Genealogy

1. www.familyrecords.gov.uk - provides access to most government agencies that hold information of use to family historians with UK ancestry;
2. www.a2a.org.uk - the Access to Archives consortium has lists and catalogues of many archive collections;
3. www.genuki.org.uk - an incredibly useful gateway to genealogical information about the UK and Ireland.

These programs can be useful as they allow you to enter information about each person as you collect it. They will then automatically construct pedigree charts in a variety of formats and also produce family group sheets. It's then an easy matter to add a new family member or amend the details of those already included, and then produce a revised pedigree chart.

Most of the better programs are described as 'Gedcom' compatible, meaning that they can receive genealogy files from other Gedcom compatible programs, and it's important that you should use one of these so that you can share your information with other researchers, and they with you.

Always express them as '11 November 1911' or '1911 November 11' and not as '11.11.11'. Then there is no possibility of confusion between the day and the month, let alone the century.

Certificates for England and Wales dating back to 1 July 1837 can be obtained at the Family Records Centre, 1 Myddelton Street, London EC1R 1UW (Tel. 0870 243 7788). These certificates will provide you with names, dates, ages, addresses and occupations.

For such events in Scotland from 1855, apply to the Search Unit, New Register House, 3 West Register Street, Edinburgh EH1 3YT (Tel. 0131 314 4433). The General Register Office for Scotland now provides access to birth marriage and death records through the website www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

• Consular Returns: births, marriages and deaths of British subjects overseas 1849-1965.
• Marine Register: births and deaths at sea 1837-1965.
• Regimental Returns: births in the United Kingdom and overseas 1761-1924. The overseas returns start in about 1790.
• Army Chaplains' Returns: overseas births, marriages and deaths 1796-1965.
• War Deaths: Natal and South Africa Forces 1899-1902, First World War 1914-1921, Second World War 1939-1948.

A complete set of the census returns for England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands can be seen without charge on microfilm at the Family Records Centre. Microfilms of census returns for particular counties are also often held by county record offices and city libraries.

Name indexes to the three most recent censuses available to family historians can be accessed via the internet. The National Archives has indexed the 1901 census and the images of the returns for England & Wales can be viewed online for a modest fee on www.1901census.nationalarchives.gov.uk. 'Ancestry' at www.ancestry.co.uk is a subscription site that includes an index and images of the 1891 census for England and Wales. This site can be viewed free of charge at the Society of Genealogists. A transcription and index to the 1881 census are freely available on www.familysearch.org.

Large collections of census indexes for other years are also to be found at the Society of Genealogists and the Family Record Centre.

Copies of Wills and administrations for England and Wales, going back to 1858, may be seen and photocopies obtained (£5 each) at the Principal Registry of the Family Division, First Avenue House, 42-49 High Holborn, London WC1V 6NP (Tel. 020 7947 6000).

Prior to 1858, a Will was 'proved' in one of the 300 local church courts depending on where the deceased's personal property was located. The Family Records Centre (see above) holds records 1383-1858 of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, the senior probate court in England and Wales, with many Wills for London, the south-east of England and some for those who died overseas and had property in the UK. All the Wills are indexed and available online through the National Archives documents online service at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Copies of the Wills can be downloaded at £3 each.

The largest collection of parish register indexes in the British Isles is at the Society of Genealogists. The places and years covered are given in a series of individual County Guides published by the Society. Details can also be found on the Society's website at www.sog.org.uk. From the various available copies, three important centralised indexes have been compiled:

1. International Genealogical Index (www.familysearch.org): contains about 80,000,000 baptisms and marriages from parish registers between 1538 and 1875.
2. Boyd's Marriage Index (www.englishorigins.com): contains about 7,000,000 marriages in England between 1538 and 1837.
3. Pallot's Marriage Index (www.ancestry.co.uk): covers most marriages in the London area 1780-1837.
4. Other county marriage and burial indexes: compiled by local family history societies and individuals, several counties are completely covered. Although not normally accessible for personal searches, these indexes may usually be searched for quite small fees. Some can be accessed online through a pay-per-view online service at www.familyhistoryonline.net.

The Society's Library was started in 1911 and has over 100,000 volumes as well as much manuscript, electronic and microform material. You need not be a member of the Society, as the Library is open to searchers at a minimum charge (currently) of £3.50 for one hour, £9.20 for four hours or £14.50 for the day. However, if you join, you can benefit from the quarterly Genealogists' Magazine, discounts on the Society's publications, on lectures and seminars and on courses for beginners. Members can access various Society collections and indexes remotely via www.englishorigins.com free of charge four times a year. Members in the British Isles may also borrow printed books, microfilms and microfiche, with certain exceptions. The membership fee is currently £40 a year and there is in addition an entrance fee of £10 payable on first joining.

The Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (www.agra.org.uk) maintains a list of members showing the geographical and subject areas of their expertise. A list of professionals in Scotland may be obtained from the Association of Scottish Genealogists and Record Agents (www.asgra.co.uk), 51/3 Mortonhall Road, Edinburgh EH9 2HN and in Ireland from the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland (indigo.ie/~apgi), c/o the Honorary Secretary, 30 Harlech Crescent, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14, Eire.