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<br>Family History Centers<br>Some Family History Centers will not have microfilmed indexes to records of England in their collections, but centers can borrow microfilms from the Family History Library. There is a small fee to have a microfilm loaned to a center.<br>Family History Centers are located throughout the United States and other areas of the world.<br>See Family History Centers for the address and phone number of the center nearest you. | <br>Family History Centers<br>Some Family History Centers will not have microfilmed indexes to records of England in their collections, but centers can borrow microfilms from the Family History Library. There is a small fee to have a microfilm loaned to a center.<br>Family History Centers are located throughout the United States and other areas of the world.<br>See Family History Centers for the address and phone number of the center nearest you. | ||
<br>Family History Library<br>The Family History Library has a large collection of indexes to records of England that could help you identify place names. There is no fee for using the library's collection in person.<br>For a list of the library's holdings, go to What to Do Next and select the | <br>Family History Library<br>The Family History Library has a large collection of indexes to records of England that could help you identify place names. There is no fee for using the library's collection in person.<br>For a list of the library's holdings, go to What to Do Next and select the FamilySearch Catalog. Check on both the country and county levels, and look for topics with Indexes as subtopics.<br>When looking at the catalog entry for a specific index, look at Film Notes to see if it has been microfilmed and can be sent to a Family History Center.<br>If an index is not available on microfilm, you may request a photocopy of an index page from the Family History Library. You should complete a Request for Photocopies form, which is available at all Family History Centers. Complete the section of the form for books, and include the library call number for the index that you obtained from the catalog. Send the form and the fee to the library.<br>For more information about contacting or visiting the library or a Family History Center, click on the Library tab above. | ||
<br>If your ancestor lived in England between 1837 and 1901, the following steps will help you find the records of your family. These instructions will show you which records to search, what to look for, and what tools to use. One piece of information will lead to another until you have identified each family member and filled out a family group record. | <br>If your ancestor lived in England between 1837 and 1901, the following steps will help you find the records of your family. These instructions will show you which records to search, what to look for, and what tools to use. One piece of information will lead to another until you have identified each family member and filled out a family group record. | ||
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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 | 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 FamilySearch Catalog under the parish and the subject Church records. Ann does a Place Search in the FamilySearch 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 locates the microfilm in her family history center.<br>British Vital Records Index results for children of John and Ann Williams | ||
<br>10 England<br>The Research Process<br>Example<br>D. If parish registers are not available, Bishops’ Transcripts might be available. Bishops’ Transcripts are copies of parish registers.<br>E. Ann now wants to find the other children in parish registers. Two of the children are listed on the census as born in Linton. Ann cannot find a parish named Linton, so she looks in a gazetteer and finds that Linton is a small place within the parish of Bromyard. One of the children is listed as being born in Bromyard. Ann looks at a map of Herefordshire parishes and sees that Bromyard and Cradley border each other. Ann uses the same process to find children christened in Bromyard as she did to find children christened in Cradley. She finds the<br>christenings of Eliza, Elvina (which was spelled “Elivina” on the census), and George in Bromyard Parish.<br>F. Ann records the information from the christening records for the children found in the church records and adds the source for the information. | <br>10 England<br>The Research Process<br>Example<br>D. If parish registers are not available, Bishops’ Transcripts might be available. Bishops’ Transcripts are copies of parish registers.<br>E. Ann now wants to find the other children in parish registers. Two of the children are listed on the census as born in Linton. Ann cannot find a parish named Linton, so she looks in a gazetteer and finds that Linton is a small place within the parish of Bromyard. One of the children is listed as being born in Bromyard. Ann looks at a map of Herefordshire parishes and sees that Bromyard and Cradley border each other. Ann uses the same process to find children christened in Bromyard as she did to find children christened in Cradley. She finds the<br>christenings of Eliza, Elvina (which was spelled “Elivina” on the census), and George in Bromyard Parish.<br>F. Ann records the information from the christening records for the children found in the church records and adds the source for the information. | ||
