Getting started with your family history research

Read up

If this is the first time that you have researched family history, it's a good idea to read up about it before you start. To help you find the books you need, our experts have compiled a list of suggested reading on family history.

Research at home

Talk to your family – especially the oldest members. This will help you to trace family history back as far as you can and get details of where people were born, lived and died.

Look at old family documents. Past correspondence, old letters and family bibles are great sources of information about your ancestors.

Make a first draft of your family tree. Don't forget to include dates and places of birth if you have them.

Join a family history group

There are a number in East Sussex, and they're a great source of support and advice. A detailed list is available from East Sussex Community Information Service (ESCIS).

When you get to a dead end

Once you've exhausted these resources, you'll need to try record offices and libraries. If any of your leads end in East Sussex or Brighton & Hove, the East Sussex Record Office or East Sussex libraries should be able to help.

More information on the resources we hold, and where you can find them are available on our page about useful documents for family history research.