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Genealogical research principles are generally along the same lines as those in the rest of England, and the civil registration, which began in 1837, is part of the same system as is used throughout England. Records, such as birth, marriage, and death certificates are obtained the same way and from the same sources.  Census enumerations are also part of the same system as is used in the other counties of England.  Names of people and places are often unique to Cornwall, and may present a challenge in research. Many of them have their origins in the Cornish language and are not found elsewhere in the UK.  Illiteracy was widespread for centuries and still quite common until the end of the 19th century. This has resulted in a lack of standardization of name spelling, and even the spelling of places until recently. One may find as many as a dozen different spellings for a surname, with many variations for the same individual during a lifetime. The Cornish names can also be a problem when searching records of Cornish people who have emigrated from Cornwall to England or other countries, as the enumerator has written what was heard and which may have been spoken in a Cornish dialect that is very much unlike that which is spoken elsewhere in England.  The result is that the spelling for both names and places often bears little resemblance to the correct current Cornish spelling, and a search may be unsuccessful because of incorrect recording in the original record or inaccurate indexing in computerized databases or transcriptions.  
Genealogical research principles are generally along the same lines as those in the rest of England, and the civil registration, which began in 1837, is part of the same system as is used throughout England. Records, such as birth, marriage, and death certificates are obtained the same way and from the same sources.  Census enumerations are also part of the same system as is used in the other counties of England.  Names of people and places are often unique to Cornwall, and may present a challenge in research. Many of them have their origins in the Cornish language and are not found elsewhere in the UK.  Illiteracy was widespread for centuries and still quite common until the end of the 19th century. This has resulted in a lack of standardization of name spelling, and even the spelling of places until recently. One may find as many as a dozen different spellings for a surname, with many variations for the same individual during a lifetime. The Cornish names can also be a problem when searching records of Cornish people who have emigrated from Cornwall to England or other countries, as the enumerator has written what was heard and which may have been spoken in a Cornish dialect that is very much unlike that which is spoken elsewhere in England.  The result is that the spelling for both names and places often bears little resemblance to the correct current Cornish spelling, and a search may be unsuccessful because of incorrect recording in the original record or inaccurate indexing in computerized databases or transcriptions.  


Resources for genealogical research are among the best to be found in the United Kingdom. The GENUKI pages for Cornwall [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/Cornwall/ http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/Cornwall/] are unmatched by those of any other part of the United Kingdom, and they are essential to Cornish research. The pages for individual parishes are extensive and detailed with accurate information that is of great value.  There is often more information provided on the listing of a single small parish in Cornwall than is found for an entire county elsewhere in the UK. The site is meticulously maintained and kept current.  There is such extensive information provided, that it is beyond the scope of this posting to even begin to describe what is there.  
Resources for genealogical research are among the best to be found in the United Kingdom. The GENUKI pages for Cornwall http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/Cornwall/ are unmatched by those of any other part of the United Kingdom, and they are essential to Cornish research. The pages for individual parishes are extensive and detailed with accurate information that is of great value.  There is often more information provided on the listing of a single small parish in Cornwall than is found for an entire county elsewhere in the UK. The site is meticulously maintained and kept current.  There is such extensive information provided, that it is beyond the scope of this posting to even begin to describe what is there.  


The Cornwall Family History Society has a large and active worldwide membership of about 5,000. They have their own library and research facilities and publish a very useful journal four times per year, as well as sponsoring or maintaining a presence at relevant events. Research services are also offered. Some parish record transcriptions are available for purchase from the society in booklet, PDF file, or CD form.  They have also recently produced a transcription summary of all records from the county prison (Bodmin Gaol) to the year 1900 available on a set of CD's.  Information about their resources, services, and products is available at [http://www.cornwallfhs.com www.cornwallfhs.com].  The website also has interesting and useful links to other sites.  
The Cornwall Family History Society has a large and active worldwide membership of about 5,000. They have their own library and research facilities and publish a very useful journal four times per year, as well as sponsoring or maintaining a presence at relevant events. Research services are also offered. Some parish record transcriptions are available for purchase from the society in booklet, PDF file, or CD form.  They have also recently produced a transcription summary of all records from the county prison (Bodmin Gaol) to the year 1900 available on a set of CD's.  Information about their resources, services, and products is available at [http://www.cornwallfhs.com www.cornwallfhs.com].  The website also has interesting and useful links to other sites.  


