Family History - Major Resources Available
Major resources available to help you trace your family history.
Ancestry website
All libraries in Solihull now have a subscription to the Ancestry website so you can access census returns 1841-1901 for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as birth, marriage and death indexes for England and Wales 1837-2005 completely free of charge from library computers. Contact your local library for further details or check out our Ancestry page for our top tips for getting the best from the site.
General Register Office indexes
to births, marriages and deaths in England & Wales 1837-2003 on microfiche.
One of the most useful records for family historians, these indexes are the place where most people start their research. Although not copies of the actual certificates, the indexes give you enough information to purchase a copy of a birth, marriage or death certificate for a particular person. There is a charge of 50p per half hour for using the microfiche readers for these indexes or you can view the indexes free of charge on the Ancestry website from library computers . See our page on births, marriages and deaths for further information on how to use the indexes and what information they contain.
National Probate Calendars
1858-1943 on microfiche
Indexes to wills proved in England & Wales between 1858 and 1943. These usually give the name and address of the deceased, date of death, details of the amount of sworn estate, the names of the main beneficiaries and the date that the will was proved. See our page on wills for further information.
Divorce indexes
1858-1958 on microfilm.
These are copies of records J78 in the National Archives (formerly Public Record Office) and give summary details of divorce and matrimonial causes files 1858 to 1945 and 1950 to 1958. Cases are entered under the first letter of the petitioner's name and indicate the year of registration and the file number given to the papers in the action concerned. No indexes survive for the years 1946 to 1948 but brief details of petitions received during that time are recorded in the Divorce Receipt Books, which are also included in this series.
Local census returns for Solihull
1841-1901 on microfilm and microfiche (depending on year).
Finding a family on the census can often be the key to family history research as the census is the only major source that records the whole family unit together. See our census page for further information.
Census records 1841-1901
for England, Wales, Scotland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are available on the Ancestry website, searchable by name.
All Solihull Libraries have a subscription to Ancestry (Library edition) so you can search, view, and save original census records free of charge from any library computer. Contact your local library.
1881 census on microfiche and CD for England and Wales.
1851 census for the counties of Devon, Norfolk and Warwickshire (on CD).
Church registers on microfilm
Registers of baptisms, marriages and burials for the parishes of Balsall, Barston, Berkswell, Bickenhill, Castle Bromwich, Elmdon, Hampton-in-Arden, Knowle, Meriden and Solihull. Dates of registers held vary for each parish - please see our list of parish register holdings, for further details.
International Genealogical Index (IGI)/FamilySearch
The IGI acts as an index to church baptism and marriage records and is available on microfiche on a county by county basis as well as on CD and on the Internet as FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org). It is most useful if you are searching for the period before 1812 but there are some later entries listed.
Newspapers
Warwickshire Advertiser 1806-1960 on microfilm
Solihull News (previously Warwick County News) 1930 to date, on microfilm.
Local newspapers can give a fascinating picture of life at a particular time and also details of births, marriages and deaths. A searchable database listing newspaper titles for the whole of the West Midlands region is available at http://wm.newsplan.co.uk/
Trade directories for Birmingham and Warwickshire
A range of directories is available for Warwickshire and Birmingham.
Monumental inscriptions
for some local parishes as well as a number further afield elsewhere in Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire.
Military records
Was your ancestor in the armed forces? There are records available that can help you to trace them. See our military records page for further information.
Register your interests
Do you wonder if someone else is researching the same family or area as you? If so, would you like people to be able to contact you? Let us know your area of research (e.g. a particular name or topic) and we'll enter your contact details in our "Register of readers' interests" so that others might get in touch to share research and knowledge.