Family History Research

[sunnylady]

Having exhausted all census resources back to 1841 can anyone advise how I go about tracing family history prior to that date. I would imagine this would be via Parish Registers, but I have no idea where to start! Any advice or help appreciated.

[CheekyChops]

Have you tried the IGI at www.familysearch.org? They have transcribed lots (but by no means all) of marriages and baptisms. You can order films for viewing at your nearest LDS centre for a couple of quid. Also Ancestry have a few parish records and there are a few online (try googling the place in question).

Other than this, they will be held at the County Records Office or archives / local studies library.

[shammydodger]

CheekyChops is right. Familysearch is a great place to start and can be so much quicker than manually trawling through microfiche or microfilm at local records offices and libraries. Even better, it's free! Bear in mind, though, that the IGI will not contain all the information that will be available in the filmed or fiched records. For example, the IGI baptism records do not contain information on the father's occupation, or the abode of the baptised person. Similarly, the IGI marriage records do not tell you the home parish(es) of the participants. Thus, it's always best to consult the film or fiche afterwards to get as much detail as possible.

The search facility on this site is invaluable if you are unsure of the parish you need to be searching, as it allows you to view similar records for many parishes very quickly.

Good luck with your research!

[dot.hawkes]

Civil registration in England and Wales started in July 1837 for births and deaths and though it was not compulsory until the early 1850s and the onus was on the registrar to collect the entries up to that point, the actual content is superb. if your ancestor was married after 1855, then there is also a register of marriages, whatever the denomination, and from this point civil marriages in a register office were also allowed.

these are nationally indexed for England and Wales and the index by surname is quite accessible on line. If you have a birth certificate for 1837 you will automatically have at least the child's mother on the certificate, and this can also give you an indication of the possible Parish for baptisms. They are a vast resource and can provide an immense amount of valuable information if used in conjunction with the Census returns and Parish Registers.

Prior to 1858, wills proved in any of the Probate Districts in England and Wales are also indexed by surname and these Calendars of Wills and Administration, (where Letters of admin were applied for as no will found) are in many of the County Record Offices. Prior to this the Wills were proven in the Ecclesiastical Courts which basically were within the herarchy of the Anglican Church, many people of even small means were likely to make a will and items such as beds, bedding, clothing and even standing crops, were bequeathed.

Though these are a complex source initially, the system is quite standard throughout England and Wales and can be quite easily accessed by consulting the various indexes compiled by County History Societies .

[dot.hawkes]

i meant after 1858 for the wills sorry!