• A gravestone inscription or newspaper obituary. These often give the person’s place of origin in Ireland.

• For England and Wales, civil records of births, marriages and deaths from 1837 are kept in the Family Record Centre in Islington, their web address is: www.familyrecords.gov.uk/frc Census returns from 1841 – 1901 are available to view in both the Family Records Centre, Islington and the National Archives in Kew.

Much of the civil registration and census information is now available on pay to view sites such as www.originsnetwork.com. The 1901 census is available online from the National Archives their web address is: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk , the National Archives is also a very good source of general information on family history research.

• For Scotland, civil and parish records and census returns are kept at the General Register Office, Princes St, Edinburgh, EH1 3YT. These records are available to view online at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

• Will / Probate / Administration papers. These can be a useful source of more general family information.

• Family letters / bibles. Through talking to relatives, people often find that old papers are still in existence that can help with this research.

Genealogy