Ancestry

Ancestry is an international family history website. It allows you to search indexed records for your ancestors, and then view images of the original records.

Major records for the UK are the census (1841-1911) and the GRO indexes of births, marriages and deaths (1837-2005).

There are also growing number of records specifically for Dorset, including parish registers and wills.

You can access the Ancestry website in a number of ways:

• Ancestry.co.uk (opens in a new window)  - pay-per-view or by subscription access from home

• Ancestry Institution - free access on-site at the Dorset History Centre

• Ancestry Library Edition - free access through libraries in Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole (if you live outside the county, check with your local library to see if they offer this service)