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Online Resources

This guide covers the resources that are available to help you trace your Scottish ancestors, including a list of resources that are available online.
If you are planning a visit, it also details some of our resources available at our Family History centre.

Core websites

These core websites contain some key online resources for tracing your Scottish ancestors

  • ScotlandsPeople

    Scottish birth, death and marriage certificates, census returns, Old Parish Registers and many other records can be accessed via the ScotlandsPeople website

  • ScotlandsPeople Network

    The Registrars Genealogy Service in the Mitchell Library also provides access to the ScotlandsPeople Network which includes more recent records that are not available on ScotlandsPeople remotely

  • Glasgow Libraries eResources

    The Glasgow Libraries eResources page includes many online resources that can help with your genealogical research, including Ancestry, Find My Past and British Library Newspapers

  • Glasgow City Archives catalogue

    Glasgow City Archives catalogue can be accessed on Archives Hub and is added to regularly

  • NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Archives

    NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde summary catalogues can be accessed on Archives Hub

  • University of Glasgow Archives and Special Collections

    Find further NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde information on the University of Glasgow website

  • Glasgow Libraries Online

    You can search library resources for family history on the Glasgow Libraries catalogue

  • Scottish Archive Network

    The Scottish Archive Network contains summary catalogue descriptions for archives across Scotland

  • UK National Archives catalogue

    The UK National Archives catalogue contains descriptions of records held by The National Archives and more than 2,500 other archives

  • Scottish Post Office Directories

    The National Library of Scotland has made available many Post Office Directories

  • Maps

    View maps for Glasgow and many other parts of the country

  • Virtual Mitchell

    Many photographs from our collections can be found on the Virtual Mitchell

  • The Glasgow Story

    Photos of Glasgow give you a real flavour of life in Glasgow in times gone by

  • Ancestry

    Ancestry Library Edition is an invaluable online genealogical resource, offering access to thousands of searchable databases.

Black and white photo showing a group of 10 children of different ages in two rows, 4 children are standing in the back row whilst the rest are sitting in front row, there is a building and door behind them

ScotlandsPeople website

Scottish birth, death and marriage certificates, census returns, Old Parish Registers and many other records can be accessed via the ScotlandsPeople website

Visit the ScotlandsPeople website here
A room in the Family History centre at The Mitchell Library featuring multiple desks with PCs and bookcases, there are a few people sitting at the desks looking at the computer screens.

The Registrars Genealogy Service

The Registrars Genealogy Service in the Mitchell Library also provides access to the ScotlandsPeople Network which includes more recent records that are not available on ScotlandsPeople remotely.

Find out more information

Useful online resources

Research guides

Some of our records have been indexed – you can search databases and indexes in the relevant research guide