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Tips<br>16 England<br>Finding Places<br>Using the Family H istory Library<br>Catalog<br>Use the online | Tips<br>16 England<br>Finding Places<br>Using the Family H istory Library<br>Catalog<br>Use the online FamilySearch Catalog to find any record available from the Family History Library. The Catalog will give you the call numbers you need to obtain the records. The Catalog is available at www.familysearch.org.<br>To use the Catalog, on the home page of FamilySearch.org:<br>1. Click FamilySearch Catalog.<br>2. Click Place Search. You will see “Place” and “Part of (optional).”<br>3. For the Place, type: the name of the parish<br>4. For Part of, type: England<br>5. Click on Search.<br>6. A list of places will appear. Look for the place you need, and click on it.<br>7. From the list of topics that appear, click on the topic you need, such as Church Records.<br>8. From the titles that appear, click on the title you want, such as Parish Registers.<br>9. This screen will describe the record, including the book number if the record is a book. If you need the microfilm or microfiche number, click View Film Notes near the top of the page.<br>10. Locate the film number you need in the list of numbers.<br>Use the Place Search to find England civil registration indexes, censuses, and church records. To find England civil registration indexes, search by country.<br>To find England census and church records, search by parish or by county.<br>If no matches are found when you type in the place, do a search for the larger place, such as a county.<br>After selecting it from the list of results, click View Related Places. Browse this alphabetical list to see<br>if you can locate your place.<br>• Look for spelling variations of the place-name.<br>• Type the name of the parish, not the village. To find which parish a smaller place is located in, visit: http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp.<br>• Look for variations in the name of the parish.<br>• The Family History Library may not have records for the place you need. | ||
<br>Tips<br>17 England<br>civil registration: birth<br>Indexes<br>If you cannot locate an entry in the indexes for your ancestor, consider the following reasons:<br>• Surnames are often found under unexpected spellings.<br>• Events are filed by the date registered, not the date they occurred, so search a wide range of years.<br>• Indexes were prepared by hand and may contain copying errors or omissions.<br>• A person may have been registered under a different name than he or she used at other times in his or her life.<br>• Family information is often misleading.<br>• Persons with common names may be difficult to identify in the index.<br>• A child born before the parents’ marriage may be registered under the mother’s maiden name.<br>• Some children were registered as “male” or “female” if a given name had not been selected before registration, such as Female Buckley.<br>• Civil registration records are indexed separately for births, marriages, and deaths. The indexes are organized by year, then by quarter of the year, then by name. The first quarter includes January, February, and March. The second quarter includes April, May, and June. The third quarter includes July, August, and September. The fourth quarter includes October, November, and December.<br>Quarters are listed by the last month of the quarter. For example, the record of a birth in May would appear in the index under June.<br>• Records are found in the year and quarter when the event was registered and not necessarily when<br>it took place.<br>Use Birth Indexes To: Tips<br>• Find the reference numbers to order a birth certificate from England.<br>• Verify an approximate birth date.<br>• Verify the district where a birth was recorded.<br>Content<br>• Year and quarter of registration<br>• Name<br>• District<br>• Volume<br>• Page<br>• Mother’s maiden name (given in birth indexes after June 1911)<br>Online Indexes<br>To search online indexes of the Civil Registration records of births, use one of these Web sites:<br>• www.freebmd.org.uk (no charge)<br>• www.findmypast.com (fee required)<br>• www.ancestry.co.uk (fee required)<br>• www.bmdindex.co.uk (fee required)<br>• www.ukbmd.co.uk (indexes to local superintendent records; no charge)<br>• www.familyrelatives.com (fee required)<br>• http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/Login.asp (General Register Office Web site, where you can register and pay by credit card to have a five-year index search conducted to find a birth entry; if the certificate is found, a copy can be mailed for a fee)<br>Name District Volume Page<br>Index of birth record of John Thomas Williams, March quarter of 1862 | <br>Tips<br>17 England<br>civil registration: birth<br>Indexes<br>If you cannot locate an entry in the indexes for your ancestor, consider the following reasons:<br>• Surnames are often found under unexpected spellings.<br>• Events are filed by the date registered, not the date they occurred, so search a wide range of years.