ukgen 30774 950530 Beginning Family History from a UK Perspective +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ BEGINNING FAMILY HISTORY - FROM A U.K. PERSPECTIVE +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ A JewishGen InfoFile The following contains sources common to the great majority of families in The United Kingdom in the 19th and 20th centuries. Note two books marked with asterisk (*) that contain Jewish sources. --- UK NATIONAL REGISTER OF ARCHIVES - INFORMATION LEAFLETS BEGINNING FAMILY HISTORY Introduction Researchers should be aware that tracing family history can be a long-drawn-out and not always straightforward process. Record office and other staff may be able to give advice, but those tracing their family tree are generally expected to undertake research in person. This leaflet is therefore designed to help researchers to help themselves as much as possible. Before starting research, there are several steps which may be taken: a) To read up on the subject; there are several beginners' guides available, amongst others: MC & RD Philipps, Family History Research, Certificates & Searches Ltd 1992 (good coverage of research techniques) D Hey, The Oxford Guide to Family History, Oxford University Press 1993 (good essays on family history; perhaps not so strong on genealogical research) G Pelling, Beginning Your Family History, Federation of Family History Societies 5th ed 1990 D Steel, Discovering Your Family History, BBC 2nd ed 1986 (good bibliography on all aspects of research) G Hamilton-Edwards, In Search of Ancestry, Phillimore 4th ed 1983 S Colwell, The Family History Book, Phaidon Press 2nd ed 1989 A Todd, Basic Sources for Family History: 1. Back to the early 1800s, Allen & Todd 1987 also: TVH Fitzhugh, The Dictionary of Genealogy, 3rd ed A & C Black 1991 (has a very good, clear and concise guide to beginning research as Part 1.) b) To join a Family History Society, either local to the researcher or to ancestors or both. A society may provide advice on tracing ancestors and on whether any classes in family history are held in the area and also may produce publications relevant to research in the area. Further information may be provided by the Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS) (see 'Useful Addresses' below). c) To make use of local Record Offices' own guides, where these exist, to tracing family history in their holdings. If it is impracticable to trace the family in person, there may be record agents working at the local Record Office willing to do so, usually for a fee, or a list of local agents can be supplied by the Association of Genealogists and Record Agents (AGRA) (see 'Useful Addresses' below). Sources for stages preliminary to research To establish what is already known about the family, the following steps must be taken: a) Consult any papers, photographs or artefacts, etc., of your own and of your immediate family, which might provide information about one's own and earlier generations. Elderly relatives, especially, may have such papers, and their memories may prove very useful, noting that these should always be checked for accuracy with other sources wherever possible. Information from sources discovered in the home should provide enough detail to allow research to be started in records deposited in the various repositories. b) Save much time and effort by discovering if the family has been traced before. The following works may be consulted for references to printed pedigrees, published family histories, etc: GW Marshall, The Genealogists' Guide, Heraldry Today 1967 (reprint of 1903 4th ed) JB Whitmore, A Genealogical Guide: an Index to British Pedigrees in continuation of Marshall's Genealogists' Guide 1903, Walford Brothers 1953 GB Barrow, The Genealogists' Guide: an Index to Printed British Pedigrees and Family Histories 1950-1975, Research Publishing Company and American Library Association 1977 TR Thompson, A Catalogue of British Family Histories, 3rd ed Research Publishing Company for Society of Genealogists 1980 Dictionary of National Biography, 1909- T Gammage, Autobiography as a Source for the Historian: a select Bibliography,(1980) W Matthews, British diaries: an annotated bibliography of British diaries written between 1442 and 1942, University of California Press 1950 PP Havlice, And so to bed: a bibliography of diaries published in English, Scarecrow Press 1987 JS Batts, British Manuscript Diaries of the 19th Century: An Annotated Listing, Centaur Press 1976, Burke's Family Index, Burke's Peerage Ltd 1976 (a listing of all families which have appeared in Burke's publications 1826-1976 and a