Genealogical Websites

In undertaking my own research I have discovered a large number of resources, some of which are free and some for which there is a fee to access some or all of its content. I have broken down the list of websites into categories. Those which are published for family history research, those which are more specialist research websites, and those which contain records of residency, etc. Some of the links may appear rather random, but they are all links which I have found some use for in my family history research while others appear may contain information useful to your own family history research.

 

 

Family Tree Sites | Other Resources | Transcribed Records | Newspaper Archives | General| Specific Topics | Library & Institute Collections | Official Records | Military Records | Pre-1500 Records | General UK History

Family Tree Websites:

These websites allow you to create your family tree and receive hints and tips based on the records you add. I list them in each section for their potential usefulness and UK.

Transcribed Records

Countless genealogy enthusiasts give up their spare time transcribing historical records in counties across the UK. The most useful of these are organised into databases of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, taken from church records and the like.  Many are available free of charge.

  • FreeREG  Free
    FreeREG aims to provide free internet searches of baptism, marriage, and burial records, transcribing records from parish registers, non-conformist records and other relevant sources in the UK.
  • FreeCEN Free
    Free access to many of the UK census records for the years 1841 – 1911
  • FreeBMD  Free
    FreeBMD is an ongoing project, the aim of which is to transcribe the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, and to provide free Internet access to the transcribed records.
  • UK Genealogy Archives 
    Provides access to Parish Records, Marriages, Biographies and Burkes Peerage.
  • General Registry Office
    Maintains the UK national archive of all births, marriages and deaths dating back to 1837.

Other Genealogical Research

  • Family History Federation
    This organisation supports family history groups and family history researchers in general. It lists regional family history societies.
  • Online Genealogical Index
    A simple, free and efficient way to find genealogical data online.
  • The Society of Genealogists 
    The Society of Genealogists is a charity with a unique purpose – to help people discover their place in history. It is a hub for finding records of all types (subscription-based), and you can sign up for the free The Genealogy Gazette, a monthly newsletter packed with family history news from around the community, hints, tips, and more. 
  • The Peerage
    A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe.
  • Family History.co.uk
    This website has a well-organised list of resources and information.
  • Resources for Victorian Research
    This is essentially a website for researchers from the USA looking to research the Victorian period.  There are some links which may prove useful to researchers in the UK.
  • Find a Grave
    This website proclaims to be the “World’s largest gravesite collection”, and it is certainly a handy database. 
  • Connected Histories
    … brings together a range of digital resources related to early modern and nineteenth century Britain with a single federated search that allows sophisticated searching of names, places and dates.

Newspaper Archives

General

  • The Internet Archive
    AKA the WayBack Machine, the Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.
  • Google Online Books
    Google Books is a service from Google that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical character recognition, and stored in its digital database.
  • National Archives Palaeography 
    Palaeography is the study of old handwriting. This web tutorial will help you learn to read the handwriting found in documents written in English between 1500 and 1800.
  • ARCHI – Old Maps 
    ARCHI is a unique interactive mapping system and worldwide database of archaeological, historic, and cultural site GPS location data. The revolutionary ARCHI search engine features a variety of visual historical and geographical research aids, including old maps.

Specific Topics

Library and Institution Collections

  • The National Archives:
    Explore 1,000 years of UK history. It holds more than 37 million descriptions of records held by The National Archives and more than 3,500 archives across the country. Over 9 million records are available for download.
  • JSTOR:
    Explore millions of high-quality primary sources and images from around the world, including artworks, maps, photographs, and more.
  • FIBIS – Families in British India Society
    Helps individuals research their ancestors in India.
  • University of Leicester – Special Collections Online:
    A fascinating collection of historical information including trade and street directories for England and Wales
  • Qatar Digital Library:
    The Qatar Digital Library (QDL) is a vast archive featuring the cultural and historical heritage of the Gulf and wider region freely available online for the first time. It includes archives, maps, manuscripts, sound recordings, photographs and much more, complete with contextualised explanatory notes and links, in both English and Arabic.

UK Government Websites

Military Research

  • The Imperial War Museum:
    This website links to a range of resources allowing you to trace your family service records.
  • Fold 3 – UK Forces Records
    This is an Ancestry website allowing searches of over 670 million military records.
  • Royal Airforce Commands
    This is a well-organised website providing lists and brief details of RAF Casualties, POWs, and other details during the Second World War.
  • Royal British Legion – Every One Remembered
    A database of those who gave their life diring the First World War.
  • Commonwealth War Graves Commission
    The Commission’s mission is to ensure those who died in service, or as a result of conflict, are commemorated so that they, and the human cost of war, are remembered forever. Their website has a search facility to find individual graves.

     



Pre-1500 Records (Medieval)

General UK History

  • British History Online:
    British History Online is a collection of nearly 1300 volumes of primary and secondary content relating to British and Irish history, and histories of empire and the British world. BHO also provides access to 40,000 images and 10,000 tiles of historic maps of the British Isles.
  • Historic England 
    Historic England is the public body that records and lists historic buildings, landscapes, etc.

Website Under Review