Here you can find contact details, address and further informaiton on some of the most useful research organisation and locations.
To begin researching your family history, you need to have the following basic information:
-The name of the ancestor you are searching for
-An approximate date of birth, or time period
-Was he/she married and do you know the approximate dates?
-Did he/she serve in the military?
-Do you know where he/she went to school?
-What did he/she do for a living?
Back to Research your Empire Story
Research OrganisationsOrigination brings together a wealth of web resources recording and celebrating the contributions of immigrant cultures to contemporary Britain. You can add to those resources by building your own website or contributing to the energetic online discussions.
www.channel4.com/origination
The website ‘Ancestry.com’ is a worldwide resource for genealogists. It contains all the UK census returns for 1841 to 1901, plus returns for America, Scotland and the Channel Islands. You can upload your family trees to the site and share them with other members. The community section can put you in touch with other people researching the same names as you.
www.ancestry.co.uk
‘Moving Here’ is an online resource for tracing your overseas family created by the National Archives. It contains migration histories of South Asian, Jewish, West Indian and Irish people in Britain. It also has detailed hints and tips on how to start your research, as well as useful contact addresses.
www.movinghere.com
Another useful starting point is to join a mailing list. This will connect you with other people researching their ancestors and you may even discover that someone is researching the same surname as you. The best lists online are available via ‘Cyndi’s List’, which has individual pages for each of the countries to which British people emigrated. It’s a great resource for finding family history societies where you can find links to people who are undertaking the same kind of research as you.
www.cyndislist.com/maillist.htm
‘RootsWeb’ is the oldest website devoted to tracing family history. It contains links to message boards and hosts a number of sites for people tracing their family trees all over the world. You can share your findings or post your tree on the website, as well as searching their databases, which are updated all the time.
www.rootsweb.com
A number of countries have National Archives, and these hold a wealth of information. If you are planning to visit one of them, the London School of Economics website has a number of practical guides called ‘Archives Made Easy’. They cover several countries that were part of the British Empire, plus a few of the European countries that had Empires of their own, and include advice such as directions, access, facilities and places to stay nearby.
www.archivesmadeeasy.org
‘Images of Empire’ from the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum is the largest dedicated online resource of still and moving images of the British colonial period. You can search images by keyword, including country, and can also support the museum by donating your own material. Many of the archive images on this site come from the Images of Empire collection.
www.imagesofempire.com
Station Approach, Temple Meads, Bristol, BS1 6QH. Tel: +44 (0)117 925 4980
The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum is the first major institution in Britain to present the history and legacy of the British Empire. As well as permanent and special exhibitions it offers family events, lectures and seminars. A major exhibition, 'Breaking the Chains - The Fight to End Slavery' opened in 2007. Some resources are also available on the website, including a timeline and a video tour.
www.empiremuseum.co.uk
96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7332
The British Library holds 25 million books, as well as manuscripts and collections dating back to 300 BC. It is home to collections from Asia, Pacific and Africa, the Americas (including the Caribbean) and the India Office library, which holds material from across South and Southeast Asia.
To obtain a Reader Pass you will need to provide two forms of identification plus an outline of your research area. When once you are registered there is no need to book, but bear in mind that some documents are stored offsite, so check their availability before you go. To do this, either visit the website or call them.
www.bl.uk/services/reading/admissions.html
Colindale Avenue, London, NW9 5HE Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7353
Newspapers are a great source for tracing your ancestors, as not only will they provide you with a rich picture of life at the time, but in most cases will contain notices for births, marriages and deaths. The British Library Newspaper Library has over 52,000 British and overseas newspaper and periodical titles.
Please note the newspaper library is not at the main British Library site. Admission to the Newspaper Reading Rooms is by Reader Pass; either a Newspaper Reader Pass or a British Library Reader Pass. Newspaper Reader Passes are issued to applicants in person at the Newspaper Reading Room and again, you will need to provide two forms of identification.
www.bl.uk/collections/newspapers.html
Kew, Surrey, TW9 4DU Tel: +44 (0)20 8876 3444
The National Archives is home to over 1000 years of British history. It is the central repository for central government records, so if your family had any dealings with government, either through military service, civil and public service, or even criminal activity, you may find material here.
It’s not necessary to book a seat at The National Archives, but you will need to register as a reader on arrival. You will need to take your passport, driving licence or banker’s card as a form of identification.
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/visit/?source=visit
14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA Tel: +44 (0)20 7251 8799
The library is the largest collection of genealogical material in the UK. It contains extensive collections of family trees, census material and civil registration indexes. To use the library you need to join the society. Applications must be made in writing but you can take yours with you or complete the form on your first visit. You can download the form from their website.
http://www.sog.org.uk/membership/membership.shtml
The Genealogy Society of Utah, funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has microfilmed copies of surviving birth, christening, marriage and death records for many countries. These include some Muslim and Hindu records, as well as Christian records. They have family history libraries all over the world and you can order in microfilms to view in your nearest LDS family history centre. To view these records you will be charged a small fee for underwriting the copying of the microfilms. Search the online database to locate your nearest centre.
www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHC/frameset_fhc.asp
Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, SW3 4HT Tel: +44 (0) 20 7730 0717
If your ancestors were in the military, the National Army Museum holds a wealth of resources which may be useful to your research.
