England

  Guided Learning Video

1. FamilySearch: Get acquainted with church records in these articles.
   
   FS—Understanding What England Church Records Are Online - 2015
   FS—Wiki: English Church Records   
   • Introduction
   • Types of Church Records
   • Accessing England Church Records

  Church Records Practice  |  


Albert George White married his wife on 19 June, 1926 in Bristol, England. In the FamilySearch Wiki article "English Church Records" above, scroll down to "Non-Conformist Religions." Search the England, Bristol, Non-Conformist Church Records, 1777-1936 to find Albert's marriage record. Then answer these questions:
1. Whom did he marry?
2. What were his parents names, and the names of his wife's parents?
3. How is the information on this record useful to genealogists?


Hints  |  
1. In the English Church Records article, scroll down almost to the halfway point and click "Bristol, Non-Conformist Church Records, 1777-1936."
2. On the search page that appears, enter Albert George White's full name, and the date/location of the marriage.
3. Select the record that appears with the correct information and read the record to answer the research questions.


Answers
1. Albert married Florence Plumley.
2. The fathers' names are given on the record. Albert's father is William John White, and Florence's father is Charles Ernest Plumley.
3. The information on this record connects Albert and Florence together and give the exact date and location of their wedding. This may be useful in future searches for the couples posterity. Additionally, the names of the fathers being provided offers a start at working back to further generations.
   (Contributed by Kaylee Lynn)

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2. Visit the Church Records section of the FamilySearch Wiki links article.
   
   FS—Church Records


3. Learn about British church records in this article.
   
   BYU—English Ancestors, Church Records


4. Get an introduction to English church records in this video.
   
   BYU—English Church Records: Understanding the Basics—52:58 - 2020   
   • Key Dates
   • Baptism
   • Crash course on banns
   • Marriage
   • Burial
   • Bishop's transcripts
   • Non-conformist churches
   • Examples
   • Church Records
   
   
   
   


5. Learn about baptism records and bishop's transcripts.
   
   WDY—How to Find Baptism Records


6. Learn how to find clergy in your family tree.
   
   WDY—The 15 best websites for finding clergy in your family tree

Denominations

1. Nonconformist: Learn about Nonconformist church records in the National Archives.
   
   National Archives: Nonconformists
   National Archives: Nonconformist BMD Records


2. Explore England non-conformist records on the BMD Registers site.
3. Catholic: Learn about Catholic church records in England.
   
   National Archives: Catholics
   FMP—Tracing Catholic Ancestors—51:02 - 2020
   
   
   


4. Find resources for Catholic research in England.
   
   Researching Catholic Ancestors


5. Jewish: Explore Jewish genealogy in the U.K. and Ireland in this guide from the Center for Jewish History site.
6. Explore the Jewish Genealogy Encyclopedia for Jewish resources in the United Kingdom.
7. Learn about Sephardic research in England.
   
   The Sephardi Community: Our History


8. Find records for Jewish people in Britain and its colonies.
   
   Jewish people and communities in Britain and its former colonies


9. Methodist: Learn about Methodist research in the U.K.
   
   Methodist Heritage: Researching Family History


10. Baptist: Learn about Baptist research in the U.K.
    
    GG—Baptist Registers and Records

1. FamilySearch: Get an introduction to Church of England records.
   
   FS—Church of England Church Records—4 pgs.
   FMP—Understanding parish records—39:56 - 2016   
   • What are parish records?
   • What is a parish?
   • Baptismal records
   • Banns records
   • Marriage records
   • Parish burials
   • Key dates
   • Bishop's transcripts
   • Special registers
   • Nonconformists
   
   
   
   

Parish Registers and Records

1. Get an introduction to parish records.
   
   AAC—Researching Parish Records—3:52
   


2. Learn about the background and history of parish registers.
   
   Dorset History Centre - Guide to Parish Registers
   Parish Registers


3. Baptism: Learn about baptism records in parish registers.
   
   Baptism Records in Parish Registers


4. Marriage: Learn about marriage records in parish registers.
   
   Marriage Records in Parish Registers


5. Burial: Learn about burial records in parish registers.
   
   Burial Records in Parish Registers


6. Parish Chests: Learn more about parish chests, where local parish records were often stored.
   
   FS—The Parish Chest, Part 1—22:05
   FS—The Parish Chest—4 pgs.


7. Records: Explore indexed parish records at the FreeReg site and learn more about FreeReg in this video.
   
   BYU—Burial Records in Parish Registers—32:31

  Parish Records Practice  |  

Sarah Jane was christened on 13 October, 1861, in Kirkheaton, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom. Her mother was listed as Mary Broadbent. In the FamilySearch QUIKLink "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975" below, locate the record for her baptism and answer the questions below. The "Baptism Records in Parish Registers" article above may also be helpful.

