ANCESTRY

Getting Started

Here are some tips to help dig up your family's history:

1. Check older relations (if possible) and old papers when relatives die.

2. Local library and microfiche for county required.

3. Visit the New Register House (end of Princes Street east) for about 15 Pounds. The staff are very helpful.

4. Try Old Parish Records (OPRs), Church Records up to 1854 (voluntary), Statutory Registers (compulsory) 1855 onwards.

5. Join a family history society and make contact with other researchers.

6. The Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) has a vast library of information and has indexed many records.

7. Use of a PC opens a massive amount of information.

8. Most libraries have free internet use, but usually have queues waiting.

9. Some libraries have a Mormon-based CD collection and given a name can dig up some very useful information (not for personal use).

10. Stirling has a good research centre, but it's only open on certain days.

11. The Scottish Genealogy Society in Edinburgh has a library and Family History Centre at 15 Victoria Terrace (not open on Fridays).

12. A good website is www.familysearch.org.

Internet Research Tools

Use these websites to find topics of interest:

http://www.yahoo.com
http://www.google.com
http://www.altavista.com
http://www.excite.com
http://www.lycos.com

http://www.csfhs.org.uk
The official Central Scotland Family History Society website includes membership information.

http://www.genuki.org.uk
The UK and Ireland Genealogical Information Service provides links to other societies and organisations.

http://www.cyndilist.com
This website is a subject gateway with 40,000 links to other genealogical sites.

http://www.pro.gov.uk
The Public Record Office, London gives details of records and current projects.

http://www.cwgc.org
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission database is very straightforward to search.

http://www.hmc.gov.uk
The Royal Commission for Historical Manuscripts has an index of the National Register of Archives.

http://www.sog.org.uk
The Society of Genealogists' website includes membership information.

http://www.genfair.com
The Family History Fair is online with many resources for purchase. You can also join other societies through the site, including the Central Scotland FHS.

http://www.familysearch.com
This is the Church of the Latter Day Saints family history database. The Mormons have a vast library of information and have indexed many records.

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