Genealogy Chat

Hi, What bits of information on individuals should i take to Archives centre, to help me speed up my search's. Cheers Paul

Where are you visiting? Merry

Hi, Visiting Sheffield Archives centre

Hi Paul I was at work earlier, so couldn't reply to your pm. Your first step is to look at the Archives website, to make sure they do have whatever you hope to look at. If you are just starting up, your best bet is to read the 'Getting started' section on the homepage. Record Offices usually don't hold very much material after about 1920, and only for the area. Beginners usually get the most information from the birth marriage and death indexes, combined with the censuses 1841 - 1901. These days, these are most easily found on-line. Archives are usually most useful for parish records. After about 1820, lots of new churches and chapels spring up, so trying to find baptisms, marriages and burials can be difficult. Before that date it is much easier. Croydon, where I live, has had over one hundred places of worship over the last 150 years, but before then everyone (except jews and quakers) married in the parish church. To find anybody in the records, you need to know: 1. The records you are most likely to find them in 2. Their name (with possible variations in spelling) 3. The date you expect to find them. That may be teaching your grandmother to suck eggs, but plenty of us have set off without doing our homework properly and regretted it. If you've never been to a record office before, take some time just to nosy around and see what indexes they have on the open shelves. If they have a 'behind the scenes' day, try to go to that as they will tell you about the records they hold that they are most proud of. What ever you do, enjoy yourself, and remember that most people don't find out very much on a first visit.

LOL - That saved me lots of two-fingered typing!! Great advice from Phoenix. Don't forget to take pencils, not pens (not allowed in the RO)....pencil sharpener and your glasses!! Small change for the coffee machine....... Merry

Thanks for your good advice

Hi Paul, Let us know how you get on. I need to go to the Sheffield Archives but I keep putting it off as I didn't know what to do! Jayne x

there are 2 places in sheffield! Local archives is on Shoreham St. They claim to have details of their holdings on a2a, but I don't know how complete it is. The Central library also has a lot of resources, perhaps relating to the wider area rather than strictly Sheffield. There is some overlap between them - for example there are local directories in both places. If the central library has the films you want, it is often easier to get a reader there, sometimes there is a wait of over a week to book one at Shoreham St. Shoreham St staff are very helpful - for example, knowing which churches are in certain areas. Prior to 1837 there were not as many - lots of new churches were built in the 1840-1870's. You have to use a locker for your bits & bobs, but its free. Its not a massive place & shouldn't be too intimidating.

I live in Sheffield but have never been to the archives either and quite fancy a trip. I do most of my research at the LDS at Grenoside as I need info from other areas and can order in the films of the PRs etc.