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Family History - Getting Started

Begin your family history journey by recording what you know, talking to family members, and exploring old documents. Learn about key sources of information and where to look for them. Use helpful websites and other sources to uncover your family's past. Keep organized records and make use of search techniques for better results.

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Family History - Getting Started

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  1. Family History - Getting Started • What are you looking for? • Write down what you know/remember • names, dates, stories, memories .... • Ask the family - talk to elders • start now!! • Check old family documents, photos etc. • Create basic pedigree family tree • put you or parent as starting point • Work backwards in time from known facts

  2. Main Sources of Information • Official certificates • record key events of life .... birth, marriage, death • introduced in 1837 • BMD indexes • Census – every 10 years (1841-1911) • address, who lived there, ages, where born, relationship, occupation • Parish records – baptisms, marriages & burials • can date back to 1600s but not full coverage • many registers missing or unreadable

  3. Where to look • County Archives/Record Offices/Libraries • census, PRs, BMD indexes (microfiche/original) • access to commercial FH websites • Churches, cemeteries • Family History societies • Lots of websites!!

  4. Useful Websites • Ancestry, Find My Past (pay sites) • censuses, some PRs, BMD index • military, criminal, ship passenger records • BMD Index sites – GRO, FreeBMD • LancashireBMD & other county BMD sites • LancsOPC & other county OPCs • Family Search (LDS site) • Newspaper Archives – free with library card? • court cases, inquests, BMD notices • business ads, society meetings & events

  5. Other Sources • Wills & Probate records • Newspaper archives • Military records • Electoral rolls • Criminal records • School records • Business directories • Ship passenger lists • Books

  6. Keeping Records • Lots of papers, notes, ideas, certificates etc. ....... what to do ? • First Information Sheet • Pedigree Chart • Research log • where looked, what found & didn’t find • Consider ring binders for each family line • transparent sleeves

  7. Website Search – Can’t find someone? • Use name & spelling variations • “soundex”, wildcard • search by first name, nickname, relative’s name • Try less information in search • Check coverage e.g. dates, places • Census – • look for family members • address search, neighbours search • reverse names in search • check census missing pages list

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