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<br>8 England<br>The Research Process<br>Example<br>3. Find birth information for your ancestor’s brothers and sisters.<br>CIVIL REGISTRATION (See pages 17–19.)<br>A. On the Internet, Ann goes to www.freebmd.org.uk to search for birth certificates for John Thomas’ brothers and sisters. To learn how to do this, see step 1 on pages 5–6.<br>Church records (See pages 22–23.)<br>A. The census provided approximate birth years for each of the children. With an estimated birth year (1857) and a stated birthplace (Cradley), Ann can go to the parish registers of Cradley and look for a christening record of Elizabeth, John Thomas Williams’s sister.<br>B. Ann first searches for an index to the christening records of Cradley. She begins by searching the International Genealogical Index on the Internet at www.familysearch.org. She finds Elizabeth Williams, daughter of John Williams and Ann, christened 3 Nov 1857 in Cradley, Hereford, England. She looks at the source and finds that the entry was extracted from a microfilm copy of the parish registers of Cradley. She visits a family history center near her home and orders in the microfilm so that she can see the actual entry to verify that the information was extracted correctly and to obtain any additional information that might be found<br>in the entry.<br>When baptized Name Parents Abode (residence) Occupation By whom<br>Cradley Parish registers—christening of Elizabeth Williams  

The Research Process<br>Example<br>C. If Ann had not found the right entry in the International Genealogical Index, she could have done one or more of the tasks listed below to find the christening of Elizabeth:<br>• Visit the family history center near her home and use the CD, Vital Records Index—British Isles (2nd Edition). Ann does a search for births or christenings by entering the surname Williams and then the time period and the place Cradley, Hereford using data she found on the census. She adds John Williams in the father field and Ann in the mother field, and then clicks the Search button. She finds four children of this family, Emma, Elizabeth, Sarah Ann, and John Thomas. Ann makes a copy of the results list from the British Vital Records Index<br>• Look on the Internet using a search engine. She looks for search terms such as “index Cradley christenings,” “Herefordshire index parish registers,” “Herefordshire christenings index,” or “Cradley parish registers.”<br>• Look in the Family History Library Catalog under the parish and the subject Church records. Ann does a Place Search in the Family History Library Catalog for Cradley. She finds that Cradley in Hereford in the Catalog is listed as East or West Cradley. She looks under East or West Cradley for the topic Church Records. She finds the microfilm number for the parish registers. She orders the microfilm to her family history center.<br>British Vital Records Index results for children of John and Ann Williams  

<br>29 England <br>Additional Helps<br>Time Line<br>1538 Parishes began keeping registers.<br>1598 Parish ministers were required to make a copy of their register each year and send it to the bishop. These records are called Bishops’ or Archdeacons’ Transcripts.<br>1752 The calendar changed from beginning the year on March 25 to beginning the year on January 1.<br>1754 A law was passed requiring marriages to be performed in the Church of England except for Jews or Quakers. Marriages from this date were recorded in separate books.<br>1801 The first national census was taken in England. However, it did not contain names or any other genealogical information.<br>1812 Christenings and burials were recorded in printed registers.<br>1837 The government began recording births, marriages, and deaths.<br>1841 The first national census was taken that had names and genealogical information.<br>1851 Parish or place of birth and relationship to head of household were recorded in census records from this date on.<br>1901 The most recent national census that has been released for public use was taken.<br>More about English Research<br>Research Outline: England (34037) describes other records that can be used in the research process to find out more about your family.<br>Herber, Mark. Ancestral Trails: The Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History. Stroud, England: Sutton Publishing LTD., in association with the Society of Genealogists, 1998. (FHL book 942 D27hm).<br>Rogers, Colin D. Tracing Your English Ancestors. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1989. (FHL book 942 D27r 1989).<br>Saul, Pauline. The Family Historian’s Enquire Within. Birmingham, England: Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd., 1995. (FHL book 942 D27mf 1995).<br>Genuki www.genuki.org.uk<br>Archives and Libraries<br>Family History Centers<br>www.familysearch.org<br>Phone: 1-800-346-6044 (toll free in the United States and Canada)<br>Family History Library<br>35 N. West Temple Street<br>Salt Lake City, UT 84150-3440<br>www.familysearch.org<br>General Register Office<br>P.O. Box 2<br>Southport, Merseyside PR8 2JD<br>England<br>Phone: From U.S. 011-44-870-243-7788<br>Fax: From U.S. 011-44-1704-550013<br>Web site: www.gro.gov.uk<br>National Archives<br>Ruskin Avenue, Kew<br>Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU<br>England<br>Web site: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk<br>County Archives and Local Superintendent<br>Registrar<br>See the Web site www.genuki.org.uk. Look for the individual county, and then Archives and Libraries or Civil Registration.<br>How to Order Family H istory Library Publications<br>Go to www.familysearch.org. Under the heading “Get Started with Family History,” click guides. When the new page comes up, click Sorted by Place, click the letter E, and look for the publications that pertain to England in the list that appears.<br>You can view these publications on the screen or print them. Or you can order a copy of a publication by clicking the product number on the right and then clicking the Quick Order tab at the top of the page.