bibliography of Burke's publications 1826-1976) Other peerages, such as GE Cokayne, The Complete Peerage, St Catherine Press 1910-1959 c) To avoid duplication of effort, share information with others, and discover if the family is currently being researched, the following may be consulted: eds MJ Burchall and J Warren, National Genealogical Directory, 1979, 1980, 1982-4, 1985, ed I Caley, 1986- (annual) KA Johnson and MR Sainty, Genealogical Research Directory, Library of Australian History 1981- (annual) Guild of One-Name Studies, Register of One-Name Studies, 8th ed 1991 Family Tree Magazine, Readers' Interests Column, etc. Society of Genealogists, Genealogists' Magazine, Birth-briefs column; Members' Interests Index (at the Society, see 'Useful Addresses'). Members' Interests Registers are usually also maintained by the various Family History Societies. Sources used in first stages of research Once some basic genealogical information has been assembled, research may be commenced in records outside the home. The golden rule is to start with oneself and work backwards, from the known to the unknown. An important point to note is that no records were created with the genealogist and family historian in mind, but only as part of the administration of the organisations to which they belonged. A knowledge of the history of that organisation and the purpose for which its records were created is therefore most useful. A key factor of research should also be to ascertain what types of records are available for a given place, what information they contain, whether or not this will be relevant to the particular ancestor being traced and where the records are located. It should be remembered that what records are available depends very much on what has survived, also that records of whatever kinds, especially copies, may be subject to inaccuracies. Therefore, failure to find a particular document and failure to find details of ancestors in any document may be dependent on these and other factors. The following are sources common to the great majority of families in England and Wales in the 19th and 20th centuries: 1. General Registration Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1837 - present Cover: England and Wales; references in indexes allow the purchase of copy certificates of births, marriages and deaths. Location: St Catherine's House, London/District Register Offices/microfilm copies elsewhere. Arranged: alphabetically by surname, by quarter, four quarters to the year (March, June, September, December) to 1983; from 1984, alphabetically by surname by year. Finding Aids: Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, Maps of Registration and Census Districts: 1. 1837-1851 (1987) 2. 1852-1946 (revised ed 1984); R Wiggins, St Catherine's House Districts, the author 1988; JSW Gibson, General Register Office and International Genealogical Indexes, where to find them, FFHS 1987 (out of print, but useful articles on the IGI, see below.) Bibliography: E. McLaughlin, St Catherine's House, 7th ed FFHS 1988; M Nissel, People Count, HMSO 1987 OPCS, General Register Office, London, Information Leaflet ARC.1. (For General Registration in Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, see Tracing Your Ancestors in the Public Record Office, Sections 8-11.) 2. Census Returns, 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 Cover: England and Wales; returns provide details of family groups living at a particular address on a particular census night. Census taken once every 10 years, 100 year closure period, therefore 1891 is now the most recent census readily available. Location: Public Record Office, Chancery Lane, London/copies at some local Record Offices, local history libraries, etc Arranged: Topographically, therefore, an address is required with which to search the returns. Finding Aids: various street and name indexes, see: JSW Gibson, Marriage, Census and other Indexes for Family Historians, 4th ed FFHS 1991; ME Bryant-Rosier and JK Marfleet, Index to Census Registration Districts, (3rd ed 1992); JSW Gibson, Census Returns 1841-1881 on microfilm, 5th ed FFHS 1988 Bibliography: E Higgs, Making Sense of the Census, PRO 1989 S Lumas, Making Use of the Census, PRO 1992 3. Parish Registers, 1538 - present Cover: England and Wales; registers provide records of baptisms, marriages and burials before the start of General Registration, although the series continues to the present. For date of commencement of registers for individual parishes, and locations of registers, see 'Finding Aids' below. Location: Usually held in local Record Offices; usually consulted on