Useful websites
The Local Studies and Archive service recommends the following websites
Ancestry Library Edition - Researching your family tree? Discover genealogy, family trees and family history records online. Free to search in Tower Hamlets libraries and Idea Stores
Anglo-German Family History Society- research the family history of people from German-speaking parts of Europe who emigrated to the UK
Archon Directory - search for UK archive collections by location
Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives - hire professionals to undertake family history research on your behalf
BBC Family History - hints, tips and ideas for tracing your family history
British History Online - includes digitised copy of the 'Survey of London: Volume 27 Spitalfields and Mile End New Town’
British in India - Online Maritime Guides- background information for researching mariners
British Library - England's national deposit library with an extensive online collection, also holds talks, events and exhibitions
British Newspaper Archives - digitised historic newspapers, free to search in Tower Hamlets libraries and Idea Stores
British Pathé - highlights from British Pathé and the Reuters historical film collection
Building History - guides to researching historic buildings in the British Isles
Charles Booth Online Archive - includes the poverty maps of East London as well as digitised excerpts from survey notebooks, police notebooks and records of the Stepney Union workhouse
COLLAGE The London Picture Archive - Over 250,000 free images of London from the collections at London Metropolitan Archives and Guildhall Art Gallery
Cyndi's List - useful starting point for genealogists
Dead Pubs - pub history of London and the surrounding area, including photos and descriptions of pubs that no longer exist
Deceased Online - the central database for UK burials and cremations
East London History Society - for those interested in the history of East London, including the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham
East of London Family History Society - covers the whole of East London including Tower Hamlets
Eastside Community Heritage Hidden Histories – East London community archive which holds over 4,000 oral histories, thousands of photographs and videos
Family Search - free online genealogical research website. Includes non-conformist registers not found on Ancestry
Federation of Family History Societies - includes a directory of member societies and useful information sheets about family history
Find A Will – Search and order copies of UK wills for any person who died after 1858
FreeBMD - free searchable database of UK birth, marriage and death index entries
Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park - for researching individuals buried at Tower Hamlets Cemetery
General Register Office - order copies of UK birth, marriage and death certificates
Genmaps - images of English, Welsh and Scottish local history maps
GENUKI - for genealogists and family historians in the British Isles
Hackney Archives- for all enquiries relating to the London borough of Hackney
Historical Directories of England and Wales – digitised historic street and trade directories
History of the County of Middlesex Vol. 11 Stepney and Bethnal Green - published history of the area from the 11th to the 19th century, taken from the Victoria County History series
History Pin - collaborative website which allows users to pin historical photos to maps in order to show what areas once look like
Huguenot Library - Huguenot collections at UCL
Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland – member for those who respect and admire the Huguenots and seek to perpetuate their memory
Historic England photos – searchable database of historic images
Island History Trust - dedicated to recording and preserving the history of the Isle of Dogs and the people who live there
JewishGen - Jewish family history website including the JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry
Jewish Genealogical Society- British genealogy society for people researching Jewish family history
LAGNA - Lesbian and Gay Newsmedia Archive comprises 200,000 cuttings taken from the non-gay press on all LGBT matters since the late nineteenth century, as well as reference books on LGBT topics
Layers of London - access free historic maps of London including some a selection from Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives
London Metropolitan Archives - includes London parish registers, school and workhouse records
London’s Screen Archives – view digitised historic films from over seventy London repositories, including Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives
LSE LGBT Collections - primary source material relating to gay and lesbian history, including the Hall-Carpenter Archives
Making Britain - discover how South Asians shaped the nation between 1870 and 1950
Moving Here - 200 years of immigration history
Museum of London Docklands - history of the docks and the surrounding areas, part of the Museum of London
The National Archives Discovery Catalogue - search for archival material held at the National Archives and other UK institutions
National Library of Scotland Map Images - access high-resolution zoomable images of over 130,000 maps of Scotland, England and Wales
Numbi Arts - Somali community arts organisation based in East London
Old Bailey Online - free online database to search for trials at the Old Bailey
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - for free access to this subscription service enter the 'TH' followed by your library card number.
Refugee Council Archive - over 35,000 items relating to migration and refugees, at the University of East London
RootsChat - large forum for discussing family history, sharing research and making research requests
Swadhinata Trust - secular Bengali heritage and history group, includes oral histories, photographs, workshops, walks and publications
Tower Hamlets History Online - includes many interesting articles about social conditions in the borough's past
A Vision of Britain Through Time - using census returns, maps and other sources this site attempts to create a picture of life in Britain over the last 200 years
Women's Library - most extensive women's history collection in the UK, providing talks and workshops on women's history as well as exhibitions
The Workhouse - excellent resource for finding out more information about workhouses.