<br>• Indexes were prepared by hand and may contain copying errors or omissions.<br>• A person may have been registered under a different name than he or she used at other times in his or her life.<br>• Family information is often misleading.<br>• Persons with common names may be difficult to identify in the index.<br>• A child born before the parents’ marriage may be registered under the mother’s maiden name.<br>• Some children were registered as “male” or “female” if a given name had not been selected before registration, such as Female Buckley.<br>• Civil registration records are indexed separately for births, marriages, and deaths. The indexes are organized by year, then by quarter of the year, then by name. The first quarter includes January, February, and March. The second quarter includes April, May, and June. The third quarter includes July, August, and September. The fourth quarter includes October, November, and December.<br>Quarters are listed by the last month of the quarter. For example, the record of a birth in May would appear in the index under June.<br>• Records are found in the year and quarter when the event was registered and not necessarily when<br>it took place.<br>Use Birth Indexes To: Tips<br>• Find the reference numbers to order a birth certificate from England.<br>• Verify an approximate birth date.<br>• Verify the district where a birth was recorded.<br>Content<br>• Year and quarter of registration<br>• Name<br>• District<br>• Volume<br>• Page<br>• Mother’s maiden name (given in birth indexes after June 1911)<br>Online Indexes<br>To search online indexes of the Civil Registration records of births, use one of these Web sites:<br>• www.freebmd.org.uk (no charge)<br>• www.findmypast.com (fee required)<br>• www.ancestry.co.uk (fee required)<br>• www.bmdindex.co.uk (fee required)<br>• www.ukbmd.co.uk (indexes to local superintendent records; no charge)<br>• www.familyrelatives.com (fee required)<br>• http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/Login.asp (General Register Office Web site, where you can register and pay by credit card to have a five-year index search conducted to find a birth entry; if the certificate is found, a copy can be mailed for a fee)<br>Name District Volume Page<br>Index of birth record of John Thomas Williams, March quarter of 1862 | ||
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Tips<br>23 England <br>Church Records: christening<br>1538 to the Present<br>Searching Christening Records<br>Before searching, you must know:<br>• Your ancestor’s name.<br>• The parish and county of birth or residence.<br>• An approximate birth date.<br>You can locate records by using the following:<br>• The Family History Library and family history centers<br>• County record offices or diocesan record offices<br>• Parish indexes<br>To find christening records in the Family History Library, use the | Tips<br>23 England <br>Church Records: christening<br>1538 to the Present<br>Searching Christening Records<br>Before searching, you must know:<br>• Your ancestor’s name.<br>• The parish and county of birth or residence.<br>• An approximate birth date.<br>You can locate records by using the following:<br>• The Family History Library and family history centers<br>• County record offices or diocesan record offices<br>• Parish indexes<br>To find christening records in the Family History Library, use the FamilySearch Catalog:<br>Place search:<br>Place [name of parish]<br>Part of [county]<br>Topics to choose: Church records or Church<br>records–Indexes<br>From the titles of the church records listed, choose parish registers or Bishops’ Transcripts.<br>Search the record by:<br>• Date (day, month, year).<br>• Child’s name.<br>When baptized Name Parents Abode (residence) Occupation By whom<br>Cradley Parish registers—christening of Elizabeth Williams | ||
<br>24 England<br>Church records: Marriage<br>1538 to the Present<br>Use Marriage Records to Find:<br>• The maiden name of the bride.<br>• The couple’s marriage date and place.<br>• The bride’s and groom’s fathers’ names and occupations.<br>• Ages of the bride and groom.<br>Content<br>• Marriage date.<br>• Groom's name and sometimes age, occupation, and residence.<br>• Bride's name and sometimes age, occupation, and residence.<br>• Marital status of the bride and groom (on some records).<br>After 1754 you may also find:<br>• Names of witnesses, who may be family members.<br>• Residence of the bride and groom at the time of marriage.<br>After 1837 you may also find:<br>• Names of the fathers of the bride and groom.<br>• Occupations of the fathers of the bride and groom.<br>• Look for an index of marriages covering the area where you think the marriage might have taken place before looking at the actual records.<br>• Between 1754 and 1837, marriages were required to be performed in the Church of England, unless the participants were Jewish or Quakers.<br>Marriages after 1837 could be performed in the registrar’s office or in a church other than the Church of England.<br>• To find a marriage record, first look in the parish where the first child was born. Then look in the parish(es) where the parents were born (starting with the mother’s parish), and then in nearby parishes.