microform. Some registers may still be with the incumbent. The Society of Genealogists has the largest collection of parish register copies held together. Finding Aids: The most important finding aid for baptisms and marriages contained in parish registers is the International Genealogical Index compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon church. This may be consulted in their family history centres in the UK, and in some record offices and local history libraries. Articles on its use can be found in the Gibson guide under 'General Registration' above. Care should be taken to check entries found here with the original registers, for errors and extra information. CR Humphery-Smith, The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers, Phillimore 1984; Society of Genealogists, Parish Register Copies in the Library of the Society of Genealogists, 10th ed The Society 1992 Bibliography: National Index of Parish Registers, Society of Genealogists 1966-; vol i ed DJ Steel, Sources of births, marriages and deaths before1837, 1966 reprinted 1976 (good bibliography on all topics); WE Tate, The Parish Chest, 3rd ed Phillimore 1969 4a. Wills and Administrations, 1858- Cover: England and Wales; references in calendars allow the consultation of registers for a small fee. Copies of wills can also be purchased. NB Not everyone left a will, but if so, they can be most useful for references to family members and the property of the deceased. Letters of administration (administrations, often abbreviated to admons) could be granted in cases of intestacy. Location: Principal Probate Registry, Somerset House, London/district Probate Registries/volumes or microfilm copies of calendars available at some local Record Offices; for a 1982 location listing, see JSWGibson, 'Printed indexes to Probate records after 1850', Local Historian, vol 15 no 4 November 1982. Arranged: Alphabetically by surname, annually. Finding Aids: See below. 4b. Wills, Administrations, Inventories, etc., c14th cent - 1858 Cover: England and Wales; references in indexes and calendars allow the purchase of copies of wills and other probate records. Probate inventories may often give a room-by-room list of the possessions of the deceased. Location: Various; this is a complicated subject: see 'Finding Aids' below. Finding Aids: AJ Camp, Wills and Their Whereabouts, the author 1974; JSW Gibson, Probate Jurisdictions: Where to Look for Wills, 3rd ed FFHS 1989 The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers also shows probate jurisdictions for counties in England and Wales. Brief Description of Selected Other Sources Monumental inscriptions - inscriptions on gravestones; dates and ages may not always be accurate. County/Trade Directories, Rate Books - may be useful for addresses with which to search Census. Bishops' Transcripts - useful for supplementing parish registers. Banns Books, Marriage Licence bonds and allegations - helpful for locating marriages. Non-conformist registers and records - can be searched if ancestors fail to appear in parish registers, especially in the 18th century. Parish records - especially those created by the parish as poor law administors; useful for ancestors who received poor relief, and in some cases, for discovering the names of alleged fathers of illegitimate children and for tracing the movements of the poor, complemented in these respects by Quarter Sessions records. The Poor Law Unions superceded the parishes as poor law administrators and therefore records of the New Poor Law, 1834 - will also be useful for assistance to the poor, including records of the workhouse. Quarter Sessions records can also be used, amongst other things, to find details of ancestors who may have committed some kind of offence, but some idea that this search would be relevant should be sought beforehand, for example, from a report in a local newspaper. Tithe maps and apportionments can help to locate where an ancestor lived. Records of taxation, especially Land Tax Assessments c 1780 -1832, Hearth Tax Returns, most useful 1664, can also be used to locate ancestors. A good series of these types of records can be used to see what persons of what surnames lived in an area over what period - that is, as a kind of directory. Newspapers - this printed source can often be most useful for many purposes; apart from notices of births, marriages and deaths, c19th -, obituaries may be found here, together with reports of funerals. The records of Coroners' inquests may often be hard to locate or else covered by a closure period; however, reports in local newspapers may be very full. Trials may also