Libraries, archives and family history societies

Using county record offices, The National Archives, local studies libraries and the Society of Genealogists, what family history societies offer, and how to prepare for an archive visit.

Not everything is online, and some of what is online is a poor copy of the original. County record offices, The National Archives, local studies libraries and family history societies hold the registers, maps, photographs and knowledge that turn a list of names into a family history, and almost all of it is free to use. This guide explains who holds what and how to make a visit count.

County record offices (archives)

Each county (and some cities) has an archive holding the original parish registers and bishop's transcripts, nonconformist registers, wills proved in local church courts before 1858, quarter sessions, poor law and workhouse records, school log books, manorial records, estate papers, electoral registers, rate books, maps and photographs. Catalogues are increasingly online (and aggregated in The National Archives' Discovery), and many offices answer short enquiries by email and offer a paid research service. Entry is free; you normally need a reader's ticket (CARN or the office's own), which needs ID. Check opening days, which have shrunk in recent years, and whether you must order documents in advance.

The National Archives, Kew

The government's archive holds the census returns (now consulted online), military and naval service records, PCC wills, naturalisation papers, railway staff records, merchant seamen, nonconformist registers surrendered in 1837, and much more. The research guides on its website are the best introduction to any record type, and millions of documents are downloadable. Visiting is free with a reader's ticket; on-site use of its digitised records and the commercial sites is free too.

National libraries and the Society of Genealogists

The National Library of Wales and the National Library of Scotland hold registers, newspapers, maps and manuscripts for their nations, much of it digitised free. The Society of Genealogists' library in London is the largest specialist collection: transcribed registers for the whole country, family histories, poll books, directories and its own indexes; non-members pay a day fee and its catalogue is online. The British Library holds the newspapers that the British Newspaper Archive digitises.

Local studies libraries

Public libraries' local studies sections hold trade directories, local newspapers on microfilm, photographs, electoral registers, maps and published local histories for their area, with staff who know the district. They usually also provide free access to Ancestry and often Findmypast, and sometimes the British Newspaper Archive.

Family history societies

Every county has one, under the Family History Federation (and the Scottish and Welsh equivalents). For a small subscription you get a journal, members' interests lists (who else is researching your surnames), help desks, and access to decades of transcription work: indexed parish registers, monumental inscriptions, census indexes and strays. Many run free help sessions at libraries and record offices and answer "look-up" requests. For a one-county family, the society is often better value than any website.

Preparing an archive visit

• Check the online catalogue and note the reference numbers of what you want to see; order in advance if the office allows.
• Take a list of specific questions, your pedigree chart and the references you already have.
• Bring ID for a reader's ticket, pencils (no pens), a camera or phone (most offices allow photography, sometimes for a fee) and a laptop or notebook.
• Search the finding aids first: card indexes and typescript calendars often cover material not yet online.
• Ask the archivists. They know what is in the un-catalogued boxes.
• Note the full reference for everything you copy, so you can cite it. See organising your research.

Finding the right archive

GENUKI lists the record office for every parish; Discovery (The National Archives) lets you search the catalogues of most UK archives in one place and gives contact details; ARCHON is its directory of repositories. For Scotland see Scottish ancestry, for Ireland Irish ancestry, and for the sources these archives hold beyond the registers, the resources guide.