FFHS - Research Tips - First Steps in Family History Research

Research Tips

First Steps in Family History

Where do I start?: Start with yourself, add your family, your parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc., in fact, any relatives you can remember. Question older relatives, who can be invaluable in providing knowledge of ancestors you may not know of or have forgotten.
I've recorded everything my relatives told me. Where do I go next?: In England and Wales people have been able to register births, marriages and deaths since 1 July 1837. Certificates of events occurring from this date can be obtained from local Register Offices or the Registrar General (www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Registeringlifeevents/index.htm). You can search the General Register Office (GRO) indexes to these registrations at some local libraries and record offices who have copies in microform. Several commercial companies provide online digitised images of the index page for free or for a fee (see our Useful Websites page). An ongoing volunteer project to transcribe the index can be found online at www.freebmd.org.uk which contains information for the period 1837-1983. See also www.ukbmd.org.uk.
What information can I expect to obtain from a certificate?: A birth certificate includes the date and place of birth, the name, residence and maiden name of the mother and the name and occupation of the father (where given). Knowing both parents’ full names, you can search the indexes for a reference to their marriage. A marriage certificate normally includes occupations, residences and the date and place of marriage and additionally names and occupations of the father of both bride and groom. Simple steps like these can take your line well back into the nineteenth century. For a useful booklet produced by the GRO click here.
But this information only applies to England and Wales. My ancestry is Scottish and Irish. What do I do?: Civil Registration began in Scotland in 1855 and in Ireland in 1864. Certificates can be obtained from New Register House, Princes Street, Edinburgh EHI 3YT (for Scotland) and from the General Register Office, Government Offices, Convent Road, Roscommon, for Ireland. Registrations for Northern Ireland Northern Ireland from 1922 are at Oxford House, 49-55 Chichester Street, Belfast BT1 4HL. Before commencing this part of your research, however, you are strongly advised to read the relevant chapter in one of the many books available.
I think my relative was born overseas. What do I do?: The General Register Office (GRO) also holds overseas records containing details of births, marriages and deaths of British Citizens that have taken place abroad since the late eighteenth century. It is not compulsory to register every birth, marriage and death that occurs overseas and the GRO is not notified of every event that has taken place. For non British Citizens www.cyndislist.com may provide details of records available for your country of interest.
My family history consists, mainly, of names and dates; how do I find out more about my ancestors' families?: A census is taken every ten years and the records become available for public scrutiny when they are 100 years old. We can therefore see those returns for 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 191. Details such as age, occupation and place of birth may be found on the census returns for 1851 and after. The 1841 census omits place of birth and relationships.
Where can I search the census returns?: All the available 1841 to 1911 censuses have been surname indexed for the whole of England and Wales, by one or more commercial organisations, and are available online together with digitised images of the census pages. A complete set for England and Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man can be accessed online at The National Archives at Kew. Additionally, those relating to your area may be found at your local record office or library. Census returns can also be viewed at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) Family History Centres. All available 1841-1911 censuses for Scotland are available online.
I have traced my line back to the mid-1800s, using the GRO Indexes. How do I get further back?: Now, you will be largely dependent on the church (or parish) registers. These registers were introduced in 1538 and contain baptisms and burials (as distinct from births and deaths) and, of course, marriages. Although many early registers have been lost over the years, a surprising number still exist.
Where do I find parish registers?: Today, very few registers, other than those which are still in use, are held at churches. Many of the registers have been surname indexed by one or more commercial organisations and are available online together with digitised images. Ask at the relevant county record office or local studies library, or your nearest Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) Family History Centre for details of the records available. Many family history societies have produced transcriptions of parish records, some of which are available online or in printed form or on CD. Visit the online catalogue at www.genfair.co.uk and www.parishchest.com In addition to the registers, from 1598 parish priests had to send to their bishop an ‘annual return’, a copy of the register, known as a Bishops’ Transcript. Those, which still exist, can be very useful in supplying entries omitted from the register or replacing a missing register.
I've heard of the IGI, what is this?: The IGI, or International Genealogical Index, is an index to about 800 million births, baptisms and marriages from around the world. The index is produced by the LDS, and is available in many libraries and record offices, and in the Church's own Family History Centres. It can also be found online at www.familysearch.org.
I've heard that wills can be useful - how do I go about using them?: Wills and Administrations, proved in England and Wales from 1858 are available in person at the Principal Registry of the Family Division, First Avenue House, 42-29 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6NP or by post from Leeds Probate District Probate Registry, York House, 31 York Place, Leeds. LS1 2BA. The fee is £6 for a copy of a grant and/or Will for each deceased person. This includes a search of four years after the date of death if you are unsure when the grant was issued.
An alphabetical annual index of Will and Administrations is prepared by the Principal Registry. The older Indexes broadly from 1858 to 1940 have been deposited at several record offices and libraries. Original wills have likewise been deposited. Some of the indexes have been made available online by commercial organisations.
What if my ancestor died prior to 1858; how do I go about finding out if a will exists?: Before 1858 there was no national probate registry and research is more complicated as a result. Church Courts administered the system from the 14th century until 1858. A considerable number of Indexes are online and available from commercial organisations enabling you to obtain copies of the documents from appropriate record offices. During the Commonwealth period in the 17th century practically all were proved in London and are now held at the National Archives (TNA). These wills and those proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury are available to download for a fee on www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline.
What else can I expect to find out about my family?: There are many other sources which you can search, far too many to list here. There are numerous books and specialist magazines that may help, so ask at your local library or search the Internet. Family history societies have a wealth of information to help you with your research and the location of source material, visit their websites. A comprehensive range is available from GENfair: the ‘One-stop shop’ for family and local historians. View the online catalogue on the www.genfair.co.uk.
How do I find out about family history classes?: Try your nearest family history society or Workers’ Educational Association and your Local Education Authority, both of which arrange adult classes. County Record Offices and Libraries often advertise as well as run classes. You may wish to consider learning online. See also our page on Genealogy Courses.
Where can I find information on any family history societies that I might want to join?: Most societies have websites you can link to. Those that are members of the Federation are listed on this site (see Contacting our Members), or a printed list can be requested from The Administrator, Federation of Family History Societies, PO BOX 8857, Lutterworth, LE17 9BJ.
Supposing there is someone already researching the same family as me, how do I find them?: Many family history societies publish directories of Members’ Interests. The Guild of One Name Studies is the world’s leading organisation for one-name studies. A listing of registered surnames is available on their website at www.one-name.org There are also commercial organisations which provide a means of building your family tree and the possibility of connecting with wider family members.