be reported, as well as all kinds of local events. These and other sources and topics may be covered either by the general guides listed above or by those in the select bibliography below; for other sources in Scotland and Ireland, see the relevant sections of the bibliography below. A series of guides by JSW Gibson and others for the FFHS provide surveys of local repositories' holdings of various types of record, including Quarter Sessions and New Poor Law records, amongst others. The National Register of Archives may also be of help in locating records of Quarter Sessions, schools, parishes, boroughs and non-conformist chapels. Indexes may be found to many records, but still more are unindexed, making speculative searches time-consuming and often unproductive. It is useful, therefore, when approaching most records, to be armed with some idea of a name, a date or period, or a place, to facilitate the search. Advice on research techniques in using many different types of record and on overcoming particularly common problems may also be found in the guides listed below. THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF ARCHIVES (NRA) AND FAMILY HISTORY It should be noted that the NRA is not the place in which to begin tracing family history, but may be useful at a later stage in research, once some basic genealogical data has been ascertained. When the researcher is pursuing further biographical details of his ancestors or their historical background, then all three indexes of the NRA may provide information of interest to the family historian. The numerical NRA references which appear on line are to lists received by the NRA from libraries, record offices and other sources, which may be consulted in the NRA's public searchroom. Personal Index Indexes the papers of individuals who can be traced in standard works of reference like the Dictionary of National Biography, Who's Who and The Complete Peerage. Individual and descriptive searches are available and a thesaurus of descriptions used can be accessed on line. The index is designed to notice only groups of ten or more items of correspondence; to trace smaller quantities will normally require personal search of likely NRA reports. A database of individuals not easily traced in reference works is in preparation. Therefore this section will be of most use to those whose ancestors were of a certain status, although the papers of such individuals can be searched for references to ancestors who might have been connected with a noble or landed family in any way, and may be useful for discovering if there is any truth in a family legend that ancestors were related to such families. Business Index May be trawled by name or type of business (a list of business codes and a business index vocabulary are available on line), town, county, document dates or any combination of these. This index may be useful for those whose ancestors were connected with a particular company in any capacity, or who worked in any particular trade or craft, Records relevant to genealogical searches may not always be found under this heading, but staff records, such as staff registers, wages or salaries books and especially pension records, if extant, may be helpful. Subject Index This index is arranged archivally rather than thematically, comprising references to the institutions which generate records rather than the places and events to which the records relate. It may be trawled by any word in an institution's title, type of institution, town, county, document dates or any combination of these. A list of codes can be consulted on line. The Subject Index is most useful, therefore, for tracing records of organisations, clubs, societies, to which ancestors may have belonged. Membership records may be particularly useful. This index also contains references to major groups of family and estate papers, which may mention ancestors connected with an estate in any way, possibly appearing in rentals, as tenants, or in household accounts, for example, as employees. MANORIAL DOCUMENTS REGISTER (MDR) This records information on the whereabouts of manorial records, excluding title deeds. It does not enter into detailed information about the contents of records, therefore individuals cannot be traced in the MDR; neither does it record the descent of manors. If, however, one suspects that an ancestor was a manorial tenant, then this register might be consulted. The name of a parish of residence is most often required with which to pinpoint the name of a particular manor. The parish index of the MDR may first be consulted to establish the name of the manor or manors