Genealogy Chat

Frpm the various census returns that you have you can try and find the marriages and baptisms via the IGI as a guide,chances are that you have 'missing ' children born between each census who died very young. If you have marriage certs they will tell you the venue of the marriage,if a church you will get the parish,then you can try the igi for that parish (and surrounding ones) for baptisms etc. Not all counties are listed on the igi and those that are are not complete,but they are worth a look.You can also google parish records for the county/counties that you wish to look at. Records offices can be an a great source of information,but if you are not local to the one you need you can request they search on your behalf,but there is a charge. Glen

Before 1837 you need to search Parish Registers. A very few are on line - Google to see if yours are.And dont forget that Google will also bring up many websites which may be of help in your search. If your surnames are reasonably unusual, then the GOONS may have something - I have had tremendous help for one particular branch if my family and it was all freely given. The Mormon Site (Family search) has a vast array of Parish records which they have filmed. You can order these films to view at your local Family History Centre (the Mormon Church). There is a list of these centres on the Family search site. The originals are almost always held in the relevant County Records Office, and if this is not local to you, then the Mormons are probably your best option. Finally, you could always request a specific look-up on the Records Board, from someone who lives locally to the CRO, but I personally think it is a bit unfair to ask someone else to trawl decades of records to scoop up all your ancestors, so I would personally limit these requests to a specific event, eg. marriage of John Smith to Fanny Fanakapan round about 1781 in Little Mudham. Good luck - and dont be afraid to ask for help on here. Olde Crone

Hello, I always find the familysearch.org site good for pre1837 information. as yet, I have never visited a district office for information. I am sure that I will at some point, but havent found it essential at this stage. Good luck.

I’ve managed to trace all four of my great grandparents back through the censuses, and got back to about 1800 on all four lines. I’m currently waiting for various certificates to check the accuracy of the census traces. I’ve found other bits and pieces of information on ancestry, FHO and IGI. Having got back to approximate dates of birth around 1800 how do I trace the births/marriages before 1837? Is it literally a case of finding out the various relevant County Record Offices and visiting them in person? My thanks to all of you who’ve helped in the past, and thanks in advance for any tips on this one. Barbara

Where do i go from here - see below