subject: Family Genealogy UK Records - A New Perspective [print this page] Family Genealogy UK Records - A New Perspective
Can you remember why you developed an interest in genealogy? The chances are you might have heard a very interesting tale from a beloved grandparent, involving the activities or antics of a great, great grandparent at some adventurous time in history. On the other hand, you may be just wondering where your surname originated from and what it means, or you might just be one of those people who likes a challenge! It's likely that you will be wondering how to start, though and the first thing that you need to understand is that a process of organization is paramount. You have to know how you will go about unraveling each branch of your family tree and you also have to be a rather tenacious individual, in order to keep it going.When looking at family genealogy UK records are among the more comprehensive of those available in the world. It's possible to look back through parish registers dating to the mid-1500s, where you will find great information about baptisms, marriages and burials at these churches. In 1538, each member of the clergy was required to record information, each Sunday in a specified book and this had to be witnessed by parishioners. Later on in the century, another law was handed down dictating that these records had to be kept in a significant book and thus began the process of recording this information. As might be expected, some of these records are very sketchy going back so far, but it's still amazing to reveal.In 1841, a formal census was instigated in England and Wales. This has taken place every 10 years since that time and the data has become much more involved as years have passed. Once again, don't expect the data from the earliest days to be too clear.At around the same time as the census was being initiated, a new law dictated that births, marriages and deaths must be certified and held in the public record. It is here that you will focus a lot of your early research, in order to start creating your tree. There are also good archives of newspapers from those early years and you can expect to find good information here. This is where you might burn a lot of your midnight oil, but will undoubtedly come up with some great snippets of information to bolster your case.You can order the certificate of births, marriages or deaths from the official government website. However, before you do so, why not visit one of the most valuable genealogy sites, the well-known UK-based FreeBMD.org? This is where you will find information submitted by volunteers and can conduct a lot of research before you actually need to buy a certificate from the government itself.Parish records can be accessed by visiting the relevant parish church, or by going to County record departments. Once again, to start off with you could visit another valuable site -- parishchest.com -- which is a treasure trove of data gathered from societies, reference works, directories and registers throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.I hope that you are a very logical person, who is able to apply tenacity and ingenuity to your efforts, as the further you delve into your family tree the more of this you will need. Just think how valuable a resource you will have when you have completed your efforts, though!
