9 useful 19th century records on Ancestry

With the census and birth, marriage and death records to enjoy, the 1800s are a hotbed of family history research. These resources are just the beginning of the story – for further ideas to enrich your family history investigations and knowledge of the past with Ancestry, read on 1. City & County Directories

The 1800s were the heyday for directories: find ancestors listed by address or those working on their own account categorised by occupation. Directories are invaluable for giving a flavour of communities, working lives and bygone occupations.

• UK, City & County Directories

Datespan: 1766-1946

Number of records: 42,782,467 www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/3145/

• Ireland, City & Regional Directories

Datespan: 1836-1947

Number of records: 12,249,395 www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61314/

2. Ireland, Jameson Distillery Staff Wages & Employment Books

Find details of wages and time books in more than a million Jameson records. Datepsan: 1862-1969 Number of records: 1,039,997 www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61942/

3. Ireland Catholic Parish Registers

Search across 1,000 parishes in a collection that is particularly rich in coverage from the 1820s. Datespan: 1655-1915

Number of records: 25,639,290 www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61039/

4. National Probate Calendar

Search nation-wide for your ancestor’s will using these invaluable finding aids, for England & Wales, and for Scotland

• England & Wales, (Index of Wills and Administrations) Datespan: 1858-1995

Number of records: 20,503,027 www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1904/

• Scotland (Calendar of Confirmations & Inventories) Datespan: 1876-1936

Number of records: 654,826 www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/60558/

5. Ireland, Register of Wills & Administrations

Includes both wills and indexes to wills, registers and indexes of administration. Datespan: 1828-1885 Number of records: 15,671 www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62076/

6. UK Poll Books & Electoral Registers

Find names of those who voted in poll books, and those eligible to vote in electoral registers over many decades as more and more ancestors gained the right to vote.

Datespan: 1538-1893

Number of records: 4,677,818 www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/2410/

• See also London Electoral Registers 1832-1965: www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1795/

7. UK & Ireland Find a Grave Index

Search the valuable Find a Grave index of half a million cemeteries worldwide, via Ancestry. Datespan: 1300s-current

Number of records: 10,918,486 www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/60526/

8. UK Calendar of Prisoners

Find names, trades, crimes and sentences for those tried at Assizes and Quarter Sessions. Datespan: 1868-1929 Number of records: 803,980 www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61808/

9. England & Scotland Select Cemetery Registers

Find transcribed details and/or digitised register pages. Datespan: 1800-2016

Number of records: 3,603,029 www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/9041/

The collections above are just a small selection of the resources on Ancestry to help you trace ancestors in the 1800s. Use the date and place filters to home in on specific topics of relevance to your family tree and enrich your understanding of your family’s story.