The Most Useful Websites for Genealogy

COMPILED BY ERIN PHELAN

When Erin Phelan decided to trace her family history, she found she needed help getting started. So, she compiled the list of websites below to help others who may be interested in tracing their roots. You can read Erin's story of how she traced her British roots in the November issue of Reader's Digest. And look for the follow-up story of how she traces her Irish roots, with the help of the new series Ancestors in the Attic, in the March 2007 edition of the magazine.

www.familyrecords.gov.uk/frc/
Family Research Centre for England and Wales—can order birth, marriage and death certificates from site.

www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
Scotland’s People—Pay site for all of Scotland’s historical civil birth, death and marriage records as well as baptisms and marriages from as early as 1553. Also includes census records from 1841 to 1901.

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
The National Archives of England, Whales and the United Kingdom—responsible for looking after the records of central government and the courts of law. One of the largest collections in the world, dating back to the 11th century. Has great “Getting Started” section for newcomers to family history.

www.genuki.org.uk
Genealogy of UK and Ireland (GENUKI)—An excellent starting point for any UK (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) and Ireland research.

www.ancestry.co.uk
www.ancestry.ca
www.ancestry.com
The Ancestry family of sites. Free two-week trial for pay site that includes census records and many other databases. Check England/Wales census from 1841 to 1901 (plus Scotland in 1841). Also includes many other databases, including birth, death and marriage indexes from 1837 to present.

www.familysearch.org
The Church of Latter-day Saints’ free site includes several million church transcriptions plus the 1881 census for Canada, and England/Wales, and the 1880 census for USA. Also includes many uploaded genealogical records.

www.ireland.com/ancestor
Irish Ancestors—Mostly free site excellent for identifying what records are available (and where they are) in Ireland.

www.rootsweb.com
RootsWeb message boards—Thousands of message boards to exchange genealogical information, based on surnames, subjects or geography. Lots of resources for beginners and experts in genealogy.

www.origins.net
Subscription site which has lots of English, Scottish and Irish databases. Good resources section for getting started in genealogy.

www.lostcousins.com
Free site connecting members to their “lost cousins” through the 1881 British census. Good beginners guide.

Canadian Genealogy Societies

Though there is no official Canadian genealogy organization, there are provincial non-profit societies that promote genealogical research. Most provide links to local branches and information about membership.

British Columbia Genealogical Society
www.bcgs.ca

Alberta Genealogical Society
www.abgensoc.ca

Saskatchewan Genealogy
www.saskgenealogy.com

Manitoba Genealogical Society
www.mts.net/~mgsi

Ontario Genealogical Society
www.ogs.on.ca

Quebec Family History Society—fosters the study of genealogy among the English-speaking peoples of Quebec
www.qfhs.ca

Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie
http://www.federationgenealogie.qc.ca

New Brunswick Genealogical Society
www.nbgs.ca

Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia
www.chebucto.ns.ca/Recreation/GANS

Nova Scotia Genealogy Network Association—network website for Nova Scotia genealogy resources
http://nsgna.ednet.ns.ca

Prince Edward Island Genealogical Society
www.peigs.ca

Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador
www.fhsnl.ca

Yukon Genealogy—provides links and resources for people seeking Yukon genealogy information
www.yukongenealogy.com/index.htm