Family tree company to digitise Guernsey’s historical records

The project will see millions of the island’s archives, some dating back to the 1600s, available online.

Priaulx Library Chief Executive Steve Foote said it was a ‘win, win, win’ situation.

‘Findmypast are putting in the investment, we will earn royalties depending on the number of people who search and islanders will have free access through computers at the library,’ he said.

‘We are aware government budgets are tight, so it’s great there are no upfront costs to us or the taxpayer.’

He said that based on estimates, the team would be scanning nearly 250,000 pages of archival documents, resulting in well over a million names being indexed.

‘This will include civil births, deaths and marriages; parish baptisms, marriages and burials – as well as a host of other sources including wills, cemetery records and occupation ID records,’ he said.

‘We have a lot of these documents on microfilm but that is an obsolete technology, we are leaping forward to the next generation where the digitised versions will be available to people from around the world.’

A steering group comprising key stakeholders from the Priaulx Library, Island Archives, the Church of England, La Societe Guernesiaise and the Greffe was created to oversee the project and select Findmypast as the digitisation partner.

‘The steering group members are all passionate about making the Bailiwick’s unique and extensive history as accessible as possible,’ said Mr Foote.

‘This project obviously has potentially enormous importance for people with Guernsey connections, but it also has a wider relevance, in helping to highlight our island on an international level.

This will encourage more people to discover their ancestry in the Bailiwick and visit the islands.’

Findmypast will be sending two full time staff to the island, but will also be looking to recruit islanders to support with the work.

It aims to create a team of six people to help carry out the project, with work set to start in the coming months.

All of the scanning work will be carried out on-island at the Priaulx Library, Island Archives and Greffe.

Findmypast UK archives manager Mary McKee said it was delighted to be enabling families across the globe to discover their Guernsey roots.

‘These records tell the stories of thousands of people – from intimate family moments to the major events that shaped lives and communities,’ she said.

‘We’re looking for some local support to help with the digitisation process, so please do get in touch if you have a passion for the island’s history and broadening public access.’

• Islanders interested can contact hr@maxcommunications.co.uk.