Our exciting partnerships with two of the York archives are now fully up and running. Each location has Society volunteers on site to help with your research queries, free access to Ancestry, Find my Past and the British Newspaper Archive as well as an extensive collection of family history books.
email: yorkfamilyhistory [at] btopenworld.com (replace [at] with @ )
Facilities:
- Society volunteers on duty to help you
- Ancestry website access
- Find My Past website access
- British Newspaper Archive access
- Family History Books
- Parish Registers
- Cafe and toilet facilities
- York Explore Library is on a bus route
- Borthwick Archives has a Pay & Display car park
At the Borthwick on Microfilm you can access Parish Registers, Marriage Bonds, Probate Records, Wills up to 1858 and Visitation Court Records. See here for full details and to prepare before your visit: Borthwick
At York Explore Family History Room on microfilm you can consult local newspapers and council records. If the Archives are open you can also access Maps, Trade Directories and Voters Lists. See here for full details: York Explore
Volunteers Welcome to Help Others Discover Their Roots!
The City of York and District Family History Society is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join our archive support teams. We partner with two of York’s major archives to help the public uncover their family stories, from beginners starting their journey to seasoned researchers facing “brick walls.”
The Role
You will be the friendly face of the society, assisting visitors with:
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Navigating their family heritage.
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Using digital tools like Ancestry, Find My Past, and the British Newspaper Archive.
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Breaking through research hurdles using archive resources.
When & Where
We have openings at two iconic York locations:
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Mondays (10am–4pm): York Explore (Family History Room), Museum St, YO1 7DS.
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Fridays (10am–4pm): Borthwick Institute for Archives (Microfilm Room), University of York, YO10 5DD.
About You
If you have experience with family history research and a passion for historical “detective work,” we’d love to meet you. Don’t worry if you aren’t an expert in every resource, additional training will be provided. Please get in contact with any of our Committee Members.
