Wales Websites

Wales Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder Online Learning
Record Types
Cemeteries Census Church Directories Church Records Civil Registration Court Records Crime and Punishment Directories Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Land & Property Merchant Seamen	Military Records Newspapers Nobility Occupations Online Records Periodicals Poor Law Unions Probate Records Religious Records Schools and Education Records Taxation Voting Records Websites
Wales Background
Biography Church History Gazetteers Historical Geography History Jurisdictions	Languages Maps Naming Customs Place Names Social Life & Customs For Further Reading
Local Research Resources
Wales Archives & Libraries Societies FamilySearch Centers

Wales

Websites

Some of these sources may have limited Welsh content.

Archives & libraries

• National Library of Wales The home page for the largest historical archive in Wales.
• National Library of Wales ISYSweb Free Text Search This allows for a keyword search of the manuscript collections. Try a search for a parish or farm name. In some cases a brief extract from the manuscript (such as a title deed) is included which may provide names, dates, places, relationships etc..
• Archives Network Wales Descriptions of documents held by record offices, universities and other repositories in Wales.
• National Archives Access to Archives Descriptions of records held at various archives but mainly in England.
• Archon Wales Repositories in Wales.

Cemeteries

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission The "Debt of Honour Register" is the Commission's database listing the 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died during the two world wars and the 23,000 cemeteries, memorials and other locations worldwide where they are commemorated.
• War Graves In Britain - The intent of this organization is to create awareness of the local Commonwealth War graves in Great Britain and compile a record of untended war graves. Sparse content.
• www.genuki.org.uk- links to Welsh cemeteries
• www.familysearch.org > Under the Catalog tab type the name of the parish or County next to the Place-names box > click the link to Cemeteries.

Census

• Ancestry Commercial genealogy site
• findmypast Commercial UK Genealogy Site
• Wales 1861, 1881, and 1891 census indexes at WorldVitalRecords
• GenUKI General UK & IRL genealogy information
• 1901 Census index of Royal Navy Ships An index of ships that were at sea or in ports on March 31, 1901, the day the 1901 census was taken.
• Jews in Welsh Censuses Searchable databases for Jews living in Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
• The Genealogist- Includes indexes and images. Can do a family forename search.
• FreeCEN - Welsh Census records. Free online access
• British Origins- Indexes and images for censuses 1841; 1861-1871
• Census Finder- Free transcripts of some Wales census records.

Church records

• National Library of Wales
• www.familysearch.org- - Indexed Church of Wales Church Records with links to images on Findmypast.co.uk.
• www.familysearch.org > Catalog search by the place name. 
• www.findmypast.co.uk- Commercial website that has indexed church records.
• www.familysearch.org-Indexed Church Records births and baptisms 1541-1907 
• www.familysearch.org-Indexed Church Records deaths and burials 1586-1885
• www.familysearch.org-Indexed Church Records Marriages 1541-1900 
• www.familysearch.org-England and Wales non-conformist Indexes 1567-1837and later 
• www.bmdregisters.co.uk- The official Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial BMD's Service Pay website
• www.thegenealogist.co.uk- Includes both Church of Wales and nonconformist church records. 
• FreeREG - Welsh Parish and Non-Conformist Registers. Free online access
• www.genuki.org.uk
• Hugh Wallis' IGI Batch Numbers for Wales
• Ancestry.co.uk Commercial website that has indexed church records
• Wales Marriage Bonds Application search 1616-1837 online
• Some Glamorgan Church marriages indexed
• FreeReg
  

Churches & Chapels

• Accessing Church of England/Wales Church Records see above Church Records
• The Church in Wales
• Chapel Recording Project of Welsh Chapels
• Church Photographs from the north-east
• The Chapels Heritage Society

Civil registration

These online indexes to order certificates are the best and easiest way to obtain a birth, marriage, or death certificate 1 July 1837-present. Just "click" below and see what you can find.

• General Register Office Ordering Certificates
• Ancestry Indexes Commercial genealogy site with indexes to certificates
• findmypast Indexes Commercial genealogy site with indexes to certificates
• [1]FreeBMD - Indexes Welsh BMD registration database. Free online access
• The Genealogist.co.uk Indexes Commercial Genealogical site with indexes to certificates

Certificate Ordering from local Superintendent Registrar

• NorthWalesBMD Indexes and certificates
• Registration Districts in Wales
• Local Registrars in England and Wales, address, phone numbers, websites and e-mail

Court records

• Crime and Punishment Database from the Court of Great Sessions gaol files for the years 1730-1830.

Dictionaries

• Lampeter University's Welsh Dictionary on-line
• Oxford English Dictionary online

Directories

• www.genuki.org.uk- Includes links to Wale directories
• www.historicaldirectories.org- Includes free images of directories for Wales. 

Emigrants & Immigrants

• EllisIsland, New York- Those entering New York City from 1892-1956.
• www.castlegarden.org- Those entering New York City pre Ellis Island.
• Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild- Volumes of passenger lists from all over the world
• Welsh Mariners Index- A database of 20,000 Welsh sea merchants.
• www.findmypast.co.uk- Passenger lists of those leaving the British Isles, 1890-1960
• www.ancestry.com- Includes many passenger lists of those coming into the United States and Canada. Also includes passengers lists of those returning to visit the British Isles from 1878-1960, passport applications, naturalization records, border crossing records, ship pictures and descriptions, etc.
  
