Genealogy Chat

Hi Peter The most recent registers are usually kept in the church, and for small places these may well go back to 1813 for baptisms and burials, 1837 for marriages. Earlier registers would be deposited in the local record office. Not everything survives for earlier periods. Some counties have good runs of Bishops’ transcripts, theoretically copies of the registers which you might be able to use if the originals do not survive. These are also likely to be in the local record office and the staff should additionally be able to tell you if there are any other copies of the registers, made by record or family history societies. Brenda

Thanks for advice. Consider myself a novice since I have managed to get back to 1770 simply by using census records and the local church records. Now drawing a blank and not sure where to go next.

Parish records are held on microfilm in the local records office. Of course your relative may not have been born in the parish where you expected to find him, but generally ancestors moved within a radius of about 10 miles in their lifetime, so you could look in neighbouring parishes. Of course they could well be in another county and therefore another records office. I hardly think if you've got all the way back to 1770 that you can be described as a novice! I'm stuck on 1811 with some of my relatives! Nell

I think 1813 was the year that baptism records changed to a different standardised format. You will find some records often stop and start at that date but earlier ones can often be found as the others suggested. The earlier baptisms are sometimes found on the same pages as burials before that date.

Acording to Genuki IGI covers births 1763-1786, perhaps he wasn't born there?. For a "novice" your not doing bad to get to the 1700's Many family trees come to an end in that century as parish records / bishops transcripts are not complete. Bob

Hi, The LDS have filmed the records 1660 - 1870 (according to their catalogue). Order film FHL BRITISH Film 990785 at your nearest LDS Family history centre or try the county record office. Gwynne

Trying to trace ancestors but have ground to a halt. Earliest record I have is William Hutchinson born c1770 Cold Kirby Yorkshire. The local parish record starts 1813. What records do I need to look at to find his actual birth or christening date and his ancestors? Where are these records likely to be held? I have searched most web records I can find but no success. Thanks for any info you are able to provide.