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/
Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG Tel: +44 (0)20 7637 2388
This is the only higher education institution in the UK specialising in the study of Asia, Africa and the Near and Middle East. It is an academic institution, so you need to join to use their library. The library contains lots of secondary sources which will enable you to link your research to the wider historical context. The SOAS also hold records of missionaries that served abroad. If you wish to use the collections, you need to contact the library before you go. You can also search their catalogue online.
lib.soas.ac.uk/
Aldermanbury, London, EC2P 7HH Tel: +44 (0)20 7332 1868/7332 1870
This has records of baptism, marriage and burial overseas. You need to join to use their facilities, and they will require proof of address, occupation, and local library card. More details are available on their website.
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_heritage...
West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DR Telephone +44 (0)1223 333000
Cambridge University Library has a vast stock of journals, almanacs and yearbooks which you can use to trace events across countries of the Empire. If you want to join the library you will need to make an appointment before you visit. Contact the library directly to discuss.
www.lib.cam.ac.uk/
The Seeley Historical Library, housed within the history faculty at Cambridge University, holds over 6,500 periodicals, some of which may be relevant to your research. These include both current publications and ones no longer in print.
The South Asian Studies Library, again part of Cambridge University, has a large collection of South Asian newspapers and personal papers, along with microfilms from the India Office at the British Library.
The Royal Commonwealth Society was founded in 1868 for individuals interested in the British colonies. The society has a large collection of photographs from the colonies. These are held on an online database, which is currently being indexed by name of photographer and geographical location and will be shortly be available to search on Cambridge University Library’s website.
www.lib.cam.ac.uk/rcs_photo_project/gallery1.html
If you want to join the Oxford Libraries and you aren’t a member of the university, you will be required to sign a declaration before registering. You will also need some form of identification in order to obtain a ticket, but policies vary from library to library so you need to check with the individual library which forms are acceptable.
Oxford University has over 100 libraries specialising in a variety of areas, including college libraries. A number of these have significant history collections. The Regents Park Library holds the Angus collection of Baptist history, and the David Nicholls collection includes Latin American and Caribbean history. The Indian Institute Library in the New Bodleian Library covers the Indian subcontinent, Burma and Sri Lanka.
www.lib.ox.ac.uk/libraries/bysubject/
The Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies at Rhodes House is also a useful source of material.
www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/rhodes/
King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH Telephone: +44 (0)20 7270 3925
The Foreign and Commonwealth Library (known as the Ancell Library) holds books, journals and pamphlets relating to international affairs, defence issues and specific countries and regions. However, unless you work for the Foreign Office it is only possible to use material if it is not publicly available elsewhere. Appointments can be made through the Public and Historical Enquiries Team.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office photographic collection, containing nineteenth and twentieth century photographs from the former colonies, has been transferred to The National Archives. Its photographs of the Indian subcontinent during British rule now form part of the British Library's India Office collection.
27-28 Russell Square, London, WC1B 5DS Telephone: +44 (0)20 7862 8842
The Library of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies aims to provide material unavailable elsewhere on a range of topics including history, international relations, agriculture and education. Occasional readers can use the library for a fee of £5 a day or £15 a week (£2 and £6 for the unwaged).
www.sas.ac.uk/commonwealthstudies/library/library.html
66 Balmoral Avenue, Belfast, BT9 6NY, Northern Ireland. Tel: +44 (028) 9025 5905
proni@dcalni.gov.uk
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is the official place of deposit for all public records in Northern Ireland. Public records held include those created by government departments, courts, local authorities and non-departmental public bodies. Private records are held from a number of sources, including landed estates, churches, and businesses. There are very few nineteenth century census returns for Northern Ireland, but the Record Office holds a number of other useful documents, including wills and school records.
www.proni.gov.uk
HM General Register House, 2 Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3YY. Tel: +44 (0) 131 535 1314
enquiries@nas.gov.uk
The National Archives of Scotland (NAS) is one of the most varied collections of records in Britain. It is the main archive for sources on the links between Scotland and many other countries over the centuries. The NAS holds records spanning the twelfth to the twenty-first centuries. It is the repository for the public and legal records of Scotland but also holds many local and private archives.
www.nas.gov.uk/
The Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) project has digitised over four million documents, combining the resources of 52 major Scottish archives. These include collections of records from government departments, local authorities, hospitals and health boards, businesses, estates and other corporate bodies.
www.scan.org.uk/
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales SY23 3BU. Tel: +44 (0) 1970 632 800
The National Library of Wales (NLW/LLGC) is the main centre for family history research in Wales and holds records covering the whole of Wales. Collections of printed materials include electoral lists, newspapers, journals, and directories. The library also holds parish and non-conformist registers, together with a wealth of other documentation including estate records and personal papers, pedigree books, and copies of census returns. The website is in both Welsh and English.
www.llgc.org.uk/
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council have produced 'Familia', an online directory of genealogical resources in public libraries in the UK and Ireland.
www.familia.org.uk/
