Tracing your pedigree chums

Finding out about your family's history is a passion for many people in the UK and the growth of the internet is making it faster and easier to do.

There are thousands of websites dedicated to either genealogy services or personal family trees but this is only part of the story. But the internet is not always completely accurate as a source of historical information and therefore has its critics.

As with any historical study, accuracy of information is paramount and that means confirming names, dates and places with original source material. The fear among the more seasoned genealogists is that people may start building the foundations of their family trees on inaccurate information.

For all its convenience, the internet is no guarantee of accuracy but it can provide a quick insight into the hobby and any potential ancestors you may have out there.

Routes to your roots
Websites such as FreeBMD and the Church of the Latter Day Saints offer a quick surname search which can often produce some interesting results.

These results will need to be checked with the relevant archives and registers held by local libraries, local registration offices or the Family Records Centre in London.

Now, imagine you are a detective. The results from this kind of internet search, for example, should be treated as leads. All good detectives will follow up leads but where do you go?

An ideal first step should really be to join a local family history society. Annual subscriptions are generally between £5 and £14 and they offer good value for money for both new and experienced researchers.

As well as providing an instant source of support and advice, these will have facilities for research such as libraries of indexes and hold regular meetings which can give you useful local sources of family history information.

They will also offer remote research services for those people that don't live in the area or can't get out. Some societies offer discounts on books and even provide subsidised trips to records offices too.

The Federation of Family History Societies has a list of societies on its website with links and contact details.

As well as local societies (organised by county), there are specialist societies for people looking for ancestors in places such as India and Australia, and also employment-related societies for, say, railway workers or the Metropolitan Police.

Joining a society may not be everyone's idea of fun but it would definitely help. Whatever you do, the rules of research will be roughly the same, with the first step in recording your family tree being your immediate family.

Family records
How you keep records is a matter of personal preference. Some may prefer to use a pen, paper and a loose-leaf folder to organise research but it is tempting to buy a dedicated family tree software program if you own a PC.

While some traditionalists may think this is an unnecessary extravagance, there are in fact many sound reasons for heading down the digital road.

The ability to cross-reference names and data, the automated tree formation, the quick and easy recording of data, the ability to back up and store your findings in case of loss, and the ability to export and import files to a community website such as Genes Connected all show why many family history fans use a computer.

As you would expect, there are a range of applications on the market to help you do all of this to varying degrees. New titles are being launched regularly, which is perhaps some indication of how software developers view genealogy.

It is a burgeoning sector for the software and internet industries and, while on the one hand this guarantees some competition leading to better choice and hopefully more competitive pricing, it can also be confusing.

The key is finding the method and features that suit you and that may be difficult, especially when you are being asked to part with hard cash before trying the product.

It's important when choosing an application to not lose sight of what you are trying to achieve. You don't want to spend weeks learning how to use a database application that includes genealogy features when you could be out there researching your family history.

It does of course depend on your level of expertise, but there are plenty of straightforward and easy-to-use applications that can do the job.

Roots Magic 1, Legacy 4, Brother's Keeper 6.1, Family Tree Maker 10 and Heritage Family Tree Deluxe are just a few of the simple but sufficient applications available for any family historian.

We recommend Family Historian, but there are more applications on the way too. Of particular interest is the UK-centric Family Treasures 5 from Embla and Master Genealogist 5 Gold from TWR Computing.

Must-have features should be a GEDCOM file format to enable importing and exporting of the data to other programs and websites, and a clear and flexible chart creation feature.

If you intend to publish your research to the web, then some programs will do this for you. It's worth checking out whether this feature is available before you buy.

If you are unsure, consider trying a shareware version or free trial first to test the product. Most software vendors will provide a free demo version which you can download from their website or among the selection at the Computeractive downloads page. Although these will probably have a 28-day trial period or reduced features, they may save you some money and hassle.

The family plot thickens
With your software loaded and your family history society membership secured, it's down to business. The lifeblood of any research in the UK is the certificates of births, deaths and marriages. They are kept as separate indexes and have been compulsory since 1837.

They are original source documents and if you don't have any for your relations, they can be obtained through the Family Records Centre or copies can be created by local records offices for a small fee.

