Genealogy Chat

Thank you everyone for your input. You've all been suggesting bits and pieces that I wouldn't have thought of myself and I am very grateful. Guy, I'll just send you the Mogadon, shall I?!

Sounds like a talk I would like to listen to Tabby, or maybe read your transcript ;) Don't forget to mention that in 9 out of 10 cases the Clerics handwriting is so appalling that you need Cheltenham GCHQ to decipher it for you. ( just had a bad day at the Essex Records Office ).

As a veteran plodder of Parish Records I would agree that tedious as it is, you need to start at the beginning and work forwards, noting every instance of your Name. You will be very, very cross, if you have to go back six months later to look at the previous thirty years! In my experience, Parish Regs differ wildly in the details - some have barely the bald names, others give a mini family history. Don't ignore the beginning and end of the films - they often have invaluable information which gives you clues e.g. 'The old Parish Church of St Trumpington was destroyed by fire in 1789 and the Congregation joined with that of the Baptist Mission for five years'. You will often find Church Seating plans, subscription lists, Sunday School Class Registers etc - and in one I found a wonderful list of Excommunications for Adultery and Fornication. Incidentally, I found it EASIER to read entries from 1556-1700 than later ones - don't know what he was using for ink, but I wouldn't mind some! Finally, keep a special notebook for Parish Entries and head up the pages and references AS YOU DO THEM - you will forget if you don't. Good luck with your talk! Marjorie

Are they as strict about pens and pencils as Kew? I got in trouble for touching the book (not using paper to rest fingers/hand on) and not using the book rests!!!!

The thing I found difficult was - having always been told to always work backwards, with parish registers you are working forwards. it takes a while to adjust to this. you could also mention that, anyone planning to go and search should be prepared for the fact that most of the writing is very bad, fainy or almost illegible. You need good eyesight and choosing a day when you have a headache already is not a good idea!! ann Glos

Just a couple of things I'd like to ask Do the OPR's contain Catholic records - when did they separate? Are they available at the local Record Office? Bishops Transcripts - do Scotland Bishop's have them or something similar. Looked at OPR and found beautiful writing for year I was looking for - unfortunately she must have been born year before where all there is is an occasional entry - water damage had taken the ink of all the rest for several years before unfortunately.

I have been had that way before, Friar Tuck. I start in 1538, plough through all the latin spellings, the cramped handwriting etc, to discover three hours later that my ancestor born in 1793 was the first (and last) of that surname in the parish. My notes always look rather muddled because I take twenty year periods at a time, to gauge whether they were locals or incomers. Then two years later I find that another set of relatives were in the parish, so I've got to go through it all over again.

Hi Tabby, You also have to remember that films of Parish Registers start at the oldest date and work forward. So it is possible that you ignore the families you have never heard of only to find out 50 years later one of them married one of your ancestors and you have to go back and start again. Either that or you wind the film to the end and work backwards. Friar

Thanks for the input, folks. I try to have as many illustrations as possible, so that people can see for themselves what the records look like. TC, you've asked all the most difficult questions right at the start! Every record office is different, all with different ordering procedures, film/fiche readers. Some have plenty of instructions and nice friendly staff. Others have no information, no parish maps, nothing, and the staff only appear when you've wound the film the wrong way and shot yards of it across the floor. I agree with you, Lyla, about humour. It's not too hard with my family, where you get comments in the baptisms, such as 'husband transported several years ago' or 'child of her husband's son'! And then you get the wonderfully informative 'Jane Smith buried' and you have no idea whether it is mother, or daughter, or a completely unrelated Jane Smith who happened to be wandering through. Which I have to persuade the audience may prove to be useful. A one hour talk in a hall with hard seats, something tells me that this is going to be a challenge!

I guess the use of Latinised names in early registers would be helpful too. Talking about humour in the parish registers, in one of my family tree mags recently I read how the parish priest would sometimes put in Latin a note against an entry. The lay person would have no idea what this was, probably thought it was a blessing or something, but was in fact quite often an insult! Apparently one that a reader submitted for translation at a wedding said something like 'Yes, you have plenty of people here for your wedding, how many friends would you have without all your money'!

Talking of serial witnesses, there was one in Buckinghamshire who rejoiced in the splendid name of Wildsmith Badger! nell

Bishops Transcripts retained in a Cathedral or Diocesan offices may be better preserved than parish registers which may have been in a damp cupboard in a vestry. Additionally, you often get baptisms, marriages and deaths for a year all together, rather than in three separate registers.

My local Library has literally hundreds of Parish Registers from all the little surrounding hamlets and villages, all on film - not indexed. It's important to encourage researchers to try to pinpoint exactly where they should be looking as well as the names of neighbouring churches which may need to be checked as well. Include also 1752 when 11 days were lost in September because the calendar changed!

Lyla Then there are the parish clerks who witness every flipping marriage cutting down the odds of finding other relatives, lol. Heather

Hi Nell I'm not sure when the baptism registers changed. I have a baptism from 1813 listing parent's names, address and father's occupation. Heather

Re: information given in registers I found my gt gt gt grandparents' marriage in 1805 in Chelmsford. It just gave their names and the witnesses as well as the priest. No ages, no fathers, no occupation. Between 1805 and 1820 they only seem to have had 3 children (need to check the burial register next visit!). In 1816 and 1820 it gives the family's address AND father's occupation, but of course the 1812 one which is my direct ancestor, just has a list of baptisms under '1812. Dec.' without even an exact date, and baldly states 'son of John Smoothy & Elizabeth'. Looking through some marriages in London parishes though, they seem to have more detail. I think a lot depended on who did the register as to what was included. In a small village I suppose everyone was known, whereas in a London parish you would need to be specific as to who was who. nell

I was interested to find that the format of the registers changed at certain dates and more details were included so perhaps you could say something about that. Heather

Hi Helen, thanks for the information. I'm still looking for the same 3 children......bishop's transcripts here I come!

I've always wondered how the earlier registers work. As i understand it, registers that date back fairly early were not required to included parents names for example in Marriage registers. So if i found a marriage entry for one of my rellies, how do i go about finding the parents names if they aren't recorded? There's more than likely a really easy answer to this, but i'm not particularly bright! c x

Bob London Metropolitan Archives has St Geo in the East registers. Helen - parishes used to make a copy of their registers and send it to the Bishop - they are the Bishops Transcripts (BT). They are useful if the original register has been damaged/destroyed/lost, but as they are copies they may not be 100% accurate. Mind you the original entries often aren't either! nell