Up your family tree

Tracing our ancestors is one of the most popular uses for the internet. Before the web this was a lengthy process involving visits to record offices, libraries and archives for even the most basic information.
Recent personal experience has demonstrated that with patience and good contact with relatives it is possible to trace ancestors back 200 years from home using resouces available on the internet.
Most are free and if used wisely can minimise the information or certificates that need to be purchased.

In April of 2007 The Guardian publshed an excellent guide and this can be found by following this link to Family History.
It includes a step by step guide to tracing your family tree at this link to The bare bones.
Also following these links will show you how to read Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates and Census Returns.

The BBC have a very good introduction at this link to Family History  stemming from their series Who do you  think you are? This includes a Family History: Get Started  by Dr Niick Barratt.

You can also use information available on your local library computers.
Ancestry Online is a Family History source that provides access to a wealth of information for England and Wales including the censuses (1841-1901) and records of Births Deaths & Marriages (1837-1984). Census records for Scotland are also available (1841-1901). Among the other records are parish and probate records; Pallot's Baptism and Marriage Index (1730-1837); Isle of Man censuses; census records for the USA and Canada; phone and trade directories for England, Scotland and the USA; WWI British Army Pension and Service Records (1914-20), emigration lists etc. Records are also being added for Australia and contintental Europe. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library on the People's Network Computers.

Also following this link to the Local Studies section of the Lancashire Libraries web site will yeld a comprehensive guide to source material in Lancashire

One final word of warning,  it can become an obsession!