Ancestry Library Edition Tips
Local and family history A-Z
- Ancestry Library Edition is a version of the huge family history web
site 'Ancestry' that you can use
free in libraries via the public computers or by connecting to the WiFi.
If you are in the library now open a web browser (for example Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox) and click on the link to Ancestry on the welcome page.
For details of computer use at your local library please see IT in Libraries - You will find:
- Searchable English census records 1841 - 1911 with images of the actual census pages.
- Census records for other areas of the UK and other parts of the world
- Birth, marriage and death records, including the England and Wales birth, marriage and death indexes
- Records of immigration into the US and of emigration from the UK, including passenger lists
- Military records
- And directories and membership lists.
- Are you using a computer in a Bedfordshire library at the moment? Click Ancestry library edition on the web browser homepage to go straight to the web site
- Are you using a computer elsewhere? You can use 'Ancestry' but you will need to pay for most of the resources. You can search all records from other Ancestry sites directly at Ancestry.co.uk, including European, US, Australian, and Canadian records
Ancestry Library Edition will no longer be available to access from 1st January 2026 at all
Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire Libraries following a review of licensing costs.
Page last updated: 29th November 2025