England Genealogy

Many people throughout the world trace their ancestry to England. The genealogical records that most people use to find their ancestors are:

• Civil registration, starting in July of 1837
• Census, starting in 1841;
• Church records, starting in 1538; and
• Probate records, some starting as early as the late 1300s.

Cambridge

Beginners' Corner

Have you ever wondered about one of your ancestors? Let’s call him Great Grandpa Johnny. Do you know when or where Johnny was living, perhaps his christening or birth date and place? What if you don’t have this information? Your curiosity about Johnny is important and you want to know more about him. Being new to genealogy, you probably don’t know what to do to find more information. Do you know about him or her? Do you know when and where they lived? The Beginner’s Corner links to information that will help you get started. Choose from one of the following.

To search for the right area of England your ancestral heritage is from you should first check for all the clues in the area that your relatives lived in "after they left England".

Look for any location in England that is mentioned in connection to your family members.

Search first at your and your parents home. Ask family members, find their death notices, death certificates, marriage license and certificate information, social security applications, immigration and emigration records from England. Childrens' birth records, cemetery burial records, the old photographs and books they owned or were left in the family possession these can be clues. 

Remember schools were not available to all 19th century English people and your surname might vary in spelling. Check all information about your direct relative and any lateral relatives you can find. Keep your eye out for old country friends of the family they may be connected to your ancestral home. Some family tales are based in fact and should be considered.

• I want to find a birth, christening or baptism.
• I want to find a marriage.
• I want to find a death or burial.
• I want to know about how my family lived.

Essential research tools

• England Record Selection Table
• England Websites
• see Denmark portal for an example

Counties

Bedfordshire Berkshire Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire Cheshire Cornwall Cumberland Derbyshire Devon Dorset Durham Essex Gloucestershire Hampshire

Herefordshire Hertfordshire Huntingdonshire Kent Lancashire Leicestershire Lincolnshire London Middlesex Norfolk Northamptonshire Northumberland Nottinghamshire Oxfordshire

Rutland Shropshire Somerset Staffordshire Suffolk Surrey Sussex Warwickshire Westmorland Wiltshire Worcestershire Yorkshire

News and Events

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Topics

Key Topics to get Started: Census Church Records Civil Registration Probate Records Other Topics: Archives and Libraries Biography Cemeteries Church Directories Church History Court Records Directories Emigration and Immigration Gazetteers Genealogy Heraldry Historical Geography History Land and Property Language and Languages Maps Merchant Marine Military Records Names Personal Naturalization and Citizenship Newspapers Nobility Occupations Periodicals Schools Societies Taxation