London and boasts a significant library that's well worth a visit, but they're now digitising a lot of their holdings. They also host a wide range of talks and courses, some of which are available online.
The Genealogist: From what was essentially a family operation, this website has grown to provide some interesting UK-based records that you're unlikely to find elsewhere.
External Links
If you provide information to a website to which we link, we are not responsible for its protection and privacy. Always be wary when submitting data to websites. Read the site’s data protection and privacy policies fully.
- Ancestry (£)
- Family History Federation
- FamilySearch
- FindMyPast (£)
- FreeBMD
- Scotland's People (£)
- Society of Genealogists
- The Genealogist (£)
Last updated 8 September 2024