PRESENTER: Heather Shave
Parish registers are the main resource for English research prior to the census (1841) and Civil Registration (1837). With the proliferation of digitized records on the internet, this research is becoming much easier to access. Questions covered in this workshop will include:
• What information is included with baptism, marriage, and burial entries?
• Does the information differ at different periods?
• Why are Church of England registers so important for all English research?
• Are there records of other denominations?
• What other records can be used to find baptisms, marriages and burials?
• What internet sites have parish registers?
Wills can also provide genealogical information, and it is surprising who made wills in the 1700s. Wills made before 1858 were proved in church courts, and there were over two hundred courts in existence. We will address:
• How can the relevant court be determined?
• Are there indexes online?
• Where can wills be found online?
Using these resources (if they have survived!), English research can be taken back as far as the late 1500s.