The Cornwall Record Office is another essential resource, and can be visited in person (appointment is usually necessary) or copies of records can be ordered by mail. They maintain the records that one would expect to find there, and an online catalog can be found at [http://crocat.cornwall.gov.uk/DServe/searchpage.htm http://crocat.cornwall.gov.uk/DServe/searchpage.htm].  Some wills were kept at Exeter (Devon) and lost to bombing during the Second World War, but there are about 80,000 wills available for research at the CRO in Redruth at the new Cornwall Archive Center (Kresen Kernow).  
The Cornwall Record Office is another essential resource, and can be visited in person (appointment is usually necessary) or copies of records can be ordered by mail. It has been moved to the new Kresen Kernow in Redruth.  They maintain the records that one would expect to find there, and an online catalog can be found at http://crocat.cornwall.gov.uk/DServe/searchpage.htm<nowiki/>.&nbsp; Some wills were kept at Exeter (Devon) and lost to bombing during the Second World War, but there are about 80,000 wills available for research at the CRO in Redruth at the new Cornwall Archive Center (Kresen Kernow).  


The Cornish Studies Library at the Cornwall Centre in Redruth [http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=6773 http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=6773]&nbsp;is a vital repository of information with many collections, including microfilms of all the main Cornish newspapers up to the present day, many dating back to the mid 18th century.&nbsp; &nbsp;The Courtenay Library at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro&nbsp; [http://www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk/ http://www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk/]&nbsp;has printed books and periodicals covering the history of Cornwall from the prehistoric to the modern period.&nbsp; It also has important collections of archives of Cornish families and historic photographs.&nbsp; The websites give more detailed information about their collections.  
The Cornish Studies Library has also moved to the Cornwall Centre in Redruth http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=6773 and&nbsp;is a vital repository of information with many collections, including microfilms of all the main Cornish newspapers up to the present day, many dating back to the mid 18th century.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kresen Kernow is now the main repository of documents, books, maps, and photographs as consolidation of many of the most important collections relating to Cornish history, culture, and records. Newly opened in September 2019, it is a state-of-the-art facility that is invaluable to anyone doing family history research on Cornish people.  


Another invaluable resource is provided by the Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. This is a volunteer organization that has a free large database of baptisms (christenings), marriages, banns, and burials with excellent coverage of a number of parishes. There are also online clerks for nearly all of the more than 200 parishes, who on a free and voluntary basis will respond to questions, and many will&nbsp;do lookups in databases to which they have access. Some of them maintain their own website with extensive databases of these events that can be freely accessed. Some information from non-conformist records is also searchable on the OPC&nbsp;database.&nbsp; The database&nbsp;also has&nbsp;information which has been submitted from birth, marriage, and death certificates that&nbsp;individuals have&nbsp;obtained from the Government Record Office. The home page of the OPC site&nbsp;has more details about their services and is accessed at&nbsp;[http://www.cornwall-opc.org/ http://www.cornwall-opc.org/]&nbsp; The searchable database is comprised of transcriptions of&nbsp;the pertinent records and&nbsp;may be accessed directly at [http://www.cornwall-opc-database.org/ http://www.cornwall-opc-database.org/]&nbsp;where it&nbsp;is free to anyone. The database contains&nbsp;more than&nbsp;3 million names, and more are being added frequently.  
The Courtenay Library at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro&nbsp; http://www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk/&nbsp;has printed books and periodicals covering the history of Cornwall from the prehistoric to the modern period.&nbsp; It also has important collections of archives of Cornish families and historic photographs.&nbsp; The websites give more detailed information about their collections.
 
Another invaluable resource is provided by the Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. This is a volunteer organization that has a free large database of baptisms (christenings), marriages, banns, and burials with excellent coverage of a number of parishes. There are also online clerks for nearly all of the more than 200 parishes, who on a free and voluntary basis will respond to questions, and many will&nbsp;do lookups in databases to which they have access. Some of them maintain their own website with extensive databases of these events that can be freely accessed. Some information from non-conformist records is also searchable on the OPC&nbsp;database.&nbsp; The database&nbsp;also has&nbsp;information which has been submitted from birth, marriage, and death certificates that&nbsp;individuals have&nbsp;obtained from the Government Record Office. The home page of the OPC site&nbsp;has more details about their services and is accessed at&nbsp;http://www.cornwall-opc.org/&nbsp; The searchable database is comprised of transcriptions of&nbsp;the pertinent records and&nbsp;may be accessed directly at http://www.cornwall-opc-database.org/&nbsp;where it&nbsp;is free to anyone. The database contains&nbsp;more than&nbsp;3 million names, and more are being added frequently.  


