Starting to research an unfamiliar country in family history can be very daunting, but all you need is a good strategy. Here are my tips.
What you need to know when researching an unfamiliar country in family history
Location:
- Where is the country located and what is in the neighbourhood?
- Which countries lie on its borders or in the vicinity?
- You will need maps of the region, as well as more detailed maps of the country.
- Identify the main cities/towns.
Jurisdictions:
- How is the country divided up, currently and historically? Some sources may be held centrally, but others are often held regionally or locally.
- What are the main government institutions, relevant to family history, such as registrar, lands, probate?
- Where are government and church records stored?
Languages:
- What is the official language now and what other languages have historically been spoken there? This affects the languages that may be used in sources and on websites.
Churches and religion:
- What are the main religions, now and historically?
History:
- When did civil registration begin (when the government took over the role of recording births deaths and marriages from the church)?
- When was the census undertaken and which ones (if any) survive?
- What was the immigration history (in or out of the country)?
- Other historical context is useful, but these are the most important points when you begin your research.
Available sources:
- What are the main repositories of historical records, such as libraries and archives? Where are they located and do they have an online presence?
- What online records are available – start with FamilySearch, Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage, but also look for country-specific websites containing databases. What collections do they have, what is the coverage, what has been indexed and what has been digitised?
Where you can find information about an unfamiliar country in family history
Look for books about researching family history in that country, read the relevant country guides in the FamilySearch wiki and on Cyndi’s List, and check if the national library or archives for that country has an online guide.
You should also look for family history societies in that country. See what information they provide online and whether they have any publications relevant to your research.
More information
For more of my articles about search techniques, go to the Research page.
For my articles about planning your family history, go to the Plan page.
For more of my articles about research methods for family history, go to the Research Methods page.
