Explore some of the sites on the web to help you get started researching your family tree.

Research is gradually getting easier as more and more records are published online. There are masses of websites on family history - here's our guide to some of the most useful. Find out more about tracing your Family Tree and read the stories of others in our Family History section.

Census Research Wales
www.cenquest.co.uk
This site currently provides access to historical census information gathered in Pembrokeshire in 1891 and 1871. It provides a free search of indexes of people and institutions.

Rootsweb Glamorgan Mailing List
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~glamorgan/
This website was created to help those on the 'Glamorgan Mailing List'. There are additional sections including photo galleries and links to other genealogical websites. It's useful for anyone tracing their family who have links with Aberdare, Merthyr or the Rhondda Valleys.

Gareth Hicks's Site
http://home.clara.net/tirbach/
This site was suggested to us by Jill Muir of Oxfordshire and she describes it as 'brimming with help and information about Welsh genealogy'. Two sections are particularly worth noting - Gareths Help Page which provides a wealth of information on various topics and The South West Lookup Exchange which is a list of reference work volunteers are willing to carry out research on.

Gentracers
www.gentracers.com
This site was established in 1995, being the first professional family history research facility on the web from Wales. You'll find information on historical resources and a comprehensive links section provides a route in to other family history sites. All help and advice is now free.

Carmarthenshire Family History Society
www.CarmarthenshireFHS.co.uk
This site, suggested by Richard James, contains a wealth of information for those with families from the Carmarthenshire area. You can learn about parish histories, marriage records, census returns and lots more.

Genpals
http://groups.msn.com/Genpals/
This site is described as being an "unique genealogy research forum", as it provides access to a growing international family of genealogy enthusiasts who help others to further family history research. So if you need advice or assistance it might well be the right site for you! Note that to participate in forums and groups on MSN's website it is usually neccesary to have an MSN 'Passport', essentially a log-in which you use for accessing free webmail services such as Hotmail. 'Passports' are free but you will need to register.

Dyfed Family History Society
www.dyfedfhs.org.uk/
This excellent site was suggested to us by John Richards of St. Albans. The DFHS encourages and assists people in all parts of the world who are pursuing history research in the old county of Dyfed (Ceredigion / Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire). It's a comprehensive resource for researchers with material including 'Frequently Asked Questions', a bibliography of books to use and statistics on the different localities. There are five branches which cover Carmarthen, Cardigan, Llanelli, Pembrokeshire and Upper Towy. The Carmarthen branch meets on the last Wednesday of the month.

National Library of Wales
www.llgc.org.uk
The library has a special section on family history. Its website carries a wealth of information, including references to the Independent Chapels of Wales in Carmarthenshire, the transportation of women from West Wales to Van Diemen's Land, records from the Vale of Neath Brewery, and material on Pembrokeshire family names.

Public Records Office
www.familyrecords.gov.uk
This site is designed to provide easy access to information on family records. It offers links to the main UK family history websites. There's material on adoption, military records, migration, parish registers, the census, wills and records of births, marriages and deaths.

Glamorgan Family History Society
www.glamfhs.org
This society has a branch which meets monthly in Swansea and their site carries details of forthcoming meetings. You'll also find a list of related websites, many of which are based in Wales, and information about the society's publications.

Rootsweb
www.rootsweb.com
People trying to track their ancestors can use this site to access the Welsh ethnic category which provides advice and research links. You'll also find guides covering everything from the use of technology in finding family members, to understanding the workings of American land records. An interesting section to note is the 'Lists' section - here you have access to genealogy mailing lists - where you can search / post queries according to places or surnames.

Welsh Family History Archive
http://home.clara.net/wfha/wales/
If your research has hit a brick wall, you may well find help on this site's 'Frequently Asked Questions' section. There's also a glossary of Welsh place names and a comprehensive link to online resources.

WalesGenWeb
www.walesgenweb.com
This organisation is dedicated to the free access of genealogical information. There are query boards and links to local information boards covering Cardigan, Carmarthen, Glamorgan, and Pembroke, along with hints and tips to help you in your quest.

GENUKI (UK and Ireland Genealogy)
www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/
A vast collection of material relating to Wales can be found here - there are more than 3000 seperate pages. You can search county and parish records - the latter forming the main platform of genealogical research.

West Glamorgan Archive Service
www.swansea.gov.uk/westglamorganarchives/
The Archive Service provides expert help in tracing your family tree, access to the Ancestry website, and other sources such as census returns, indexes to birth marriage and death certificates, and parish registers - free of charge. It has recently relocated to new premises within County Hall, Swansea. More information can be found on the website

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
www.familysearch.org
Members of this church believe that family members can be re-united after death. They make covenants on behalf of their ancestors, but first have to identify them. Consequently the Church has genealogical records from all over the world. The site offers information on its library, and has an impressive search facility. All that's required is a surname and country to produce long lists of possible ancestors. When we tried it out it took seconds to find family members in Margam, Kidwelly, Mathry, Llansamlet and Llangwm - some dating back to the early 18th century.

Ellis Island
www.ellisisland.org
If any of your family have travelled to America you may well find the Ellis Island site interesting. Once you've registered (it's free), users can search for relatives who passed through New York between 1892 and 1924. After a brief search we found a record for William Williams. He left his home in Port Talbot in 1895, when he was 14-years-old, bound for NY on the ship Teutonic from Liverpool...

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