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Family History in the UK

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My lens contains the best web resources that I have found for tracing your family history in the UK. I'm not going to try to list EVERYTHING, just the ones that I have found the most useful.

I've also added some of my tips for genealogy. At least, they've worked for me.... 

 

Top 10 UK Genealogy Sites

This is my pick: in no particular order but these are the websites that have helped me the most...

(They seem to be putting Family History ads at the top and bottom of my lens but I can't vouch for those! I haven't tried all the commercial sites like )
FreeBMD
I put them first out of a debt of gratitude! This wonderful free site represents the work of volunteers transcribing the Birth, Marriage and Death indexes. I still prefer their search engine, even tho the results are now available also at Ancestry (see below). A recent server upgrade means the site is more reliable than ever now.
Genuki UK & Ireland
Another wonderful free website. A vast resource of information on places in the UK & Ireland: where the records are held, key websites, history etc. etc. Endlessly useful!
Ancestry UK
Some information is available here for free (e.g. 1881 Census, Birth Marriage & Death records from Free BMD) but most requires a subscription. I paid up and I have never looked back: all the census returns (1841-1901) and so much more. Scotland 1841 has just been added at time of writing, presumably more to follow. I don't want to sound like an advert but I am certain it's worth the £7 or so a month in terms of what I get out of it. Check your local library too as some provide free access.
Family Search from the LDS
The website of the Church of the Latter Day Saints who originally brought us the 1881 Census free online. Still a very useful site with the IGI Index and Ancestral File records to search as well. I find their search engine can turn up trumps when Ancestry doesn't, just because it works differently.
RootsWeb
Now linked with Ancestry, this is a useful free site where you can search other people's trees and information. There are also Forums and Mailing Lists where I have struck lucky. The site has a US focus but there is plenty there for UK researchers.
Genes Reunited
The famous Genes Reunited can't be beaten for finding fellow researchers and even long lost family (LONG story....). There is a fee for full membership but it's only about a tenner. Sign up, enter your family tree and either wait to be contacted or get searching to find likely matches.
Scotlands People
The official government source for Scottish genealogy. There is a certain amount you can search for free but fees apply to view actual records. I haven't paid up myself so can't vouch for the system.
Surname Profiler
A most useful and interesting site courtesy of a research project at the University College London. You can search by surname to find the geographical concentrations of the name in 1881 and 1998. Depending how common your name is and how widely spread, it can give a good indication of the origins of a particular name.
Family Records Office
The website of the UK Family Records office in London. Loads of useful information, particularly if you are planning a visit. If you can get there, they have many online resources (such as census records) that are available for free on site.
National Archives (inc 1901 Census)
This is the National Archives' Online Resources page. They had the 1901 Census before anyone else (famous for crashing under the weight of ardent genealogists on its first release) and it is still a useful search engine to try if others fail (there is a fee to view full records). I have also used their "Men and Women at War" facility for some of my ancestors.

Sam's Genealogy Tips

Just some of the things I've learnt along the way... If you have some more, please add them in the Guestbook at the bottom!
  • The biggest leaps and bounds come from making contact with others: use Genes Reunited and the many message boards / mailing lists that are out there. Post your tree and ancestors wherever you can... I have received wonderful help, including photos, from contacts on the web.
  • Nobody will find your family history as interesting as you do. Resist talking at length! Unless you have some really interesting anecdotes. Or better still, find some web friends who share your enthusiasm (see point above).
  • A roll of lining paper is an excellent tool for drawing out your family tree - plenty of room for expansion! If you want to write up a fancy version, you can rough it out in pencil and then re-do in ink.
  • Think creative. When you think you haven't found your ancestor, try searching with wildcards or eliminate pieces of information (surname, first name, place, date of birth) one by one to see if you can find them. The census returns have many typos, it is surprising how many variations you will find!
  • I have really enjoyed creating my own website: http://www.twistyoak.com/sam/familytree/. It's all quite simple but I find it useful to check facts if I am out somewhere or to refer people to. The Rootsweb site no longer seems to give out free webspace but there are various free web space providers you could use if you don't have any allocated space.
  • Try all the sites: if you can't locate an ancestor on the census, try searching on an alternate site (e.g. 1881: Ancestry vs Family Search). The searching logic can differ and be more flexible from site to site: you may get lucky!
  • Be organised. Everyone knows this one but why is it so hard to do? I struggle to keep my files in order....
  • If you are not already, start using a Social Bookmarking site such as del.icio.us. Much easier and safer to keep your favourite websites organised online - and a great way to discover what other people are bookmarking too...

My Favourite Family History Sites

This are some of the sites I am using. Most of them are useful to flesh out the areas where my ancestors lived, to add some colour to the dates and names.
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What's next?

Are you getting stuck? I am...

So what's next? I can see the day will come when I have almost all the information I can get from the census and BMD records, apart from a few stubborn ancestors who refuse to be found.

As a full time worker, I am limited in how much research I can travel to do in person so I am reliant on the web. It's incredible how much information has appeared on the web for genealogists in the last few years. First of all we had census returns for various counties for a fee on CD-Rom, now they are all online and much cheaper to access.

Next up has got to be parish records - that's the real challenge ahead. Many are starting to appear and certainly for the fee-paying sites, it is in their interests to get there first with the widest coverage. No doubt if you are prepared to wait long enough, it will all be on the web....

The 1911 Census is having a phased release with not all counties yet available. However it's pricey - £1 - over £3 depending on what you want to view. I haven't paid for anything yet but maybe I'll treat myself some time soon....

Useful Books

The ones that I have found most useful....

There is a bit of a London bias here - most of my ancestors ended up there. (It seems you can only get stuff from the US Amazon site which is a shame.)

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The London Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Book on London Ever Published

The London Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Book on London Ever Published

Incredibly details, covers everywhere and everythi more...0 points

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London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd

London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd

Fantastic for an atmosphere of London through time more...0 points

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The House By the Thames: And the people who have lived in it by Gillian Tindall

The House By the Thames: And the people who have lived in it by Gillian Tindall

A study of a house near the Thames and the people more...0 points

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by

Sam_Edwards

I started tracing my family tree in 2004 and got the genealogy bug. I was adopted so finding my ancestors has a special significance for me - once upon... more »

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