Records Indexes and Returns

Record Types

Parish Records

These may be found either at your local City Record Office, your County Record Office, some reference libraries, through a local LDS [Mormon] church Family History Centre or still occasionally with the incumbent of the relevant parish if not yet deposited. A phone call to one of the Offices will usually clarify your most convenient location to go and view these records, and indicate whether an appointment or payment is required.

The Parish Records, for the sake of preservation, are generally to be viewed in microfilm or microfiche format, and you will almost certainly be given guidance at the relevant office if you have not used film or fiche before on how to use the viewers. Begin with verifying some or all of what you know, especially the earlier data you have noted from living memory.

The records that are relevant at this stage in your research are usually Baptisms, Marriages or Burials, although Parish Registers can contain considerably more. Should you locate the record that you think is yours either note everything down IN FULL as written, as well as remembering to add a note of the date and parish, or alternately/additionally see if a photocopy can be obtained. This is particularly useful when the entry is a little ambiguous.

Records after 1813 are usually reasonable informative. Prior to that date information is quite a lottery and can vary considerably from parish to parish, and even within a parish if the clergy changed. Generally before that date, for a marriage record, a bride and grooms parents will not be noted-nor precise ages, but if it should indicate that they were married by licence (as opposed to banns) and a copy can be located of the Marriage Allegation [ask the archivist where you are if they hold a copy] the information can be quite detailed at times. Quite frequently until as recent as the mid eighteenth century the mothers name seemed to be an optional extra on baptismal records. And burial records can be as limited as 'Aug 1 1768 John Smith'. Note all possibilities in such circumstances and then use a process of elimination. And do bear in mind that the majority of the population until last century were either illiterate, or not capable of any more than a version of their signature. And with a marriage, a bride may have made her mark, even though she could write, so as not to embarrass her new husband if he was illiterate.

Although in a small village an exact date is not necessarily required as there were relatively few events in a year, in larger towns and city's, to know the parish or approximate date can save hours of searching. This is where the IGI or a Society's index can save considerable time.

As you proceed back in time do remember that although the Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian calendar in 1751 some places/Incumbents took their time to adjust! By 1751 the Julian Calendar was 11 days out. In that year Chesterfields Act stated that January 1st would be the start of the New Year instead of 25th March as before. And so 1750 ran from 25 March to 31 Dec, and 11 days were omitted from September to bring the calendar in line with continent who had changed in 1582 to the new style calendar and Scotland who had changed in 1600. If you see a year noted as 1750/1, it indicates a date from 1 Jan to 24 March in 1750 (Julian) or 1751 (Gregorian). Also as a general rule when recording dates it is better to get into the habit where possible of indicating months by letters not numbers, as the Americans for example would write 8 June 1900 as 6.8.1900 and us in the UK as 8.6.1900.

The IGI

The International Genealogical Index is one of a multitude of records made available to the general public by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (The Mormons). The index is currently available on fiche, on CD Rom and over the Internet via the LDS Family Search Web Site. This Worldwide Index contains millions of baptism and marriage entries, and a proportion of 'relative' data from family members. This remarkable index is an excellent tool, but must be used in conjunction with other sources for corroboration as it immense size can understandably have a small degree of errors. The coverage of UK parish material varies from county to county too. That being said, it is often the best place to start if you are searching prior to the 1870s (after which most UK county records peter out) especially if you are uncertain of the exact parish or date of your ancestor. Do remember to allow for considerable variations of spelling as indicated above. Regional accents and even the common cold could result in the misspelling of a name stated as well as illiteracy inviting spelling variations.

The UK IGI is subdivided by County, and then alphabetically by surname. Do note however that many names are clumped together with phonetic variations, and with all due respect, American pronunciation is different to ours, resultant in some quite intriguing combinations! Within the surname forenames are recorded as written, so beware that William could be exactly that, or Wm., Will, Guilemus (Latin), or Willm. Within the Christian names, events are chronological. Scanning through a surname may highlight siblings, but always go back to the Parish Registers and confirm the entries there. The marriage can often be located this way, and as the event traditionally took place in the brides home parish, if this was different to the grooms this too can be a big time saver.

Census Returns

Census returns have been taken in the UK every 10 years since 1801 with the exception of 1941 (due to WW2). For 1801 to 1831 the information was statistical and of limited use to the family historian. 1841 is the earliest census generally used for research purposes, but this too was limited in its information compared to the 1851. For the 1841 census the information recorded was general address [which could be as vague as a village name], forename, surname, age, sex, occupation and whether born in the county indicated by a Y or N. F indicate born in foreign parts, S in Scotland and I in Ireland. Ages for the under 15's were usually as accurate as the informants information, but those older were rounded down to the nearest 5 years. The 1851 in contrast gave reputed exact ages (as given by the informant), relationship to the Head of household, and reported place of birth. Sometimes if outside the UK towns or cities were named, but this was generally dependent on the enumerator.
The most important thing to remember with nineteenth century census returns was that the information was only as good as the person giving it - and the person hearing it and recording it accurately.

It is useful to locate a family on one or more census where-ever possible, as this can, like the IGI, guide you to other relatives or locations, and give an insight into the way your ancestor lived by their occupation and residence, and lead you to some quite unexpected places. A census can give clues as to previous marriages, trips abroad and maiden names. People were starting to migrate quite considerably by the time of the earliest census returns and finding a Naval ancestor for example can show his origins from a completely different part of the Country, his spouse from yet another and their final home as he retires in yet another place. The places of births for their offspring can be a good guide to where they may have lived between census returns, and searches of these parish records may also indicate deceased infants who do not appear on any census returns.

