The internet is less than 20 years old, but in that time it has revolutionised family history research. Every month brings new sets of data to family historians’ desktops, let alone the web’s role as the world’s largest reference library. But if you’re new to family history, which sites can you trust? If you only look at two websites, make them those we feature in the boxes for the all-round range of what they offer; to delve further afield, we’ve selected 25 sites of all kinds. Use the symbols to find sites of different kinds quickly.

Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives
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If you need help with your UK-based family tree, you can track down professional genealogists here

Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland
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Irish research offers particular challenges – here are professionals who know the pitfalls

British Genealogy News and Events
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Keep up with the latest developments at this friendly blog

British History Online
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A free site with masses of information, especially about local history; there are also some 19th century maps

Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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Search for nearly 2m men and women who died in the two world wars and learn about war cemeteries

CuriousFox
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A message board system with individual sections for every place in the UK and Ireland, which can also be searched by surname interest

Expert Links: English Family History & Genealogy
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If you’re hungry for even more websites, there are hundreds of neatly organised links here all on one page

FamilySearch
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A giant worldwide site run by the Mormons and free to search: find parish record transcriptions, census records and pedigrees

Federation of Family History Societies
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The umbrella organisation for the UK’s many local family history societies – the site also has a useful newsletter

The Gazette
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The official newspaper of record is free to search online, with announcements dating back to the 17th century

GENUKI
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The definitive genealogical reference library for the UK and Ireland, strong on topographical information

Index of Old Occupations
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If you’ve found an odd term describing your ancestor’s job, here’s where to look it up – there’s also a guide to old medical terms

Lost Cousins
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A clever site where you enter details of ancestor found in certain censuses – it then connects you to other people interested in the same forebears

National Archives of Ireland
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Ireland’s official archive offers the 1901 and 1911 Irish censuses for free, plus lots of advice on Irish genealogy

National Library of Wales
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The copyright library has put several databases free online, covering prison records, wills, marriage bonds and more

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
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Free data here includes Ulster covenants, freeholders records, street directories and calendars of wills proven in Northern Ireland

Roll of Honour
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This slightly ramshackle site has countless transcriptions of war memorials and other data about casualties of war, organised by place

Society of Genealogists
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The 100-year-old society has put its important library catalogue online, plus a growing variety of records for members to explore online

Victorian Web
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An eclectic collection of essays and other resources about life in Victorian times – ideal for learning what your 19th century ancestors’ lives were like

A Vision of Britain through Time
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A fantastic gazetteer of Britain from 1801 to 2001 – find out what your ancestor’s town or village was like in the past

The Workhouse Web Site
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If your ancestors succumbed to poverty, this huge resource will help you learn more about life in these notorious institutions