The main records provided online are useful for people studying their family history in the UK, including civil records - birth, marriage and death - and census records. These are the only records that are more or less complete when the record is saved. Indexes of other records [such as parish registers] can also access certain parishes online, but not all records are included, and many are not indexed or available online.
Online records include an index of these records and some images of the original records. They are usually hosted by commercial genealogy websites such as Ancestry and Find My Past. They are free to search, but the details and images of the original record are usually only available for a fee.
- Birth, marriage and death
These records began in 1837 and continue to this day. Currently, the online index extends to 2006. For family history purposes, these records are usually the place to start using them.
Online records contain only an index, providing the person's name and the year and quarter when the event occurred. For early records, this is almost everything you find in the index; there may be more details for the future [the birth index may give the mother's maiden name, the marriage record may give the spouse's name and death index start to die] age].
In order to obtain additional details of the event, the certificate must be ordered from the General Register using the reference number in the index. Currently [January 2013] the cost of each certificate is £9.25 and is mailed within 4 working days. The certificate provides vital details to the genealogist, especially the birth certificate and marriage certificate, such as:
• Birth certificate: parent ' name, birthplace
• Marriage certificate: the name of the bride and groom's father, the age of the bride and groom at the time of marriage, the name of the witness
- Census record
The UK census has been conducted every 10 years since 1841 and can be used for research before 1911. In order to protect the privacy of those who are still alive, there is a 100-year rule that leads to the release of information 100 years after the census. The census is indexed and can be searched by name or address. Images of the original census form are also available - I include these fees for these images at my hourly research fee.
Below is an example of the search results of Rebecca Rivers in the 1871 Census Index. I already know that she was born around 1815:
Name - Year of Birth - Age - Gender Zone / Parish County - Transcript Image
River, - 1815 - 56 - F - Wantage Berkshire - View View
Rebecca
River, - 1814 - 57 - F - Bishop's Stortford Hertfordshire - View View
Rebecca
Now I happen to know that the one I want [my great great grandmother] is someone living in the Wantage area of Berkshire. But suppose I don't know that? Or suppose I want to know the exact address where she lives and the other people she lives with? I need to look at the family transcript [a transcript of the actual census form] and the original census image in order to find out the exact address, birthplace and other family members at the same address. . All of this makes me pay for it - if I'm not sure which one is "my", I might need to look at it for multiple people. I was lucky in the search example above because there are only two possibilities - maybe more.
- Parish record
In some cases, the parish register dates back to 1537, and many have been indexed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The index can be searched online, but the image of the original registry is not easily available. I can search for index-to-registers for you, but usually I can only verify what I found by looking at the image of the original registry of the recording office [usually on microfilm or microfilm]. Depending on the availability of your ancestral area and the availability of records, I need to spend time and travel that may be required for parish registration studies.
- Other records
An index of many other records is available online, some of which may be helpful for pedigree research. The coverage is incomplete and, like the parish register, it may be necessary to visit the records office to verify the information or obtain an image of the original record. Examples of records that might be useful include:
• Military records
• Apprentice record
• School and university registration
• court records, prison registration
• Land tax, survey records, free people, voter register
• Newspaper
Copyright [c] 2013 Julia Riley
Orignal From: Track your British family history - Genealogy Record Online
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