New at Findmypast.com
A major archive was launched on Findmypast.com on Monday, April 14, 2025, bringing Bailiwick of Guernsey history to the world.
This project is a groundbreaking milestone for Channel Island historical research. Millions of key genealogical records and 210,000 pages of archival documents have been digitised and made available online exclusively through Findmypast.
This project was made possible through a collaboration between local organisations in Guernsey and the UK-based family history company Findmypast. The digitisation process was carried out in Guernsey at the Priaulx Library, Island Archives, and Greffe to ensure the safe preservation of the original records. The partnership included representatives from the Priaulx Library, Island Archives, the Deanery of Guernsey, La Société Guernesiaise, and the Greffe.
A new website, familyhistory.gg, was also launched to provide more information about the partnership.
The records included in this archive are vital for family history research and provide unprecedented access to the Bailiwick's rich history. They include:
Greffe records
Parish church registers
Occupation identity cards from the German Occupation
Conveyance documents
Births, marriages, and deaths recorded at the Greffe
Baptisms, marriages, and burials recorded in parish church registers
Some of the earliest church registers date back to the late 1500s, and registers from Alderney and Sark are also included in the project. The archive allows researchers to search within millions of records and uncover islanders' family stories over the past 400 years. The Occupation records from World War II are noted for providing poignant insights into life during that challenging period. Data protection considerations, informed by UK National Archives guidelines and advice from Law Officers of the Crown and the States of Guernsey Data Protection team, limited access to some records created within a set number of years ago.
In addition to the Guernsey launch, other Findmypast updates in April 2025 include:
An update related to Commonwealth War Graves Records
The addition or update of 137 Historical Newspaper Titles