<br>• If you don’t find a marriage in the parish registers after 1837, search the marriage indexes of civil registration. (See “Civil Registration: Marriage” on pages 26–28.)<br>• Marriages recorded in parish records after 1754 are listed in separate books from the christenings and burials. | <br>24 England<br>Church records: Marriage<br>1538 to the Present<br>Use Marriage Records to Find:<br>• The maiden name of the bride.<br>• The couple’s marriage date and place.<br>• The bride’s and groom’s fathers’ names and occupations.<br>• Ages of the bride and groom.<br>Content<br>• Marriage date.<br>• Groom's name and sometimes age, occupation, and residence.<br>• Bride's name and sometimes age, occupation, and residence.<br>• Marital status of the bride and groom (on some records).<br>After 1754 you may also find:<br>• Names of witnesses, who may be family members.<br>• Residence of the bride and groom at the time of marriage.<br>After 1837 you may also find:<br>• Names of the fathers of the bride and groom.<br>• Occupations of the fathers of the bride and groom.<br>• Look for an index of marriages covering the area where you think the marriage might have taken place before looking at the actual records.<br>• Between 1754 and 1837, marriages were required to be performed in the Church of England, unless the participants were Jewish or Quakers.<br>Marriages after 1837 could be performed in the registrar’s office or in a church other than the Church of England.<br>• To find a marriage record, first look in the parish where the first child was born. Then look in the parish(es) where the parents were born (starting with the mother’s parish), and then in nearby parishes.<br>• If you don’t find a marriage in the parish registers after 1837, search the marriage indexes of civil registration. (See “Civil Registration: Marriage” on pages 26–28.)<br>• Marriages recorded in parish records after 1754 are listed in separate books from the christenings and burials. | ||
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Tips<br>25 England | Tips<br>25 England | ||
Church Records: Marriage<br>1538 to the Present<br>Searching Church Marriage Records<br>Before searching, you must know:<br>• The name of the bride or the name of the groom.<br>• The approximate date of marriage or the birth date of the first child.<br>• The parish of residence of the bride or groom or the parish of birth of the first child.<br>You can locate records by using the following:<br>• Family History Library and family history centers<br>• County record offices and diocesan record offices<br>• Parish indexes<br>To find records of marriages in the Family History Library, use the | Church Records: Marriage<br>1538 to the Present<br>Searching Church Marriage Records<br>Before searching, you must know:<br>• The name of the bride or the name of the groom.<br>• The approximate date of marriage or the birth date of the first child.<br>• The parish of residence of the bride or groom or the parish of birth of the first child.<br>You can locate records by using the following:<br>• Family History Library and family history centers<br>• County record offices and diocesan record offices<br>• Parish indexes<br>To find records of marriages in the Family History Library, use the FamilySearch Catalog:<br>Place search:<br>Place [name of parish]<br>Part of [county]<br>Topics to choose: Church Records or Church<br>Records—Indexes<br>From the list of titles under Church Records, choose parish registers or Bishops’ Transcripts.<br>Search the record by:<br>• Date (day, month, year).<br>• The couple’s names.<br>Marriage record of John Williams and Ann Pugh | ||
<br>26 England<br>civil registrat ion: Marriage<br>Indexes<br>Use Marriage Indexes To:<br>• Find the reference numbers for a marriage, so that the certificate can be obtained from England.<br>• Verify an approximate marriage date.<br>• Verify a district where a marriage was recorded.<br>Content<br>• Name<br>• District<br>• Volume<br>• Page<br>• Spouse’s surname (in marriage indexes after 1911)<br>If the marriage can’t be found in civil registration, you can try church records (See “Church Records: Marriage,” pages 24–25.)<br>• Civil registration records are indexed separately for births, marriages, and deaths. The indexes are organized by year, then by quarter of the year, then by name. The first quarter includes January, February, and March. The second quarter includes April, May, and June. The third quarter includes July, August, and September. The fourth quarter includes October, November, and December. Quarters are listed by the last month of the<br>quarter. For example, the record of a marriage in May would appear in the index under June.<br>• Records are found in the year and quarter when the event was registered and not necessarily when<br>it took place.<br>• It is helpful to know the district (See “Finding Places” on pages 14–16.)<br>• If you cannot locate an entry in the indexes for your ancestor, consider the following reasons:<br>- Surnames are often found under unexpected spellings.<br>- Events are filed by the date registered, not the date they occurred, so search a wide range of years.<br>- Indexes were prepared by hand and may contain copying errors or omissions.<br>- A person may have been registered under a different name than he or she used at other times in his or her life.