• www.ancestorsonboard.com- Passenger lists of those leaving the British Isles, 1890-1960
  
• www.immigrants.byu.edu- Tracks LDS converts on ships migrating to America.
  
• www.ohio.llgc.org.uk- Welsh Settlers in Ohio
  

Family History Societies

• Genuki Wales - County listing of Welsh Family History Societies. 
• Clwyd FHS- Flintshire, Denbighshire, and east Merionethshire
• Dyfed FHS- Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, and Pembrokeshire
• Glamorgan FHS - Glamorgan
• Gwent FHS- Monmouthshire and a small part of Breconshire.
• Powys FHS- Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and Breconshire.
• Gwynedd FHS- Anglesey, Caernarfonshire, and parts of Denbighshire and Merionethshire
• Montgomeryshire Genealogy Society - Montgomeryshire
• Ancestor Search Wales- County listing of Welsh Family History Societies

Gazetteers

• National Gazetteer of Wales
• Welsh Chapels
• Vision of Britain
• Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Wales

General Welsh Genealogy

• National Library of Wales
• Gathering the Jewels at NLW
• Welsh Family History at BBC Wales
• Vision of Britain
• Genealogy Wales
• 100 Welsh Heroes
• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
• Stirnet Limited: Families Database: Index (unfettered access requires fee or significant data contribution; manually search index for surnames of interest)
• Welsh Resources and Help pages RootsChat Welsh Resources and Help pages. (Free).

Heraldry

• Nobility - Indexes Castle Index

LDS Sources

• Welshmormon.byu.edu- Early converts to the LDS Church in Wales during the 19th century who migrated to America. May include journal entries, biographies, pictures, etc.
• immigrants.byu.edu-Tracks LDS convets in ships migrating across the ocean to America.
• Mormon Overland Trail, 1847-1868. A list of LDS pioneer families and individuals who migrated to Utah across the plains. Includes trail excerpts.
• www.dupinternational.org- Contains submitted histories, biographies, pictures, etc. of pioneer ancestors. 
• https://familysearch.org/family-trees- Community Trees are lineage-linked genealogies from specific time periods & places around the world. It includes 308,327 individuals from early Welsh pedigrees. Add the "Submission ID" MMDR-CFK for the Welsh pedigrees at the bottom of the search page.
• lib.byu.edu/digital/mmd- Early Mormon missionary journals. 

Jews

• JewishGen UK Database
• Welsh Census Returns Jews 1851,1891

Maps

• Maps - Get a map from Ordnance Survey
• www.visionofbritain.org.uk- Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales; inludes various maps
  
• www.british-history.ac.uk- Topographical Dictionary of Wales; includes various maps
  
• www.genuki.org.uk- Includes links to maps

Merchant marines

• Lloyd's Ship Register index
• Welsh Mariners Index

Military records

• Royal Regiment of Wales
• British Battles
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• Napoleonic War Naval Indexes
• The National Archives Trafalgar ancestors
• War Graves In Britain
• The National Archives- Includes British military records online.
• The National Archives- Guides for finding your British military ancestor
• MyFindPast- Includes British military records including Britsh Army Service Records, 1760-1915.

Names - Geographical

• Ordnance Survey guide to Welsh place names

Names - Personal

• On-line Welsh names directory

Newspapers

• The Cambrian was an English newpaper published from 1804 to 1930. Swansea library has made an index which is searchable online. Visit the Cambrian Index.
• www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk A growing collection of British newspapers. Currently includes some newspapers for Clwyd (covering Denbighshire & Flintshire; 1850-1949), Gwynedd (covering Carnarvonshire and Merionethshire; 1800-1949), and South Glamorgan- 1850-1949.

Nobility

• Nobility - Indexes Castle Index

Occupations

• UK Coalmining History Resource Centre
• Welsh Coal Mines

Periodicals

• Welsh Journals Online A new project to place many Welsh periodicals online. For a link to a PowerPoint presentation titled Welsh Journals Online: the challenges by Martin Locock, Project Manager, Welsh Journals Online go to http://www.cilip.org.uk/branches/byregion/wales/conference and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Repositories

• www.ancestor-search.info/CRO-INDEX.htm- Listings of County Record Offices in Wales. 
• www.genuki.org.uk- Listings of County Record Offices in Wales.
• http://www.archivesnetworkwales.info/- Catalog of archives, record offices, and universities.
• www.llgc.org.uk- The National Library of Wales. The main repository for Wales.
  

Wills/Probates

•  Wills and Probate Records - Wales Wills pre-1858; indexes and images 
• www.ancestry.com- Wales Wills post-1857; indexes
• www.familysearch.org- Online abstracts of Wales wills 1544-1854
• wiki.familysearch.org- > type Principal Probate Registry. Links to microfilm numbers at the Family History Library. Also includes links to a great website to assist in determining the correct FHL film from the District Probate Registries.
• www.nationalarchives.gov.uk- Wills proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.
• thegenealogist.co.uk- Indexes and images to wills proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. 

Website links to other Welsh records

• Wales GenWeb
• www.genuki.org.uk
• www.cyndislist.com
• http://www.ukisearch.com/wales.html

Welsh Language Translation

• Translate Welsh DocumentsRootsChat Welsh Help pages. (Free).

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)