Hide
The Family History Library
hide
Hide
The world's largest genealogy library is the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, a branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ("LDS"). You don't have to travel all the way to Salt Lake City. The Family History Library has a system of over 3,400 branch libraries, known as Family History Centres ("FHCs"), located throughout the world to help people search for records of their ancestors. The Family History Centres operate in 64 countries, and more than 100,000 rolls of microfilm are circulated to the centres each month. These records include vital, census, land, probate, immigration, and church records, and many other records of genealogical value.
Family History Centres
Everyone is welcome to use a Family History Centre. You do not need to be a member of the LDS faith. These are the physical locations of the principal Family History Centres in England. Please check with the Family Search site for locations outside of England. Most of these are located in or next to meetinghouses of the LDS.
Most of these centres are open only about 20 hours per week. Other centres may exist. To find out if there is one closer to you, call the British Isles Family History Service Centre (BIFHSC). Do not send mail to the individual Family History Centres (FHC) - they have limited staff and do not have time to reply. Mail should be sent to the BIFHSC.
Call first to determine the days and hours a FHC is open. Bring with you the information (names, dates, places) you have on your ancestors. The staff are there to help you do the research, not to do it for you. All the staff are volunteers, so treat them with the courtesy and respect they deserve.
Some FHC may have more resources than others. If you don't find something you need, ask if it is at one of the other centres. The FHC used by the webmaster is a small one with limited resources. Here's what Margaret Taylor has to say about the Toronto, Canada, Centre: "I live in the city of Toronto and the local Mormon Family History Center here has the GRO Indexes - Birth and Marriage 1837- 1983, and Deaths 1837-1988. We also have the films of Scottish Indexes and some Irish, all 1891 census fiche, plus much much more. I am a volunteer there (1 session per week) and we are open various hours, 5 days a week. Although we are pretty well booked-up on the film readers at all times anyone living near enough to visit would be welcome."
BRITISH ISLES FAMILY HISTORY SERVICE CENTRE | Mailing address: 399 Garretts Green Lane, Birmingham, B33 0UH Tel: 021-7841460 Fax 021-7112249 |
BILLINGHAM | The Linkway, Billingham, Cleveland Tel: 0642 563 162 |
BRISTOL | 721 Wells Road, Whitchurch, Bristol Tel: 0272-838326 |
CANTERBURY | Forty Acre Road, Canterbury, Kent Tel: 01227 765 431 |
CHELTENHAM | Thirlestaine Road, Cheltenham, Gloucester Tel: 01242 523 433 |
CHESTER | 50 Clifton Drive, Blacone, Chester, Cheshire Tel: 01244 390 796 |
CHORLEY | Preston Temple Complex, Hartwood Green, Chorley, Lancs. Tel: 01257 226 145 |
COVENTRY | Riverside Close, Coventry, Warwick Tel: 02476 303 316 |
CRAWLEY | Old Horsham Road, Crawley, Sussex Tel: 01293 520 639 |
GRIMSBY | Linwood Avenue off Waltham Road, Grimsby, Linc. Tel: 01472 828876 |
HORNCHURCH | 64 Butts Green Road, Hornchurch, Essex Tel: 01708 620 727 |
HUDDERSFIELD | 12 Halifax Road, Birchencliffe, Huddlesfield, West York Tel: 01484 454 573 |
HULL | 725 Holderness Road, Hull, York Tel: 01482 701 439 |
IPSWICH | 42 Sidegate Lane West, Ipswich, Suffolk Tel: 01473 723 182 |
LEEDS | Vesper Road, Leeds, West York Tel: 01132 582 297 |
LEICESTER | Wakerly Road, Leicester Tel: 01162 737 334 |
LICHFIELD | Purcell Avenue, Lichfield, Staff. Tel: 01543 414 843 |
LINCOLN | Skellingthorpe Road, Lincoln, Lincoln, LN6 0PB Tel: 01522 680117 |
LIVERPOOL | 4 Mill Bank, Liverpool, Merseyside Tel: 0151 252 0614 |
LONDON | 64/68 Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London Tel: 0171 589 8561 |
LONDON | 149 Nightengale Lane, Balham, London Tel: 0181 673 6741 |
LUTON | London Road at Cutenhoe Road, Luton, Bedford Tel: 01582 482 234 |
MAIDSTONE | 76B London Road, Maidstone, Kent Tel: 01622 757 811 |
MANCHESTER | Altrincam Road, Wythenshawe, Manchester Tel: 0161 902 9279 |
NORWICH | 16 Greenways, Eaton, Norwich, Norfolk Tel: 01603 452 440 |
NOTTINGHAM | Stanhome Square, West Bridgeford, Nottingham Tel: 0115 914 4255 |
PLYMOUTH | Mannamead Road, Plymouth, Devon Tel: 01752 668 666 |
POOLE | 8 Mount Road, Parkstone Poole, Dorset Tel: 01202 730 646 |
PORTSMOUTH | Kingston Crescent, Portsmouth, Hampshire Tel: 01705 696 243 |
READING | 280 The Mead Way, Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire Tel: 01189 410 211 |
REDDITCH | 321 Eversham Road, Crabbs Cross, Redditch, Worcester Tel: 01527 550 657 |
ROCHDALE | Tweedale Street, Rochdale, Lancashire Tel: 01706 526 292 |
SHEFFIELD | Wheel Lane, Grenoside, Sheffield, South York Tel: 0114 245 3124 |
STAINES | 41 Kinston Road, Staines, Middlesex Tel: 01784 462 627 |
SUNDERLAND | Linden Road off Queen Alexander Road, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear Tel: 01915 285 787 |
WATFORD | Hempstead Road, Watford, Hertford Tel: 01923 251 471 |
YORK | West Bank, Acomb, York Tel: 01904 785 128 |