Exploring your family history

How to start finding out about your family history

Don’t know where to start?  Read here for a 12-step guide to starting your genealogical journey, and for links to further resources.

Family history research tips

Our newsletter contains a series of articles about resources for investigating your family origins.  The key ones are reproduced here:

• databases

• diaries of migration voyages

• Hebridean Connections

• forums, wiki and blogs

• magazines

• maps

• migrants to New Zealand

• migration of Mathesons within the UK

• New Zealand birth, death and marriage records

• online family trees

• online libraries

• photos

• programs for family history research

• websites

• wills

Our newsletters contain other information about family history research, and you can look at the newsletter index to locate other articles that might be useful.  You can download back copies of the newsletters here.

Family history forum

One of the great things about family history research is collaborating with others.  You may well find people who already have answers to the questions you’re asking.

Use our family history forum to connect with others researching their Matheson heritage, or pop a question to our Facebook group.