known to have existed within a particular parish. Then one may turn to the MDR to discover if any records are known to relate to the manor(s). Once again, it must be stressed that records may not have survived, or their whereabouts known, and that the MDR may not mention any documents for a particular manor. Where records have survived and are noted, then court rolls, especially including admissions and surrenders, may be useful in naming successive tenants of plots of land, who are often generations of the same family. Rentals may give dated lists of tenants and their holdings, and maps may show the location of these holdings. Court records may also provide details of misdemenours, which may add a lively picture of ancestors to the family history. It must be noted that records are often in highly-abbreviated Latin before 1733, and in various scripts, so making them difficult to read without practice. However, entries in court rolls, for example, can also be highly formulaic, so that once the formula has been grasped, the records may be scanned more easily for details SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY Bibliographies CR Humphery-Smith, A Genealogist's Bibliography, Phillimore 1985 S Raymond and J Gibson, English Genealogy: An Introductory Bibliography, 2nd ed FFHS 1992 Society of Genealogists Leaflet No 2, Genealogy: A Basic Bibliography, The Society 1992 Repositories Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Record Repositories in Great Britain, 9th ed HMSO 1991 JSW Gibson and P Peskett, Record Offices: How to find them, 4th ed FFHS 1988 J Foster and J Sheppard, British Archives: A Guide to Archive Resources in the UK, 2nd ed Macmillan 1989 East Yorkshire Family History Society, District Register Offices in England and Wales 7th ed, The Society 1990 Solving problems/Reference CD Rogers, The Family Tree Detective, 2nd ed Manchester University Press 1985 ed P Saul and FC Markwell, The Family Historian's Enquire Within, 4th ed FFHS 1991 see also FitzHugh above. More Advanced Stages - PRO ed A Bevan and A Duncan, J Cox and T Padfield, Tracing Your Ancestors in the Public Record Office, 4th ed HMSO 1990 S Colwell, Family Roots, Weidenfeld and Nicholson 1991 S Colwell, Dictionary of Genealogical Sources in the Public Record Office, Weidenfeld and Nicholson 1992 See also the Public Record Office's series of Census, General and Records Information Leaflets and Family Fact Sheets, which are available free of charge at PRO Chancery Lane or Kew. Records Information Leaflet no 39 'Records of Births Marriages and Deaths' has a useful appendix 'How to find a record of a birth or baptism' consisting of a flow chart to assist the location of such events. Church of England/Ecclesiastical Records S Bourne and A Chicken, Records of the Church of England: A Practical Guide for the Family Historian, 2nd ed the authors 1991 CR Chapman, Ecclesiastical Courts, Their Officials and Their Records, Lochin Publishing 1992 Other Religious Denominations DJ Steel, National Index of Parish Registers vol ii: Sources for Non-Conformist Genealogy and Family History, Phillimore for Society of Genealogists 1973 * DJ Steel and ER Samuel, National Index of Parish Registers vol iii: Sources for Roman Catholic and Jewish Genealogy and Family History, Phillimore for Society of Genealogists 1974 P Palgrave-Moore, Understanding the History and Records of Nonconformity, 2nd ed Elvery Dowers 1988 * M Gandy, My Ancestor was Jewish, Society of Genealogists 1983 EH Milligan and MJ Thomas, My Ancestors were Quakers, Society of Genealogists 1983 W Leary, My Ancestors were Methodists, 2nd ed Society of Genealogists 1990 GR Breed, My Ancestors were Baptists, revised ed Society of Genealogists 1988 DHJ Clifford, My Ancestors were Congregationalists, Society of Genealogists 1992 Professions and Occupations G Hamilton-Edwards, In Search of Army Ancestry, Phillimore 1977 MJ and CT Watts, My Ancestor was in the British Army: How can I find out more about him?, Society of Genealogists 1992 S Fowler, Army Records for Family Historians, PRO 1992 NH Holding, World War I Army Ancestry, 2nd ed FFHS 1991 NH Holding, The location of British Army records: a national directory of World War I Sources, 3rd ed FFHS 1991 NH Holding, More Sources of World War I Army Ancestry, 2nd ed FFHS 1991 NAM Rodger, Naval Records for Genealogists, HMSO 1988 MJ and CT Watts, My Ancestor was a Merchant Seaman, Society of Genealogists 1986 T Richards, Was Your Grandfather a Railwayman?, 2nd ed FFHS 1989 S Raymond, Occupational Sources for Genealogists, A Bibliography, FFHS 1992 (printed sources) Migration N Currer-Briggs, Worldwide