This is where your family history society membership comes in; most have libraries with indexes of local records. One visit could yield a lot of successful results if you go prepared.

Census information is also crucial for the family historian. The 1901 Census was the latest to be opened to the public.

The history of its website crashes is legendary but it has ironed out the problems and it is now an excellent source of information. Other census returns are available but only really as far back as 1841, as returns between 1801 (the first census) and 1841 have not been preserved.

For war casualties, try the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, where you will find records of casualties from both World Wars.

Padding out the facts
Many genealogists are local history buffs too. Putting historical context onto the bones of a family tree is very rewarding and can often throw up some unusual stories.

Delving into a particular ancestor's life is, however, not always easy. It can often take time, effort and a bit of lateral thinking. There are a number of resources that may help.

If you are lucky, you may come up with something on Access to Archives, which is a public records office service that allows you to search records indexes dating from the 900s to the present day. Data sources for the catalogues include business documents, deeds, and hospital and police records.

According to the organisation, these archives are cared for in local records offices and libraries, universities, museums and national and specialist institutions across England, where they are made available to the public on request.

If your ancestors were criminals it would be very easy, because the National Archives contain police archives and there are also the Old Bailey records from 1674 to 1834 to consult.

The Public Records Office now has a very good online service for obtaining records through its online searchable database, Procat.

One family historian told Computeractive that he has just received copies of a massive police file on a murder case involving one of his ancestors. The whole process was conducted online and he received his copies within two weeks.

Another way to do it is through your ancestor's profession. This should be easy enough to find out through a census return, marriage or death certificate.

Depending on what that profession was, there are a number of societies and resources geared to various careers. The military and police are well represented but it is also possible to trace other factors such as land holdings, if your ancestor was a farmer.

Land holdings could possibly be traced through Tithe schedules or Land Revenue Records and Enrolments at the Public Records Office.

Local libraries and local history societies would be a good bet too for indexes on whether such records are kept for your ancestor.

If an ancestor was involved in a newsworthy incident then maybe it was reported in a newspaper. Check the British Library Newspaper catalogue for information on a publication or try your luck at the British Online Newspaper Archive.

Help at hand
These are a great way to get going or even for experienced researchers to find help to fill holes in research. Valmay Young actually started her research through a RootsWeb specialist mailing list for researching families in British India. She didn't know where to start but was soon on her way with advice from the online community.

Many message boards are sparse and centred on the US, but one that has been grabbing headlines in recent months is Genes Connected.

Launched in November last year by the couple that brought us Friends Reunited, Genes Connected now has over 526,000 people registered on its website and its database contains nearly six million names.

Success stories from using the site are rampant and proof that it works. You can upload your tree if you have one (in GEDCOM format) or start one from scratch online. It's definitely worth a visit.

Quality time
Researching your family history can be a rewarding experience. Contrary to popular belief it is not just a retired person's past-time either. The internet has done a massive amount in opening the door of genealogy to a new generation while the PC is an excellent recording tool.

In fact, researching and recording genealogy has never been easier. The important thing to remember is that unless you have checked original source materials for proof of your ancestors, you might as well be building a house in dry sand.

Top tips for genealogists

• Join a local family history society and attend a meeting or two. Consider helping out to learn more.
• Talk to parents and grandparents about dates, places and stories.
• Sort out your record keeping - decide between PC and software or paper and folder.
• Check relatives to see if anyone has started your family research because you could join forces.
• Start searching before committing yourself - try the internet to see what comes up and community sites such as Genes Connected.
• Search indexes in libraries or local family history society centres for parish records, census returns and so on.
• Obtain primary records for any references you find and check the facts.
• Check for stories about ancestors with the Public Records Office, Access to Archives and newspaper records.
• Check out where ancestors lived. Find old houses and addresses and look at gravestones.
• Be humble in your findings. Share them with your family but don't bore your friends.

The best genealogy sites to try:

Access to Archives
www.a2a.pro.gov.uk
This research site covers 326 record offices across England and boasts 4.7 million catalogue entries dating from 900 to the present day. This is an index of records held in a range of local records offices and libraries, universities, museums and national and specialist institutions. Data sources include business documents, deeds, hospital and police records.

