Family history

Discover your family history at The Mitchell Library
An old black and white photograph of five young people sitting on a wall. They are all wearing flat caps and their clothes are worn. Some do not have shoes on.

Welcome to Glasgow Family History

A one-stop shop for online and in-person resources for the family historian. Discover how to use our resources to trace your family tree and find out about the lives of your ancestors.

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Where to start

Not sure where to begin? Our guide is packed with useful tips and guidance.

Get started
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Research guides

Explore our full list of guides to help your family history research.

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Featured guides

  • Births, deaths and marriages

    Find the birth, marriage and death records of your Scottish ancestors from 1855 to the present day

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  • Ancestry

    Access Glasgow electoral registers from 1857-1962 plus many more resources

    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

  • Burial and cremation registers

    Find the final resting place of your ancestors by using burial, lair and cremation registers

    Black and white photo showing an older women standing with 4 children, one of them in a pram with a man leaning out a window behind them
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Family history services

Find out about the resources available at The Mitchell, including Archives, Registrars and Special Collections.

Family History at The Mitchell

Stories from The Mitchell

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Explore our blogs and articles for information and top tips

  • Times Past

    Our archivists explore Glasgow's fascinating history with new articles each week

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  • Special Collections Blogs

    On rare books, manuscripts and other special collections to support local and family history

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  • Famous Faces

    Discover the research carried out by some of our users, including some well known faces!

    Image of a man called Archie MacPherson sitting at a table looking at the camera in a dimly lit room with a bookcase behind him

Family History Image Gallery

Click here to view some images from our Family History collection