Family History

Family History

If you are just starting to research your Family History, then contact Local Studies at Reading Central Library. We have many books about what sources you may need, and how to go about it. Many of these can be borrowed. We also have magazines about family history, which often include practical tips – we have complete runs of Family Tree Magazine, Practical Family History, and Ancestors.

Most of the material is on the top floor of the Library in the Family History Centre – including microfilm, microfiche, and CD-ROM. There is no charge for using most facilities except a small charge for photocopying and printing. Printing from microfiche is available on a self-service basis; printing from film can only be done by library staff, and normally takes about a week. There are five microfilm readers and also a CD-ROM terminal, each of which may be booked in advance, free of charge, though it is usually possible to walk in and use one without an appointment. There is no need to book fiche readers.

The Berkshire Connection

If you have a family connection with Reading or the historic county of Berkshire we have some very specific sources that will be useful. Also see the Local History section on this website for details of Local Newspapers, Maps and Illustrations that we hold.

Census

We have the complete census of Berkshire, and parts of South Oxfordshire, 1841 – 1901 on microfilm, detailing who lived where on census night, what their relationship was to the head of the household, how old they where, and, in most cases, what they did for a living, and where they were born. The censuses of 1851 and 1881 are indexed, so people are easy to find. We also have a CD version with maps for the 1851 census for Berkshire. There are also Street Indexes to Reading, which was a large town even then.

Directories

The earliest directory in the collection to feature towns in Berkshire was the Universal British Directory of 1796; we have County Directories for Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire that date up to 1939. We also have Directories of Reading up to 1976, as well as Directories for specific towns in Berkshire (Abingdon, Newbury, Maidenhead, Windsor, Wokingham). These are often indexed, and are particularly useful for tracing people in trade. We have a few for London and other counties as well. Check the library catalogue for details.

Electoral Registers & Poll Books

Electoral Registers record those eligible to vote. We have Registers for the County of Berkshire 1832, 1839-40, 1845-46, 1850-51, 1860-61. For the Borough of Reading we have Registers from 1832 onwards. We also have the constituency (later district) registers for Abingdon 1947-1974, Windsor 1949-1974, Wokingham 1949 – 2002, Newbury 1946 – 2002, Bracknell 1977 – 2002 (Bracknell was included in Wokingham up to 1976). We have some, but not all, for South Oxfordshire District too, the earliest being 1965.

Poll Books record those who voted! We have details of the Berkshire Elections of 1768, 1796, 1812, 1818, and 1832, and those for Reading in 1740, 1754, 1768, 1774, 1790, 1802, 1818 and 1820.

We also hold the edited version of the Electoral Register for Reading Borough for public inspection. The edited version does not contain your name if you opted out of it on the form. To see the full roll contact Electoral Services in the Civic Centre.

Parish Registers

Memorial Inscriptions

The inscriptions on gravestones and monuments in many Berkshire churches and churchyards have been transcribed and indexed, and the work is being continued by local family history societies. The older surveys are available on paper, and work done more recently is on microfiche. Check the catalogue for details.

Telephone Books

For an alphabetical list of people, try the phone book. We have those for Reading and district 1894, 1940, 1951 onwards. We also have the local Yellow Pages for 1939, 1940, 1961, 1976 onwards.

The National Picture

We can also help if your family connection is not with Reading or Berkshire. 

We have the IGI – International Genealogical Index - on microfiche. We also have the National Burial Index, on CD-ROM. The complete 1881 Census is also on CD-ROM here in the library. The 1901 census of England & Wales is available on the Internet, and we have free access to the Internet throughout the library. We supply the vouchers you may need to get detailed information from this website. We also have a record of useful websites for family historians: please check the Links page.

If your interest is in the Armed Services, the Clergy, the Peerage or Landed Gentry, or students at Oxford or Cambridge Universities, then we have many of the published lists. We also possess a large set of the volumes of the Victoria County History. These are detailed examinations of the local history of English counties.

If your interest is in somewhere else in the country, you can get an idea of what may be available in other libraries by following this link to Familia.

For birth/marriage/death certificates you will need the Index to Civil Registration since 1837, (known as the General Register Office (GRO) Index, or the St Catherine’s House Index). This is held locally in Berkshire Record Office, tel: 0118 901 5132. 

If you have the chance to visit the library, you will find the staff knowledgeable and helpful, and you will be welcome to look at any of these various sources of information.

We also offer a research service for enquiries if you are unable to visit us in person. Please ask to see if we can help. There can be a charge for this service depending on the detail you need. Phone us on (0118) 901 5965, or write to Local Studies, Reading Central Library, Abbey Square, RG1 3BQ or email us using the form on the Contact page of this website.