Ancestry.com
www.ancestry.com
A well-established, predominantly US site that is very easy to use but costs $100 (£62) for the year. To search records in either the US or UK, you can click on a map which brings up a list of links to the various county records of births, deaths and marriages.

British Library Newspaper
http://prodigi.bl.uk
Contains a wealth of news stories as reported in British newspapers.

British Online Newspaper Archive
www.uk.olivesoftware.com
A source of newspaper, magazine, books and periodical archives that is free to search and view.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission
www.cwgc.org
Find out where relatives died and were buried during the two World Wars.

Cyndi's List
www.cyndislist.com
A comprehensive list of genealogy links across the world. As portal sites go, this is the mother of them all.

English Origins
www.englishorigins.com
An excellent, easy-to-use site that is a joint venture between the Society of Genealogists and Origins.net. You can register for £6 for seven days (entitles you to view 150 records) and search for names between 1442 and 1850 on a range of databases, including Boyd's Marriage Index, the Bank of England Wills Index and the London Apprenticeship Abstracts.

Every Generation
www.everygeneration
A heritage and genealogy site aimed at the black community, this includes case studies of successful attempts to trace ancestry and offers good advice on where to start your research.

Family History Online
www.familyhistoryonline.net
A pay-per-view FFHS site offering searchable access to the records held by its member societies. It claims to currently have about 13.6 million records.

Family Records Centre
www.familyrecords.gov.uk

A UK Government site dedicated to helping family tree researchers find their way around the various departments for records. It's a good site for beginners.

FreeBMD (Births, Marriages and Deaths)
freebmd.rootsweb.com
UK site dedicated to providing free access to the Civil Registration index for England and Wales. It's not pretty but it is simple, quick to load and provides basic records, mainly between the years of 1837 and 1901. Check them for accuracy though.

FreeREG
http://freereg.rootsweb.com
Like its sister FreeBMD, the FreeREG project website is a finding tool. This one is trying to provide free access to all the church parish register records for baptism, marriage and burial from 1538 to 1837 in the UK.

Genes Connected
www.genesconnected.co.uk
A community site aiming to help mainly UK researchers share family tree information online. Like Ancestry.com, it enables users to build a tree online and share tips and techniques through message board areas. It's free until you want to email someone and then it is £5 for the year.

GENUKI
www.genuki.org
A plain-looking site but a real treasure of information, GENUKI is a virtual reference library of primary historical resources. Records are organised by county. It provides useful contact details and links to further your research.

National Archives
www.pro.gov.uk
National Archives holds records on convicted criminals in the UK from 1674 to 1834.

Old Bailey
www.oldbaileyonline.org
A record of the court's cases from 1674 to 1834.

Public Records Office (now The National Archives)
www.pro.gov.uk
The Public Records Office preserves central government and law court records from the 11th century to the present day. Search the Procat catalogue: it's free.

RootsWeb
www.rootsweb.com
A free site that enables you to search for names across its database sources, RootsWeb was initially a US concern but is now part of the WorldConnect Project to share genealogy information globally.

The British Library Oriental and India Office Collections (OIOC)
www.bl.uk/collections/orientalandindian.html
The essential first stop for any India family research records.

The 1901 Census
www.census.pro.gov.uk
Name and address searches are free, although to obtain details and see images online of the actual records, you will be charged 75p per image, up to £5 for a maximum session of 48 hours. The images are worth seeing as you can zoom in on the details.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
www.familysearch.com
A massive site that pools the resources of a wide range of international genealogy databases including the International Genealogical Index (IGI).

The Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS)
www.ffhs.org.uk
This provides an alphabetical list of family history societies and is well worth seeing.

The Genealogical Research Directory
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~grdxxx
This site is for a "big green book" listing of surnames of people who are looking to make contact with others who may be researching the same name.

The Society of Genealogists
www.sog.org.uk
The Society offers a mix of research material, guidance and support for budding and experienced researchers. It has a massive library of data, which is free to members, based in London.

War Times
www.wartimesindex.co.uk
An online source of despatches from wars Britons were involved in, containing information about British officers.