Family History, Routledge Keegan and Paul 1982 A Baxter, In Search of Your European Roots, a complete guide to tracing your ancestors in every country of Europe, Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc. 1985 D. Hawkings, Bound for Australia, Phillimore 1987 PW Filby and MK Meyer, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, Gale 1981 G Yeo, The British Overseas, A Guide to their Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths and Burials Available in the United Kingdom, 2nd ed Guildhall Library 1988 N Currer-Briggs and R Gambier, Huguenot Ancestry, Phillimore 1985 AJ Camp, My Ancestor was a Migrant in England or Wales, How can I trace where he came from?, Society of Genealogists 1986 AJ Camp, My Ancestor came over with the Conqueror, Society of Genealogists 1988 Change of Name ed WPW Phillimore and EA Fry, An Index to Change of Name, 1760-1901, Phillimore and Co. 1905 Illegitimacy E McLaughlin, Illegitimacy, 4th ed FFHS 1989 see also FitzHugh, Rogers, above. Poor E McLaughlin, The Annals of the Poor, 4th ed FFHS 1990 CR Webb, 'Post-1834 Poor Law Records', Genealogists' Magazine vol 19 no 3 September 1977 MJ Lodey, 'Were they 'In the Union'?', Genealogists' Magazine vol 20 no 4 December 1980 Criminals DT Hawkings, Criminal Ancestors: A Guide to Historical Records in England and Wales, Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd 1992 Education CR Chapman, The Growth of British Education and its Records, Lochin Publishing 1991 CD Rogers, 'The Genealogical Uses of Educational Records', Genealogists' Magazine vol 21 no 6 June 1984 Manorial Records PB Park, My Ancestors were Manorial Tenants, Society of Genealogists 1990 A Travers, 'Manorial Documents', Genealogists' Magazine vol 21 no 1 March 1983 D Stuart, Manorial Records, Phillimore 1992 (palaeography) Irish Ancestors B de Breffny, Bibliography of Irish Family History and Genealogy, Golden Eagle Books 1974 E Mac Lysaght, Bibliography of Irish Family History, Heraldic Artists 1982 D Begley, Handbook on Irish Genealogy, 6th ed Heraldic Artists 1984 ed D Begley, Irish Genealogy: A Record Finder, Heraldic Artists 1981 D Begley, The Ancestor Trail in Ireland, Heraldic Artists 1982 JG Ryan, Irish Records: sources for family and local history, Ancestry Publishing 1988 T. McCarthy, The Irish Roots Guide, Lilliput Press 1991 J Grenham, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, Gill and Macmillan 1992 Scottish Ancestors JPS Ferguson, Scottish Family Histories, 2nd ed National Library of Scotland 1986 M Stuart, Scottish Family History, Oliver and Boyd 1930 G Hamilton-Edwards, In Search of Scottish Ancestry, Phillimore 1986 DJ Steel, National Index of Parish Registers vol xii: Sources for Scottish Genealogy and Family History, Phillimore for Society of Genealogists 1971 C Sinclair, Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors, HMSO 1990 K Cory, Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry, Polygon 1990 ed J Beckett, A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants, Anglo-Scottish FHS 1989 D Moody, Scottish Family History, Batsford 1988 Welsh Ancestors G Hamilton-Edwards, In Search of Welsh Ancestry, Phillimore 1986 CJ Williams and J Watts-Williams, Cofrestri Plwyf Cymru/The Parish Registers of Wales, National Library of Wales and Welsh County Archivists' Group in association with the Society of Genealogists 1985 ed J Rowlands et al, Welsh Family History, A guide to research, Association of Family History Societies of Wales 1993 USEFUL ADDRESSES Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS), Administrator, c/o Benson Room, Birmingham and Midland Institute, Margaret Street, Birmingham, B3 3BS Association of Genealogists and Record Agents (AGRA), Joint Secretaries, Mr and Mrs DR Young, 29 Badger's Close, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 5RU, Society of Genealogists, 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London, EC1M 7BA Guild of One-name Studies, Box G, c/o 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London, EC1M 7BA Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints/ Genealogical Society of Utah, Family History Service Centre, 185 Penns Lane, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 8JU (Send SAE for details of Family History Centres in the UK) August 1993 c The Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts 1993. [The text of this document was acquired from the Australian National University, Canberra Soc.Sci.WWW Server at http://coombs.anu.edu.au/CoombsHome.html] --------- [30May95] Provider: Bernard Kouchel +----------------------------------------------------------------------+