How to discover your family history

If you are interested in researching your family history, Surrey History Centre holds a variety of sources to assist you. Our friendly and experienced staff are available to guide you through your first steps, and advise you how to progress.

While the Surrey History Centre caters primarily for those researching their ancestors from Surrey, we do hold some sources which can be used for national research, such as the International Genealogical Index (IGI) both on fiche and on-line, some General Records Office (GRO) indexes and the National Probate Index. However if you are in any doubt as to whether we hold particular records, you should contact Surrey History Centre to confirm that we have exactly what you are looking for.

Surrey History Centre is a popular place for research of all kinds and we can get very busy. We strongly recommend that you contact us in advance so that we can reserve fiche, film or table space for you.

You may access the internet at the Surrey History Centre and Ancestry and Findmypast are available to use free of charge by library members in Surrey History Centre and Surrey Libraries along with other resources on the Surrey Libraries online reference shelf.

Also we have several CD-ROMs which can be helpful to research, such as Soldiers Died in the Great War and the Surrey Burials Index. Click here to see details of the CD-ROMs which we have at Surrey History Centre.

Our archive holds thousands of illustrations and photographs including postcards, prints, drawings and paintings of Surrey places, people and events, which may provide a glimpse of the area where your ancestors came from.

Our library contains a comprehensive collection of detailed printed maps covering Surrey. In addition we hold numerous books and pamphlets on local history, many of which include a wide variety of photographs and illustrations. We hold a good selection of local history publications, particularly by the West and East Surrey Family History Societies. We have numerous books on genealogy and heraldry in addition to the many published directories such as Crockford’s Clerical Directories and Who’s Who. We subscribe to some family history journals including Ancestors published by the National Archives.

Try the research guides below.