Getting started on Ancestry
Public libraries, archive record offices and a number of museums in Wales, and the National Library of Wales provide free access to Ancestry Library Edition to help you with your family history research. Many library, archive and museum services offer training and support for users wishing to start searching their family history. With over 443,916 searches taking place in 22,752 sessions on Ancestry Library across Wales in 2024, the resource is ever-popular with those interested to find out more about their ancestors.
Ancestry Library includes millions of primary and secondary sources – as well as the census, the resource can provide family trees, vital records, military & immigration records, land records, wills, newspapers and more. Find details about where your ancestors were living, who they were living with, and what their occupation and marital status was – it all starts with a name!
In January 2025, Ancestry announced that the 1921 Census of England and Wales is now available on its platform. In addition to its existing 60 billion records, the 1921 Census offers a snapshot into what life was like for almost 38 million people who were living in England and Wales at the time, and is the last census from the first half of the 20th century available to family historians as the 1931 Census was taken but destroyed in WWII.
With the next surviving census (1951) not set to be released until 2051 – Ancestry provides an opportunity to draw comparisons from the past of our ancestors to our present.
For information on how to access Ancestry, please phone, e-mail or visit your library’s local authority website.