Family history and local studies

Library subscriptions 

• Ancestry Library edition: family history resource with access to public records from around the world. For remote access, please log in to your library account.
• Find my past: family history resource with access to public records from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. For remote access, please log in to your library account.

• British Newspaper Archive: hundreds of historic newspapers from all over Britain and Ireland, including copies of the Chester Chronicle, Cheshire Observer, the Northwich Guardian, and the Winsford and Middlewich Guardian. Available for use in the library only.

Other webpages

• Armchair Archivist: help librarians and archivists from your living room.  If you’re cooped-up and curious, use your free time to decipher handwriting, tag images and more
• Cheshire Archives and Local Studies: records and printed material from our historical county with many resources accessible online. Search through the Cheshire Collection (Find My Past), the Cheshire First World War Servicemen’s Index or browse through historic photographs via Cheshire Image Bank
• Family Search: free resource provided by the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, including the International Genealogical Index.
• Federation of Family History Societies: free genealogical resources as well as workshops to help with family history research. Has a surname search facility which enables you to link up with other genealogists and societies interested in that name.
• GENUKI: Genealogy UK and Ireland. Wealth of information and resources available across UK and Ireland.
• National Archives Kew: explore 1,000 years of history, find online collections and get help with your research.
• Scotland's People: provides access to statutory birth, marriage and death registers as well as old parish registers. Also provides a free search of wills and testaments.
• UK BMD: free, online transcriptions of UK births, marriages, deaths and censuses.

• Vision on Britain: maps, statistics and historical descriptions of towns and villages across Britain.