There is a project with transcriptions from the historic newspaper “[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wbritonad The West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser]” of the 19th century, which is still being printed today.&nbsp; Transcriptions include not only all BMDs published (including those of Cornish people in foreign climes), but also&nbsp;accidents, Coroner’s Inquiries, all trials of the Quarter Sessions and Assizes, and local news and advertisements. The free website has searchable archives of the papers that have been transcribed.  
There is a project with transcriptions from the historic newspaper “[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wbritonad The West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser]” of the 19th century, which is still being printed today.&nbsp; Transcriptions include not only all BMDs published (including those of Cornish people in foreign climes), but also&nbsp;accidents, Coroner’s Inquiries, all trials of the Quarter Sessions and Assizes, and local news and advertisements. The free website has searchable archives of the papers that have been transcribed.  


Many parish records have been extracted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint and may be found in the IGI, with the transcription of&nbsp;excerpts of the information from those parish&nbsp;records also to be found in the Family Search Historical Records Collection.&nbsp; An increasing number of the images on FamilySearch have been indexed, and many are now searchable on FamilySearch;Many browsable images (unindexed, but with waypoints) have now appeared in the Family Search Historical Records Collection.&nbsp; The Cornwall OPC&nbsp;database can be used to search for the record transcriptions there and that information can be used to find the unindexed (but browsable) images on the Family Search website.&nbsp; The Hugh Wallis index of IGI batch numbers, which also gives the coverage in Cornwall by parish and years, is found at [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hughwallis/IGIBatchNumbers/CountyCornwall.htm http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hughwallis/IGIBatchNumbers/CountyCornwall.htm]&nbsp;&nbsp;  
Many parish records have been extracted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint and may be found in the IGI, with the transcription of&nbsp;excerpts of the information from those parish&nbsp;records also to be found in the Family Search Historical Records Collection.&nbsp; An increasing number of the images on FamilySearch have been indexed, and many are now searchable on FamilySearch;Many browsable images (unindexed, but with waypoints) have now appeared in the Family Search Historical Records Collection.&nbsp; The Cornwall OPC&nbsp;database can be used to search for the record transcriptions there and that information can be used to find the unindexed (but browsable) images on the Family Search website.&nbsp; The Hugh Wallis index of IGI batch numbers, which also gives the coverage in Cornwall by parish and years, is found at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hughwallis/IGIBatchNumbers/CountyCornwall.htm&nbsp;&nbsp;  


A map of Cornish parishes can be found online at www.cornwalleng.com/map.html&nbsp;&nbsp;When parish records are not available or have&nbsp;been lost, that information may sometimes&nbsp;be found in the bishops transcripts.&nbsp;&nbsp; Despite the fact that the Church of England (Anglican) is the established church in Cornwall, a major part of the population turned to Methodism and other smaller groups (of which the Bible Christian Movement was the largest).&nbsp; By the mid 19th century there were more Methodists than Anglicans in&nbsp;Cornwall, which must be remembered by all researchers, as a search of only the Church of England parish records would miss information for more than half the population during the 19th century.&nbsp; Methodism was especially dominant in the mining districts of Western Cornwall.&nbsp; However, until at least 1837, nearly all marriages were in the Anglican Churches, even among the Methodists.&nbsp; One must also know that burial&nbsp;of many Methodists continued to&nbsp;take place&nbsp;in the Anglican Church cemeteries.  
A map of Cornish parishes can be found online at www.cornwalleng.com/map.html&nbsp;&nbsp;When parish records are not available or have&nbsp;been lost, that information may sometimes&nbsp;be found in the bishops transcripts.&nbsp;&nbsp; Despite the fact that the Church of England (Anglican) is the established church in Cornwall, a major part of the population turned to Methodism and other smaller groups (of which the Bible Christian Movement was the largest).&nbsp; By the mid 19th century there were more Methodists than Anglicans in&nbsp;Cornwall, which must be remembered by all researchers, as a search of only the Church of England parish records would miss information for more than half the population during the 19th century.&nbsp; Methodism was especially dominant in the mining districts of Western Cornwall.&nbsp; However, until at least 1837, nearly all marriages were in the Anglican Churches, even among the Methodists.&nbsp; One must also know that burial&nbsp;of many Methodists continued to&nbsp;take place&nbsp;in the Anglican Church cemeteries.  
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The original Methodist Registers can be seen at the Cornwall Record Office, and much has been filmed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is in the Family History Library collection. The Family History Library also has filmed a large part of the parish records in Cornwall, as well as parish chest, probate, and other records. The online catalog on [http://www.familysearch.org www.familysearch.org] is easily searchable where one can see what is available in the Family History Library. The GENUKI pages on Cornwall and each individual parish also give a comprehensive listing of what records are available in the Family History Library as well as records from other sources.  
The original Methodist Registers can be seen at the Cornwall Record Office, and much has been filmed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is in the Family History Library collection. The Family History Library also has filmed a large part of the parish records in Cornwall, as well as parish chest, probate, and other records. The online catalog on [http://www.familysearch.org www.familysearch.org] is easily searchable where one can see what is available in the Family History Library. The GENUKI pages on Cornwall and each individual parish also give a comprehensive listing of what records are available in the Family History Library as well as records from other sources.  


