Where Now

[Queenie]

I have managed to trace my family on my mum's side to 1785 but where do I go from here? What records do I try to find to go any further?

Brill site by the way!!!! :2fun:

 

[admin]

Hi Queenie,
Getting back beyond 1837 normally relies mainly on the use of parish registers - with luck, and allied to other types of records, these might enable you to trace your family back to the late 16th century.

Beyond this can be extremely difficult, unless you can tie in to a well-documented pedigree, for example of royalty or a great land-owning family. Also many records pre 1700 are in latin.
Brief overview:
Before the central registers started (1837, 1855, 1864) births and deaths were not recorded as such, but baptisms, marriages and burials were entered in the registers of the appropriate churches or chapels. Some parish (Church of England) registers date from 1538. Most over a hundred years old are now deposited in County Record Offices, though a few remain in parish churches. Access to original registers in public hands is mostly free; for those at the church the clergy are allowed to make a charge. The address and opening hours of the record offices mentioned are in the invaluable Record repositories in Great Britain (HMSO, 11th. edn 1999). Links to all record office websites can be found via The National Archives ARCHON directory at http://www.archon.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archon/.

Over the years a great many parish registers have been copied (perhaps to 1812 or to 1837 or later) and the largest collection of these copies is at the Society of Genealogists. Hundreds of Millions of baptisms and marriages from parish registers between 1538 and 1875 have been collectively indexed, , by the Genealogical Society of Utah (Mormons) into the International Genealogical Index. Several editions of this Index have been produced on microfiche and CD-ROM and it is widely available in county record offices and libraries and at the Mormon branch Family History Centres. Many also have it on computer enabling rapid countrywide searches to be carried out. The IGI is also available on line at http://www.familysearch.org

All Scottish parish registers are at New Register House in Edinburgh. Few beg before 1750 but all the baptisms and marriages prior to 1855 have been indexed by the Genealogical Society of Utah and again are available on microfiche at various libraries and Family History Centres. They are also available "on-line" through the GRO Scotland web site www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

Many Irish registers have not survived: in the rural areas those which have date only from the early 19th century. In the Republic of Ireland many Church of Ireland Registers have been deposited at the Representative Church Body Library, Braemor Park, Rathgar, Dublin 14 and most of those of the Roman Catholics are on microfilm at the National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 7. Records from parishes in Northern Ireland, which are not retained in parish custody, are deposited in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Belfast.

When you have exhausted the records of census and civil registration and have begun to look at the parish registers of the area from which your family came, you will need to consult the other sources available in the County Record Office (list here). Here you will find other parish records, the local wills proved before 1858, the records of the administration of the county (including the Land Tax records, at least from 1780 onwards), and the records of local land or estate owners.

You may also find "parish chest records" listed in the Family History Catalog under the parish you are searching. These included poor taxes, bastardy bonds, settlement and removal records, apprenticeship records, churchwarden records and other events relating to the church and village. The parish was responsible for taking care of the poor. Since this could be a large expense, they did not accept people on welfare lightly. If the family was not originally from the parish, the church authorities might send them back to their original parish to avoid having to support them. If a girl had an illegitimate child she and the child might become dependent on the parish. Every attempt was made to determine the identify of the father so he would have to provide support. These records can provide wonderful details on a family.

Also if you are stuck on some "Wanted Names" post them here. Loads of fellow family history researchers are linking together.

Hope that helps

All the best in your endeavors,
Dave

 

[flossy]

I have also reached the stage where I need to use parish records etc for research. Unfortunatly most of the records I need are in the south and I live in the north,GRO visits are out of the question for me.

Do you have any hints or advice for myself and others in my situation?

flossy

 

[admin]

Hi flossy,

Can you post the details of what you are trying to research. Such as:

• Names,
• Dates,
• Locality, Parish, County.

We will see what we can do to help
................ No promises mind you!! 8)

Regards,
Dave

 

[flossy]

Hello Dave,

Thankyou for your interest. I am looking for info' on John Dennett Jaques. This is what I know of him so far.

I have birth cert' for his son John Pitman Jaques dated 22-10-1844. address 10 weymouth street Newington. Mother Elizabeth Jaques ( formerly Rudkin). Occupation printer.

I believe I have found them on 1851 census.
Cromer street. Marylebone.
John Jaques head widow 40 compositor
John pitman Jaques son 5

I can't find a marriage for John D J and Elizabeth Rudkin and know nothing of the rudkin family

I have found a record of birth for a John Dennett Jaques on IGI but the date is 1822 and as you can see this does not tie up with the 1851 census.

Any clue on this family would be helpful.

Flossy