1. Was Sarah Jane's father named on the record?
2. Why might this be?
3. Where would we look for more information on Sarah Jane and her family?

Hints  |  

1. In the search box that appears, enter Sarah Jane as the first name (we do not know her surname), her date of birth, and the location of her birth.
2. Include her mother's first and last name in the search to narrow down the results.
3. Select the record to appear with the accurate information, and read the record to obtain more information.

Answers

1. Sarah Jane's father was not named on the record.
2. As we read in the "Find Your Ancestors Using Baptism Records" article, a father may not be listed on the record if the child was illegitimate, meaning the parents had the child out of wedlock.
3. This situation presents a challenging case, but there are many places we may want to look for more information on Sarah Jane and her family. It may be beneficial to begin a search by looking for more information on Mary Broadbent and seeing what information we can find on her family first. Perhaps this would present clues for Sarah Jane's birth. We may also want to look in records later on where Sarah Jane would be listed with her mother, such as marriage or death records.
   (Contributed by Kaylee Lynn)

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Exercises

• * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for Church of England records. Then use the learnings for searches for an ancestor.
• * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.

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QUIKLinks

• FS: England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
• AC: England & Wales, Christening Index, 1530-1980
• FMP: England Roman Catholic Parish Baptisms
• FMP: England Roman Catholic Parish Marriages
• FMP: England Roman Catholic Parish Burials
• FMP: England Roman Catholic Parish Congregational Records
• AC: Nonconformist Registers: 1567-1970
• FMP: England & Wales, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Births 1578-1841
• FMP: England & Wales Nonconformist Burials
• FMP: England & Wales, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Burials 1578-1841
• AC: British Chancery Records: 1386-1558
• AC: England, Clergy of the Church of England Index, 1540-1835

QUIKLinks by Location

• AC: Birmingham, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1964
• AC: Birmingham Baptisms, 1813-1912
• AC: Birmingham, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937
• AC: Birmingham Baptisms, Marriages, Burials, 1538-1812
• AC: Birmingham, England, Rate Books, 1831-1913
• FS: England, Archdiocese of Birmingham, Roman Catholic Parish Records, 1539-1910
• AC: Bristol, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1918
• AC: Bristol, England, Non-Conformist Baptism, Marriage and Burial Registers, 1644-1981
• AC: Bristol, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812
• AC: Bristol, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1935
• AC: Bristol Parish Records, 1538-1900
• AC: Bristol, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1994
• AC: Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Electoral Registers, 1741-1974
• AC: Manchester Non-Conformist Birth, Bapt, 1728-1912
• AC: Teesside, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1923
• AC: Teesside, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812
• AC: Teesside, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1939
• AC: Teesside, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1997

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1. FamilySearch: Learn about England cemetery records.
   
   FS—England Records from the Grave—4 pgs. - 2015
   FS—Wiki: England Cemeteries

  Cemetery Records Practice  |  


Ellen Dinan died on 1 February, 1989 in Lancashire, England. Open the "FS—England Records from the Grave" article above and access the link for the FamilySearch Catalog. Using the Catalog, locate her death notice in a newspaper, and then answer these questions:
1. How old was Ellen at the time of her passing, and what is her likely birth year based on this information?
2. What information does this news article give on Ellen's family?
3. How might an article like this be useful to family historians


Hints  |  
1. In the FamilySearch catalog, enter Lancashire, England as the location and click Search.
2. Click the "England, Lancashire - Cemeteries ( 5 )" drop-down arrow and select "Memorial cards and silks."
3. Scroll down to the "Film/Digital Notes," and select the camera icon under the heading.
4. With the date of Ellen's passing in mind, search the images until you find her article. It will appear on image 6, right hand side, at the top of the middle column. Read the article to answer the research questions.


Answers
1. Ellen was 85 years old when she died. Because of this, we would expect to find her birth record around the year 1804.
2. The article lists the names of Ellen's husband, children, children in-law, and it mentions that she had grandchildren.
3. Family historians might find this information useful because of the family connections it helps build, it mentions the church Ellen was a part of (and therefore where we might go to find more records), and the cemetery where she was buried.
   (Contributed by Kaylee Lynn)

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2. Inscriptions: Learn about memorial inscriptions and gravestones.
   
   Memorial Inscriptions and Gravestones


3. Cremations: Learn about using cremation records in your research.
   
   Cremation Records and Tracing Your Family History - 2021


4. Find A Grave: Search the Find A Grave site for cemetery records.
5. BillionGraves: Search the BillionGraves site for cemetery records.

QUIKLinks