1. What you Already
Know
If you have taken the logical steps in Where to Start,
by recording on the Family group Sheets, all that you know about your immediate
family, your parents and brothers and sisters, your grandparents and their
children, you are bound to find you have several gaps in that information.
This is natural, do not panic.
2. Methods of Research and
Finding out More
The traditional method of those wishing to find their
ancestors is to question parents and grandparents, for they are likely
to possess written records, such as birth certificates, marriage and death
certificates and family Bibles, and other family memorabilia and their
memories are often clear and accurate. Do not be afraid to ask a relative
if they can help you. It is a fascinating hobby and many people have always
wanted to "know more" and will be more than helpful to assist you in the
research. Some family stories may sound a little far-fetched, but at the
source of most of them, there may be some truth. However, there comes a
time when information from the past, is not available through traditional
family information and other records have to be consulted.
3. Types of Records
Birth Certificates, Christening records, Marriage Certificates,
Death Certificates, Burial records, Monumental (Gravestones) Inscriptions
and Census records are among a long list of available records that can
be researched, and copied in order to obtain information about your family.
4. Research Places.
Click Here for The Best Of
for all Online National Genealogical Sources
Libraries, National and Local, hold documentary evidence
from municipal and village records and from church registers, which record
christenings, weddings and funerals. In some cases these parish church
records go back to the 16th century. British records were immaculately
kept and few have been lost. Most have now been microfilmed in order
to preserve vital historical handwritten and sometimes fragile registers
and documents. Some of these documents date prior to the 16th century.
These microfilms/microfiche can be viewed at the local
Libraries/Record Offices, the LDS Church Worldwide Family History Centres,
some local Family History Societies and National Genealogical Societies.
In the case of Americans, or any Multi-National country,
a family may be traced back to the time of its arrival in that country.
Research in the country of a family's origin is usually the most difficult
because records may no longer exist and work may have to be conducted in
a foreign language. Fortunately for these researchers, the
LDS Family History department has the best worldwide modern records, for
their members spent many years copying pertinent documents in many foreign
countries. These records are in the main available free of charge for family
research at any LDS Family History Centre.
British Records are copyright of the Crown and few such
records are yet, available on the Internet to FREELY search. Although
excellent attempts are being made to transcribe, births, deaths and marriages
indices only, (1837 to present day), for FREE Internet online search
by Rootsweb.com and
Ancestry.com.
Click
here for access to FREE Birth Marriage and Death Index
Click
here for access to Ancestry.co.uk British Database Index
The Birth, Marriage, Death Indices (Index to the records
only) are available on a pay as you view service, 1837- 2002 and
from here using the Birth, Marriage, Death Registrations, you may order
a copy of the original certificate.
Click here to access
British BMD's at 1837online.com.
Original Parish Church Baptismal, Marriage and Burial
records are slow to come online, but there are now some excellent research
sources from not only the LDS Family History services, but from The Society
of Genealogists, Rootsweb, Ancestry.com all of which can help in the search
for ancestors.
So in the main, British Birth, Marriage and Death records,
or microfilmed copies of parish church registers, have to, for the
moment, be physically viewed at one of the above mentioned
research places or researches and certificates purchased through online
sources such as the Family Records Centre, London.
The 1901 Census is available online. A free Search and
then payment required for copies of original census page. The 1891 Census
is available online through Ancestry.co. uk , a subscription based service.
The 1881 Census is totally free of charge to search on www.familysearch.com.
Previous census are available online for selected Counties only through
the Federation of Family History Societies Website.
Click here to access the Best of
all the Websites mentioned above.
See What's in a British Birth Certificate, Christening
Record, Burial Record, Monumental Inscriptions, Census, and Wills. All
of which can be a tremendous source of information for the Family Historian.
To learn more about Parish MARRIAGE
Records and what this means to your research please read:
What's in a Marriage Record
To learn more about Parish BURIAL
Records and what this means to your research please read:
What's in A Burial Record
To learn more about the history of Parish Church
Records and what this means to your research please read
The History of Parish Church Records