Getting Started

I am often asked about how to research ones family history so I thought I would try and give a short synopsis of technique on this page. My families are primarily English with some Welsh, Irish, American, Canadian and Australian branches and much of the information has been researched using the many internet based indexes. However, all this means is that I have been able to do my research from the comfort of my home office but the principles remain the same: talk, record and prove.

Talk to Relatives
Start with what you already know. It may sound obvious but the person to start with is you. After all you know more about you than anyone else. You know when where and when you were born and who your parents are. You probably know who all your siblings are and when and where they were born. Your parents will probably know the same about themselves. Preparing some questions in advance of talking to your relatives is useful. Make a record of their answers so they do not get lost or forgotten.

I also found it very useful to write a short biography about myself. This generated a lot of questions that I was able to ask my parents about family members. As an aside it is also something I keep up to date as far as possible as an “aide-mémoire”.

How, Where and When
Gather as much information together as you can. This could include copies of certificates, photographs, wills, family bibles, letter and diaries. This helps with the “how, where and when” aspects of research. These days, with access to the internet, it is a relatively simple task to track Birth, Marriage and Death (BMD) certificates as well as a myriad of other information about our ancestors.

Civil Registration
In England Wales Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages have been taking place since 1837 and the indexes are held at the National Archives in Kew Surrey.

In Scotland since 1855 and can be found at the GRO for Scotland, New Register House, Edinburgh.

In Northern Ireland since 1922 and can be found at the GRO for Northern Ireland, Belfast.

Many of these indexes are now available online. The majority of the sites are subscription or pay per view. However, your local library may have free access to them.

Census Returns
The census has been taken every 10 years since 1801 and the registration of births, deaths and marriages has been a legal requirement since 1 July 1837. Prior to the 1841 census the data held is not of great value to us as it was only since 1841 that individuals where recorded. Each year more and more information has been recorded on the night of the census consequently giving us a more in depth picture. I am not going to go into too much depth on using the census and registration documents here but suggest that you read one of the many books on family history to guide you through. There are, however, a few things I will mention now:

  • The 1841 census often has adult ages rounded to the nearest five years so beware of estimating the year of birth.
  • Census are taken on a particular night or the year so when you go searching BMD indexes allow a year either side of the estimated year in case the person is about to have or has just had a birthday.
  • Census returns were made by an enumerator who called on each household so spelling may vary (my great grandfather has his name spelt MILLAR not MILLER in the 1881 census).
  • Electronic copies of the census that are available on the internet have been transcribed by human beings and as such, even though great care has been taken, mistakes have inevitably occurred so check for variations.

Parish Registers
Parish Registers officially date back to 1538 when Thomas Cromwell, the chancellor to Henry VIII put in place legislation for priest to record every baptism, death and marriage within their parish. Many of the very early ones may not have survived. It is these records that can help you get beyond 1837 and the start of civil registration and census returns. In broad terms they come in two flavours: Bishop’s Transcripts and Nonconformist.

Bishop’s Transcripts, sometimes known as BT’s date from 1598 following an Act Parliament in 1597 that instructed clergy to make an annual copy of their registers and send them to their diocesan Bishop. Although they contain less information than the originals they do make a very useful source, especially when the originals no longer exist.

In most English and Welsh cases parish records can be found in local county record offices while in Scotland they can be found in New Registry House, Edinburgh; The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland, Belfast and The National Archives Dublin.

Nonconformists It may be that your ancestors belonged to a nonconformist church e.g. Baptists, Methodist and Quaker etc. Many nonconformist records are available at the National Archives in Kew.

Other Records
There are many other records that are of great use to the family historian such as Wills and Probate and Letters of Administration; Civil and Parish records such as Poor Law Union records and many more. Many of these may be found at the County Records Office.

Further Reading
There many fine books on the subject of family history on the market today. Follow the Further Reading link in the navigation bar on the left for a few examples.

Family History Societies
Being a member of you local family history society can bring you access to a wealth of knowledge and experience, not only for those new to this hobby but also the more experienced.Your local group may not be in the county of your forebears but that should not put you off the experience and help is still there. Most counties have a society and can be found via the internet or your local library. There is a link to the Federation of Family History Societies on the Links page.

And Finally
It is my view that family history is not just trying to get the biggest tree one can grow but to get the best understanding of the lives of your family members that you can. Personally, I have taken great pleasure in piecing together the lives of some of my ancestors and solving some of the family mysteries and it is my hope that you get the same pleasure

CENSUS DATES
YearDateNotePiece Prefix
18416 JuneDid not record the place of birth but did record if born in the county (Y or N) or if they where born in Scotland, Ireland or Foriegn PartsHO107 ⁄
185130 MarchFull Address GivenHO107 ⁄
18617 AprilFull Address GivenRG9 ⁄
18712 AprilFull Address GivenRG10 ⁄
18813 AprilFull Address GivenRG11 ⁄
18915 AprilFull Address GivenRG12 ⁄
190131 MarchFull Address GivenRG13 ⁄
19112 AprilFull Address GivenRG14 ⁄