Local and Family History
at Dunstable Library

• Ancestry Library Edition
  Free access in the library to 'Ancestry Library Edition', a web site that has a huge range of resources for family historians. For details, see the top of Local and family history A-Z page
   
• Armed services
  See Armed services records at Dunstable Library
   
• Baptism records
  Register of Methodist baptisms in Dunstable 1843-1960s
  Register of Methodist baptisms in Luton 1830-1960s
   
• Books
  Dunstable: its history and surroundings, by Smith Worthington G
  Dunstable in detail, by N. Benson (Book Castle, 1986)
  Proud heritage: a brief history of Dunstable, by V. Evans (Book Castle, 1999)
  Streets ahead: an illustrated guide to the streets of Dunstable, by R. Walden (Book Castle, 1999)
  The book of Dunstable and Houghton Regis, by V. Evans (Barracuda, 1985)
  For further details please see the library catalogue
   
• Burial and cemetery records
  Dunstable cemetery records 1861-1987, on microfiche
  National Burial Index on CD-ROM for England and Wales from 1538 onwards
   
• Census indexes
  Surname index to 1851 Bedfordshire census
  The 1881 British Census National Index on CD-ROM
   
• Censuses
  Free access to census records 1841- 1901 on 'Ancestry Library Edition' web site
  Dunstable and local area census records from 1841-1901on microfilm
  1851 census records for Devon, Norfolk and Warwick on CD-ROM
  1881 British Census on CD-ROM
  1871 and 1891 census records for Bedfordshire on CD-ROM
   
• Council papers
  Bedfordshire County Council 1 year back file
  Dunstable Town Council Minutes 1 year back file
  South Bedfordshire District Council 1 year back file
   
• County guides and directories
  Kelly's directories on microfiche
  Kelly's Post Office Trades Directory of Bedfordshire 1847 on CD-ROM
  Guides from the 20th century
   
• Electoral registers
  South Beds Electoral Registers 1957-to date on microfiche (1976/77 not available; from 2003 onwards, edited version only)
   
• Highway Board minutes
  Luton Highway Board Minutes 1863-1868, 1873-1881
   
• Photographs and prints
  A collection of photographs, prints and slides of Dunstable
   
• International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.)
  British Isles (1992 edition) on microfiche and on CD-ROM for the British Isles and other countries
   
• Magazines and journals
  Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal volumes 2  (1964) to 15 (1981)
  Bedfordshire Archaeology volumes 16 (1983) to date
  Bedfordshire County Life magazine, current copy plus 5 year back file
  Bedfordshire Historical Record Society volumes 1 (1912) to 84 (2005)
  Bedfordshire Magazine volumes 1 (1947) to 20 (1987) plus index, volumes 21 (1988) to 26 (1999), not indexed
  Bedfordshire Naturalist volumes 1 (1946) to 42 (1988)
  Manshead Magazine: journal of Manshead Archaeological Society of Dunstable volumes 1 (1958) to date
   
• Newspaper cuttings
  See Topic files below
   
• Newspapers
  Dunstable Chronicle and Advertiser 1856-1860
  Dunstable Borough Gazette 1869 -1948
  Dunstable Gazette 1949-date
  Luton News June 1979-1988
   
• Parish registers
  Complete set of transcribed Anglican parish registers from 1500s to 1812 (dates vary for different events and places), in book format
  Surname index to complete set of Bedfordshire Anglican Parish Registers, on CD-ROM
  Parish registers for Dunstable and local area 1813-1930s, on microfiche
   
• Poor Law Union minutes
  Woburn Poor Law minute book Vols 1-3
   
• Statistics
  Summary census data for Bedfordshire towns and villages from 1841 to date
   
• Telephone directories
  Recent back file of the local area
   
• Topic files
  Files of newspaper cuttings and pamphlets on popular topics. There is a set of files relating to Dunstable and another set relating to Bedfordshire. Click to open a list of the Dunstable topic files (Word file, 35 KB)
   
• Town guides and directories
  Dunstable guides and directories from the 20th century
   
• Victoria County History of Bedfordshire
  Volumes I, II & III, plus index
   
• Vital records index
  'Vital records index British Isles' is a CD-ROM which covers selected records of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland between 1538 and 1888. Not all counties are represented and some are more completely represented than others.

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