The census returns were taken on the following dates:

6 June 1841
30 March 1851
7 April 1861
2 April 1871
3 April 1881
5 April 1891
31 March 1901
Those yet to be released are as follows:

2 April 1911 Due to be released 1st January 2012
19 June 1921 Due to be released 1st January 2022
26 April 1931 Destroyed during WW2
29 September 1939 WW2 National Registration Due to be released late 2040
8 April 1951 Due to be released 1st January 2052
23 April 1961 Due to be released Jan 2062
25 April 1971 Due to be released 1st January 2072
5 April 1981 Due to be released 1st January 2082
21 April 1991 Due to be released 1st January 2092
29 April 2001 Due to be released 1st January 3002

And as of 1 minute past midnight on 2nd January 2002 the 1901 census was released. This is now available as Pay-per-view as well as via traditional access methods in repositories countrywide. Please refer to the Public Record Office for further information.

As with Parish records, accurate recording of the information and notes stating which census, the reference and folio number as well as the data contained is essential. And again, a photocopy is often available and useful. Note down all occupants of a household, especially if noted as relations as they may prove informative at a later date, or help when eliminating from a variety of 'suspects'.

The 1851 census has now been indexed by a large number of Family History Society's [see below], and the 1881 census for the whole of the UK is available on microfiche or [LDS] CD Rom, the latter being available now for purchase and use at home at a very competitive price. Many societies who indexed the 1851 have also commenced indexing the 1891 returns. Indexing of the census returns varies from county to county and so will the amount of information recorded in those indexes. Some are 'surname only' variety, some are full transcriptions.
Wessex Family History Ltd has concentrated on the much neglected 1841 returns.

Civil Registration Records

The time will come for most researchers when the information forthcoming from other sources is insufficient and the need for a Civil registration certificate is required. This does currently tend to be the most expensive part of researching, and many people now view it as a last resort when the aforementioned sources have failed to confirm or provide the connections required. However there are now several good index sites online which can save hours of trawling through indexes at repositories.

Civil registration began in England and Wales on 1st July 1837. The records are currently held at The Family Records Centre in Kew, part of The National Archives in London, previously being housed at St Catherines House and Somerset House. There are varying opinions on the number of records that escaped registration for one reason or another, but this percentage dropped dramatically [although not completely] in 1875 when a penalty was introduced for failure to register a birth. Parents were given 42 days to register a birth, and also from 1875 a father of an illegitimate child could only be named on the certificate if the reputed father was present. A percentage of records were also mislaid in the process of converting the regional data to centralised indexes. There are some very good publications on the reasons for the inaccuracies in the civil system, but for now - lets be positive!

Local Family History Society's Indexes

Local History Societies can be invaluable to genealogical researchers whether near or far from you. For those local to you they can provide a meeting point on a personal basis with like-minded people and many links may be forged. For all members there is usually a regular publication and a wide variety of local reference material to be accessed by post, by ordering books, fiche or by writing to others with similar interests. For the further flung member these indexes and published works can be the only access to information not available from any other source. Old and hard to read parish records may have been indexed that do not appear on the IGI. Census returns may be indexed and show an ancestor lodging in unexpected locations, and memorial inscriptions may lead you to a last resting place where further information may be waiting to be gleaned.
Societies vary in size, membership fees, and with what they can offer tremendously. Contact the local library and enquire as to the address of your local group. Or consult publications such as the GRD [Genealogical Research Directory-published annually] for the details of membership secretaries. These are just a selection of the sources available to the Family Historian.

Why not do that draft tree now and come back and look at our parish records online?

Non Anglican Ancestry?

If you are descended from a Catholic, Jewish, Quaker or dissenter family, or Scotland, Ireland or Wales, there are societies that deal with the specific implications of such research. Many Catholic entries will appear in such sources as the the IGI, and all should appear on the census. However, the religious records may pose a problem in some instances. Unless you were Jewish or Quaker, your marriage for example was required by law to be solemised in an Anglican Church for it to be recognised. Some people went along with this procedure, some for varying objections did not. Many dissenters records will be found in the Anglican records with their non-conformity clearly mentioned by the incumbent. And in Wales, there is the added complexity of the patronymic naming system. i.e. Robert ap Reece would be Robert the son of Reece, his son may therefore be Thomas ap Robert. These names may then be anglicised if they came across the border and ap Reece changed to Price, and ap Robert to Probert. This is a very simplified version, but should indicate the additional complications of tracing a lineage in Wales, as well as the language barrier, no non-Welsh researchers. Would you at first glance know that Robert Price was the father of Thomas Probert..? Other religions may not recognise a baptism, as in the Anglican faith, but there are generally birth records or similar.

Parish Record's Security

There has been considerable controversy in recent years about the security of some church records. Although registers are deposited in secure repositories when completed, many smaller parishes are still using very old books. Sadly a large number of old registers have been stolen, defaced or passed into private collections and either forgotten about or kept in situations not condusive to preservation. Some churches do not have the finance or facilities to protect the material they hold, much of which is irreplaceable. This is not a criticism, but a fact. It is hoped in many genealogocal circles that incumbents may be persuaded to deposit registers - perhaps those over a century old - into the safekeeping of bodies that have the specialist facilities to preserve them for future generations.

Wessex Family History Ltd hopes that sites such as this, and numerous others that are being developed, will be another way of protecting our heritage as we enter the 21st century.