Did you know that your ancestral roots could stretch all the way back to the Isle of Man?
Nestled between Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales lays a legendary Island packed full of history, folklore and potential links to your family tree.
Discovering your ancestry can be very rewarding and exciting, so we’ve outlined a few places of interest to get you started.
A good place to begin your search is to check whether you have a traditional Manx surname, such as Costain, Quirk, Teare, Kermode or Lewin. This is a potential indicator that your family originally came from the Isle of Man.
Manx National Heritage is the Island’s statutory heritage agency and offers the ability to search online for a number of records. iMuseum gives you free and growing online access to parts of the Manx National Heritage Museum Collections, Manx National Heritage Library & Archives and the Isle of Man Sites & Monuments Record.
A number of records are in the process of being scanned to share online, however, most of the sources for the study of Manx genealogy are available in the Library. Many of these are held on microfilm or microfiche in the Reading Room.
You can also speak to the Isle of Man Family History Society, which was formed in January 1979 to encourage the study of genealogy and family history, particularly within the Isle of Man. Being a member of the society benefits all those researching their families, whether they are Manx born or not.
There are also a number of International Manx Societies that have resources for discovering your genealogy. The North American Manx Association is a very active group in the USA and they have a very helpful list of societies around the world.