Genealogy Chat

I've done my research as far as possible with the Census's and think I now have to move onto Parish Records. Can anyone tell me: Do I have to go to the actual church to see any records or is there a central place for an area or what. If I have to go to the church and I only know the area is there any short cuts or have I got to trek from church to church?? Lin

Hi Linda, the civil registration didnt start until 1837 so before that time you have to rely on parish records for BMD. The first port of call for most of us is the following site: www.familysearch.org the IGI (Internatinal Gen. Index) is far from complete and some records have been added by individuals so can not be depended on but it is a very good place to check for records before contacting/going to the County records office for the originals (which is where they are usual kept on Fiche or Film).

I'm in the same position. Regarding the IGI, what I would like to ask is this. If some parish records are showing up does that mean the entire parish records are on their database. By this I mean, I have found my ancestor John Saunders, and his children on the IGI, in Great Bardfield Essex, but cannot find any info beyond John b1814. Does this mean there are no other records for this family further back in the Great Bardsfield register? Presumably so, if the mormons have transcribed the register onto their site..which they must have done if other record are coming up? Or are the transcriptions ever incomplete, is it still worth looking in the parish registers. Essex website say they sell fiche copies of the register, but I don't know whether it's worth purchasing these, as presumably any info would have already shown up on IGI?

The IGI is far from complete. For a start, it has very few burials, and even baptisms/marriages are thin on the ground after about 1837. Certainly not all parishes are covered, and even for those that are, the dates covered are not always fully inclusive of the entire register. The extracted records are usually fairly accurate, and generally cover blocks of time for a given parish. However, you will in all likelyhood get more info from the actual register than is shown on the IGI - e.g. father's occupation and residence for baptisms after 1813; witness names on marriages etc. Occasionally you get extra notes in the register as well, so it's well worth checking the register if you can. The member-submitted records on the IGI are less reliable, and I would always check any such entry on the original register. The registers are usually stored at the county records office for the county in which the parish lies. Most records offices have made them available on fiche or film. They will often do lookups and send photocopies for a small fee if you're unable to visit in person. Another source of microfilms of the original registers is the LDS. Use their online catalogue at the familysearch website to see what they have available. You can then order the film at your nearest LDS family history centre for a small fee. Richard