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Family history
Want to find out about your family tree?
Derbyshire's Libraries are a good place to begin. Even if your family is not from this area there will be some information to help you make a start.
You will find census returns, civil registration indexes, old local newspaper files, trade directories, records of gravestone inscriptions and many other resources in print.
Larger libraries have detailed indexes to their collections, including personal names. If your family were local these may give useful leads. They will also hold a variety of resources on microfilm and offer free access to computer based resources.
It is not yet possible to do all your family history by searching the world wide web. You still have to travel to local and national libraries and record offices to research some of the materials you will need... but things are changing rapidly. There is now a lot of really useful material for UK family history available online.
Contact County Hall Local Studies Library for advice and to book starter sessions.
New - you can now use Ancestry, the major family history website, free of charge at any Derbyshire library.
The main family history collection for the County is kept at the Local Studies Library, County Hall, Matlock. Many local libraries also hold family history research materials for their local area.
