The Library and Online Resources

The library will be closed between 15 December 2019 and 22 February 2020 when we hope to have moved to new premises in Douglas. If you are planning a visit, please watch the website, our Facebook group or contact the Librarian for news.

Librarian: Mrs Priscilla Lewthwaite Telephone (01624) 851104

Our Library is at Derby Lodge, Derby Road, Peel IM5 1HH. It is open on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons from 2pm to 4.30pm and a librarian will be there to help you with your research.

The contents of the library include:

• IGI for the Isle of Man, England and Scotland
• Burial Registers for the island and Douglas Crematorium records
• Monumental Inscriptions
• Census on film, fiche and in publications 1841 to 1901, indexed
• Family Trees submitted by members
• On film - births, marriages and deaths
• Roman Catholic birth, marriages and deaths
• Goodwin papers for news of local people
• Various Manx books, including The Manx Family Tree
• Wood's Atlas
• Journals from other societies
• Books advising on research

It is possible to visit the library outside normal opening hours if you can notify the librarian in plenty of time. If you email us at iomfhs@manx.net quoting your postal address and membership number if applicable. We cannot research your tree for you but can look up an entry from the resources above.

There is also a library at the Manx Museum and Registry of Deeds at Government Offices may also be worth a visit. Please note that if you are not a member we can only answer general enquiries. Although we have many members world wide, we are a small band of volunteers here on the island and it may take time for your email to be answered.

Online resources

Publications

An updated list of publications which can be purchased from the Society is now available.

Journal Index

The indexes to the articles in the IOMFHS journals is now available to view online.

• Volume 1 - January 1979 to November 1996 - this index is in two sections: family surnames and topics (places, historic interests) and has been compiled by Frances Coakley.
• Volume 2 - January 1997 to November 2006 - this index is in three sections: family surname index, photographs (1985-2006) and archives and has been compiled by Geraldine Hampton.
• Volume 3 - January 2007 to November 2016 - this index in in four sections: index by names, index by places, photographs and topics and has been compiled by Susan J Muir

To obtain copies of articles, just specify the volume (year), issue number (1, 2, 3 or 4) and the page numbers, and send a copy of the request to the Library. There is a nominal charge for photocopying and postage.

Member's Surname Interests

Each journal published contains details of new members surname interests with any specific details they are looking for. A brief list will be published on this site with each new journal. For further information on any entry in the interests list, please email: iomfhs@manx.net

Index to Births and Marriages

The index of births and index of marriages were part of an ongoing project by Brian Lawson which has now ceased. If a record cannot be found, it does not mean the record doesn't exist, it may never have been transcribed. There are other resources available to search, some of which make a charge. See the links page for details. For Island residents, the general index is available for inspection at the Civil Registry in Douglas.

Wills Index and Transcripts

An index of Wills and Decrees covering the period 1576 - 1960 has been prepared from the official indices in the Archdeacon's (LDS film 0106195) and Episcopal (LDS film 0106366) Registries. A total of 54,890 Wills, Decrees and Agreements have been indexed. If you are a first time visitor to the Wills and Decrees, please read the notes which accompany this section.

A number of Wills have been transcribed, and these are available in the Member's Area If you're not a member, why not join the Society?

Census Index

An index to census entries from 1841 to 1901 was prepared by the late Brian Lawson using the indexes from the National Archives.

The Lawsons and related families

Brian Lawson published the results of over 20 years of personal research into a number of volumnes - The Manx Lawsons and Related Families. The pages include his own ancestors as well as brief histories for a number of other Manx families. There is also a large index of all the names which have crossed into his family tree.