Top Ten Genealogy Tools
Recommended by the IHGS Tutor Team
We asked our expert tutor team here at IHGS to share some of their essential Genealogy tools – the things they use day in, day out – and pulled together their top ten recommendations.
From Apps, to Websites, to Software to Apps to a good old notebook and pencil…all the tools of the trade to support your research and streamline your process!
1. The Parishes, Registers, and Registrars of Scotland
This handy publication comprises the records of births and baptisms, banns and marriages and deaths and burials kept by individual parishes of the Established Church (Church of Scotland) before the introduction of civil registration in 1855. Publication produced by SAFHS and written by Bruce and Janet Bishop
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/birth-death-and-marriage-records/old-parish-registers
2. The Ordnance Survey Maps of England and Wales
Accessed via the National Library of Scotland (maps.nls.uk) this is a wonderful collection, even including WW1 trench maps, with functionality that offers layering and side by side views for easy identification of changes in the landscape over time.
https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/
3. The GENUKI Website
Run by volunteers, GENUKI provides a virtual reference library of genealogical information of particular relevance to the UK and Ireland – and is particularly handy for Parish records!
4. The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers
Recommended by SO many of the team, The Phillimore Atlas outlines old parishes prior to 1832 and provides the date of the earliest surviving registers for the parish. The atlas includes England, Wales, and Scotland and the latest edition features the addition of a map of the whole UK that shows the county boundaries before 1830 and a shift to reliance on census indexes rather than marriage indexes. The maps from the Atlas are also on ancestry.co.uk, dataset Great Britain, Atlas and Index of Parish Registers.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Phillimore-Atlas-Index-Parish-Registers/dp/1860772390
5. Pencils & Notepads!
Classic but essential tools for every genealogist. Most archives prefer users bring a pencil rather than a pen and it’s always good to have these traditional items on hand in case the WIFI fails or something goes wrong with your tech when you are researching away from home. Also perfect for quick note taking and draft trees when trying to work out connections. (Some people like to use coloured pencils to code their work, and you can get colour pencil rubbers too!)
6. The Great War Forum
A welcoming place to discuss all aspects of the Great War of 1914-1918! If you have a question about your ancestor, the Great War Forum is the place to find answers, as there are many military experts that will point you in the right direction and help you with your research- and it’s completely free!
https://www.greatwarforum.org/
7. A British Timeline History or Regal Years Ruler
A handy reference tool for checking dates and monarchs as you work – there are so many available on the market but a member of our team recommended her regal rule such as this one from English Heritage
8. Family Tree Software
With so many software options on the market, it can be hard to know which will best suit your needs. Our team recommend Family Tree Maker, Family Historian, Legacy and Roots Magic – each designed to help you store your research and some even integrate with genealogy websites such as Ancestry, Find My Past or Family Search. Definitely worth giving the free trials a go before investing in a package to see which suits you best!
https://www.family-historian.co.uk/
9. The Long Long Trail
An indispensable tool for anyone researching a World War One soldier ancestor. The Long Long Trail website is full of resources about specific regiments, units and the battles in which they fought.
https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk
10. Note-Taking Apps
Again, there are a plethora of note-taking apps available such as OneNote or Evernote – these apps will give you everything you need to stay organized from great note-taking, project planning, and uploading PDFs and images
So, there we have it, our top ten tools.
Did we miss anything?
We’d love to know your thoughts!