In addition to the large databases which can be accessed on the usual commercial sites, such as Ancestry.com or findmypast.co.uk, there are excellent searchable databases available without cost. The most accurate census transcriptions (because they were done by Cornish people familiar with the names and places) are found at the Cornwall Online Census Project at [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kayhin/ukocp.html http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kayhin/ukocp.html].&nbsp;The UK Census Online (FreeCEN), while not uniquely Cornish, is also valuable and will often yield positive results when other sites providing the census&nbsp;fail to find the person sought, because the search function allows a phonetic search of surnames. This is found at [http://www.freecen.org.uk/ http://www.freecen.org.uk/]. The civil registration indexes are also available, as part of all those for England and Wales at [http://www.freebmd.org.uk/ http://www.freebmd.org.uk/]. Not all entries after 1915 on some sites have been indexed for searchability, but the indexing and search capability for the BMD's from 1837-2005 has been completed on Ancestry.com and findmypast.co.uk.  
In addition to the large databases which can be accessed on the usual commercial sites, such as Ancestry.com or findmypast.co.uk, there are excellent searchable databases available without cost. The most accurate census transcriptions (because they were done by Cornish people familiar with the names and places) are found at the Cornwall Online Census Project at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kayhin/ukocp.html<nowiki/>.&nbsp;The UK Census Online (FreeCEN), while not uniquely Cornish, is also valuable and will often yield positive results when other sites providing the census&nbsp;fail to find the person sought, because the search function allows a phonetic search of surnames. This is found at http://www.freecen.org.uk/. The civil registration indexes are also available, as part of all those for England and Wales at http://www.freebmd.org.uk/. Not all entries after 1915 on some sites have been indexed for searchability, but the indexing and search capability for the BMD's from 1837-2005 has been completed on Ancestry.com and findmypast.co.uk.  


There are transcriptions of important records available from commercial sources on CD, perhaps the most important early database being the 1641 Cornwall Protestation Returns, where every male above the age of 18 was required to take an oath to follow the "true Protestant religion."&nbsp; This is essentially the equivalent of a census of all adult males in Cornwall.&nbsp; Also available are other early sources, such as the military muster of 1569, the subsidies of 1524, 1543, and 1545, the hearth and poll taxes of 1660-1664.&nbsp; Transcriptions on CD of a number of parish records are available for purchase from commercial sites, and transcriptions of all known Methodist/Bible Christian records in Cornwall up to 1900 are also available from commercial sources.  
There are transcriptions of important records available from commercial sources on CD, perhaps the most important early database being the 1641 Cornwall Protestation Returns, where every male above the age of 18 was required to take an oath to follow the "true Protestant religion."&nbsp; This is essentially the equivalent of a census of all adult males in Cornwall.&nbsp; Also available are other early sources, such as the military muster of 1569, the subsidies of 1524, 1543, and 1545, the hearth and poll taxes of 1660-1664.&nbsp; Transcriptions on CD of a number of parish records are available for purchase from commercial sites, and transcriptions of all known Methodist/Bible Christian records in Cornwall up to 1900 are also available from commercial sources.  
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[[Category:Cornwall,_England|Genealogy]] [[Category:England_Compiled_Genealogies]]
[[Category:Cornwall, England|Genealogy]]  
[[Category:England_Compiled_Genealogies]]
[[Category:Counties of England]]
[[Category:Counties of England]]
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