<br>- Family information is often misleading.<br>- Persons with common names may be difficult to identify in the index.<br>• If you find names of both the bride and the groom in the marriage indexes with the same quarter, district, volume, and page, you have probably found the right marriage.<br>• A bride could be listed on the marriage record with her maiden name or a previously married name. | <br>26 England<br>civil registrat ion: Marriage<br>Indexes<br>Use Marriage Indexes To:<br>• Find the reference numbers for a marriage, so that the certificate can be obtained from England.<br>• Verify an approximate marriage date.<br>• Verify a district where a marriage was recorded.<br>Content<br>• Name<br>• District<br>• Volume<br>• Page<br>• Spouse’s surname (in marriage indexes after 1911)<br>If the marriage can’t be found in civil registration, you can try church records (See “Church Records: Marriage,” pages 24–25.)<br>• Civil registration records are indexed separately for births, marriages, and deaths. The indexes are organized by year, then by quarter of the year, then by name. The first quarter includes January, February, and March. The second quarter includes April, May, and June. The third quarter includes July, August, and September. The fourth quarter includes October, November, and December. Quarters are listed by the last month of the<br>quarter. For example, the record of a marriage in May would appear in the index under June.<br>• Records are found in the year and quarter when the event was registered and not necessarily when<br>it took place.<br>• It is helpful to know the district (See “Finding Places” on pages 14–16.)<br>• If you cannot locate an entry in the indexes for your ancestor, consider the following reasons:<br>- Surnames are often found under unexpected spellings.<br>- Events are filed by the date registered, not the date they occurred, so search a wide range of years.<br>- Indexes were prepared by hand and may contain copying errors or omissions.<br>- A person may have been registered under a different name than he or she used at other times in his or her life.<br>- Family information is often misleading.<br>- Persons with common names may be difficult to identify in the index.<br>• If you find names of both the bride and the groom in the marriage indexes with the same quarter, district, volume, and page, you have probably found the right marriage.<br>• A bride could be listed on the marriage record with her maiden name or a previously married name. | ||
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31 England<br>Additional Helps | 31 England<br>Additional Helps | ||
<br>32 England<br>Index<br>Index<br>additional helps<br>Ancestry.com (Web site)<br>archives<br>baptism (christening) records . . . . . .<br>birth indexes .<br>birth records<br>Bishops’ Transcripts .<br>British Isles Vital Records Index<br>census records .<br>census indexes<br>christening records .<br>church records<br>christening .<br>marriage .<br>civil registration records .<br>birth certificates .<br>marriage certificates .<br>counties<br>districts<br>England, maps of .<br>family group record .<br>family history centers<br> | <br>32 England<br>Index<br>Index<br>additional helps<br>Ancestry.com (Web site)<br>archives<br>baptism (christening) records . . . . . .<br>birth indexes .<br>birth records<br>Bishops’ Transcripts .<br>British Isles Vital Records Index<br>census records .<br>census indexes<br>christening records .<br>church records<br>christening .<br>marriage .<br>civil registration records .<br>birth certificates .<br>marriage certificates .<br>counties<br>districts<br>England, maps of .<br>family group record .<br>family history centers<br>FamilySearch Catalog . . . .<br>FamilySearch .<br>FamilySearch Support .<br>General Register Office .<br>Genes Reunited (Web site)<br>how to begin .<br>indexes .<br>International Genealogical Index<br>maps of England<br>marriage indexes<br>marriage records<br>One Great Family (Web site)<br>parishes<br>pedigree chart .<br>Personal Ancestral File<br>place search .<br>publications .<br>research process<br>step 1 .<br>step 2 .<br>step 3 .<br>step 4 .<br>registration district .<br>RootsWeb (Web site)<br>search engines .<br>summary of research process .<br>time line .<br>villages .<br>Vital Records Index<br>29–31<br>3<br>29<br>22–23<br>17<br>18–19<br>10, 22<br>9, 22<br>6–7, 21<br>20<br>8, 22–23<br>22–25<br>8, 22–23<br>11, 24–25<br>17–19, 26–28<br>5, 17–19<br>11, 26–28<br>15<br>14<br>14–15<br>4, 30–31<br>29<br>9–10, 16<br>3<br>13<br>29<br>3<br>3<br>17, 20, 22,<br>26–27<br>11, 22<br>14–15<br>26–27<br>24–28<br>3<br>14<br>4<br>3<br>16, 23, 25<br>29<br>2–13<br>5–6<br>6–7<br>8–10<br>11–12<br>4, 14<br>3<br>9, 22<br>13<br>29<br>14<br>9, 22<br>© 2008 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.<br>A FamilySearch publication<br>FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. and is registered in the United States of America and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.<br>This document may be copied and downloaded for incidental noncommercial church or your own personal use. For permission for other uses, please send requests to: | ||
<br>FINDING RECORDS OF YOUR ANCESTORS | <br>FINDING RECORDS OF YOUR ANCESTORS | ||
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