Beginning England Research - Family History

A few weeks ago, I presented a workshop to a local family history group about researching in the England region. My presentation focused on 1837 to present day. This is because civil registration began at this time. This was a new requirement from the government to record a person's three vital events: birth, marriage, and death. These records included more information than previous records. If you are beginning research in the England area this is where I would begin. 

1939 Register. 

Taken at the outbreak of World War 2, the 1939 register recorded the population and was used eventually to issue identification cards. This record would become even more important because the 1931 census was burned in a fire. and the 1941 census did not take place because of the war. This is the only "census like" record that exists between 1921 and 1951. What a blessing this record has become for family history work. 

Included in this document are exact birth dates, occupations, addresses, and marital status. Overtime, the document was updated to reflect new surnames for women who married, change of address or occupation. Some of the information has been redacted for those who are still living and/or haven't turned one hundred years old. When a person's death is registered then their information can be shown. 

Indexes

An index is not an original record. However, it provides all the information needed to locate an original birth, marriage, or death record. Indexes have been uploaded on major family history sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry, and Find my Past. 

you can also use the website Free BMD(birth, marriage, and death) to locate the information for an ancestors vital events. 

Civil Registration. 

Civil Registration began in 1837 and continues to this day. Here is just some of the information each record can provide

Birth: child's name, date and place of birth. Father's name and occupation. Mother's name including maiden name.

Marriage: Name of bride and groom and their ages and status before marriage (ex: bachelor, spinster, widow etc.) Father's name and occupation. Residences and names of the witnesses. If able, the bride, groom, and witnesses signed the document. 

Death: Cause of death, date and place of death. The deceased occupation and address. Informants name and relationship to the deceased. 

*if you find the parish record of your ancestors marriage from 1837 to present day then you do not need to order an actual certificate through the government because the information will be the same on both. 

Certificates can be ordered through The General Register Office Online 

England and Wales Census

Census records for England and Wales were taken every ten years beginning in 1841, with records available through 1921. Census records highlight one evening of a person's life every ten years. They can include names, ages, relationships to the head of the household, birthplaces, occupations, marital status, neighbors, and addresses. They help build a clearer picture of an ancestor's life and family structure. 

Parish Records

Before civil registration, parish records were often the primary source for tracing families in England. Parish records include baptisms, marriages, burials, parish boundaries, and bishop transcripts. 

There are lots of records available to help piece together our ancestors lives. These include: armed service records, non-conformist records, passenger lists, naturalization records, newspapers, asylum and poor house records, prison records, electoral rolls, occupations, Kelly directories, and will and probates. 

Happy researching and always remember that your story matter, and so does theirs. As you discover, preserve, and share their stories, you will begin to feel their presence more in your life. Their story lead to you. Where will your story lead?

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