Find Out About Your Family History

Manx National Heritage is now providing free online access to the family history website ancestry.com.

The charity has signed an agreement with Ancestry which will see the Ancestry Institution offer access at the Manx National Heritage Library and Archives.

Ancestry is pleased to empower visitors to the Manx Museum to delve in to their family history with Ancestry Institution comprising more than 60 billion searchable records.

The records are from 88 countries around the world, including census records, civil birth, marriage and death records, parish records, migration records, military records, directories, photos and more.

Ancestry Search

As well as holding collections for the Isle of Man and the United Kingdom, the Ancestry Institution offers extensive online access to collections from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and across Europe.

This enables researchers to trace their own roots to other countries or to follow the paths of ancestors who may have emigrated.

Ancestry is excited at the prospects of adding the Isle of Man Parish registers to its platform in 2026, through its new relationship with Manx National Heritage at the Manx Museum. 

Family History

Sarah Christian, MNH Library and Archives Assistant, said: “We enjoy welcoming homecomers from all over the world, especially in the summer, as they explore our beautiful island, looking for their Manx roots and the places their ancestors lived worked and died. 

“Having access to Ancestry ® will be a boon to our regular users too and we look forward to some metaphorical ‘brick walls’ being broken down.”

The Manx National Heritage Library and Archives facility at the Manx Museum in Douglas offers visitors a drop-in facility for anyone keen to uncover their Manx family history and other aspects of the Isle of Man’s past.