Family History
Family History and Research
Tracing the history of your family is a popular activity for a
growing number of people. There is a bewildering number of courses,
books and websites designed to give advice on how to start and
information on the sources (both online and printed) you can use,
so this section of our website aims to pull together some useful
advice on family history in general to assist you with your search,
together with information specific to Cheshire where this
exists.
How do I get started?
Getting started in
tracing your family tree
The DirectGov guide to Family History
The Cheshire
Collection on FindMyPast has parish registers,
bishops' transcripts, non conformist and Roman Catholic registers,
marriage licence bonds and allegations, wills, electoral registers
and workhouse registers available online. This subscription
website is available free of charge in the Record Office searchroom
and at these libraries: Ellesmere Port, Northwich, Congleton,
Crewe, Macclesfield, Warrington and Halton Lea
The Library edition of Ancestry.com is available at the Record
Office and in libraries in
Cheshire East and
Cheshire West as are microfilms of census returns and local
parish registers
If you cannot visit the Record Office in person, our
research service will be happy to check our sources on your
behalf
Which records can I find at the Cheshire Record Office?
For parish records held at the Cheshire Record Office -
see our online catalogue and
interactive map.
Prior to 1837, parish records of marriages, births
and burials can be found at the Cheshire Record
Office. Before visiting any Record Office it is always a good
idea to ring and check that they have information about the area in
which you are interested. We can provide advice if your
interests are outside Cheshire. Our online catalogue will help you get
started.
The ARCHON directory
at the National Archives will give you contacts for other archive
services in the UK.
Which records can I find at Cheshire Register
Offices?
Some common sources for family history