Many people are now using technology to help them trace their ancestors.

The internet has a wide variety of resources for researching your family tree, and even tracing relatives on the other side of the world need not be a problem. This week we look at just some of the family history resources now available.

The 1901 Census Website - http://www.census.pro.gov.uk/ Rating: 5/5

This site suffered technical problems after its launch last year, but the service is now up and running again. It contains the data collected for the 1901 census in England and Wales. You can use the site to run a free search for addresses, places or people, but you must then pay a small fee to view the full details for a particular record or to look at an image of the original document. Users can choose to pay by credit/debit card or by using vouchers which can purchased from libraries. This is an invaluable research tool for those trying to trace ancestors from the period.

Genuki - http://www.genuki.org.uk/ Rating: 4/5

Genuki is the UK and Ireland genealogy site. The presentation of the site is basic, but there is lot of information on carrying out your research, as well as an extensive list of genealogy newsgroups that you can join. In the main section of the site, you will find a wealth of links to information related to family history in the whole of the UK, as well as information for specific regions. This would be an ideal place to visit for inspiration if you were a beginner to the subject, or had exhausted your current lines of enquiry.

Family Records - http://www.familyrecords.gov.uk Rating: 3.5/5

This site covers the different types of official documentation that can be used by those researching family history, and gives guidance on what information is available and how you can access it. This includes sections on the census and birth, death and marriage records, as well as other documents including military and emigration records. There is also a simple guide for beginners, covering subjects such as how to keep records, and how to use the internet for your research. The site is clearly presented and easy to understand, and has links to the relevant sources, but may be more relevant to the beginner than the more experienced researcher.

Federation of Family History Societies - http://www.ffhs.org.uk/ Rating: 3.5/5

This site contains a directory of contact details for family history societies throughout England who belong to the federation. The full text of the federation's leaflet collection is also available to view online, and includes subjects such as adoption records and soldiers' records. You will also find details of fairs and conferences held by the federation and information on the projects it is currently involved with.

Just for fun: On this day in history - http://www.onthisdayinhistory.co.uk/

If you want to find out what was happening on today's date in the time of your ancestors, then take a look at this site. Each day, the site gives you brief descriptions of general events from this day in history as well as what happened in music, showbiz and sport, often concentrating on the quirky and unusual.

Do you have your own favourite site, or is there a particular subject area you think should be covered? Let us know, and we will try and include it in a future column.

Updated: 11:21 Thursday, June 5, 2003