Family History

1. Decide which line of your family you wish to trace - it is easy to be side-tracked by coming across records of other branches of the family, or unrelated families of the same name, and so waste time and effort. 

2. Get all  the information which you can from members of your own family - names, dates and places. Even when some of this information proves not to be accurate, it can often provide useful clues or pointers in the right direction. 

3. Read one of the many guides to family history research which are now available. 

4. Try to find out whether anyone else has done work on your particular family. The best way to do this is to contact the local Family History Society; most of these Societies keep a register of their members' interests. 

Helpful guidance can be found on the General Register Office website and a link to the appropriate page of their website can be found below.

Derbyshire Record Office provides the archive service for the County of Derbyshire, City of Derby and Diocese of Derby.

The Record Office is legally appointed to hold and make available to the public archives of all types - such as official, ecclesiastical, business, family, society, school, hospital and industrial from the Middle Ages to the present day. 

Visit the Derbyshire Record Office section of this site for more information.