Getting Back Before 1837 In An English Or Welsh Family Tree
So many of us that are actively researching our English or Welsh family trees have
come to find that there is a huge amount of information easily come by on the web for the yaers that take us up to 1837. It is this year that many brick walls occur and as I pointed out in a previous article that I have written on the subject of tracing an English family tree before 1837, it seems to become harder for us to get back before that date. It was in 1837 that the state took over the responsibility of keeping records of its citizen's births, marriges and deaths, from the established church.You may have been amazed at the ease you had finding later records of your ancestors on the subscription websites like Ancestry, or TheGenealogist.co.uk, but then as you go back before the census records and the government run data for Births, Deaths and Marriages, you will have found that only a small number of all the genealogical records, that there actually are, have made it on to the net.
Parish Records can usually be found in the County Record office, or in a few cases the incumbent minister may still have retained them at the parish church. How do you decide which parish your ancestors would have fallen into? This is the value of getting hold of Parish maps for the relevant counties that you are researching. These maps will not only show the boundaries of each parish, but also those of the adjacent parishes, which can be extremely useful for tracking those ancestors who tended to move about!
Gaps can occur in the parish registers because of changes in regime, such as the English Civil War. Yet another political reason for missing parish records is the effect a tax can have on them. An example of this was that in 1783 a stamp duty of 3 pence on every entry in the parish registers was imposed by the government of the day - although paupers were exempt. As with all taxes people seek ways to evade them and so, with the collusion of many church ministers, you will discover that there is a decline in the number of middle and working class entries of baptisms, marriages and burials. In contrast there is a corresponding increase in the number of pauper's entries! The Act was repealed in 1794, having been found to be largely unsuccessful.
An Act of Parliament, in 1812, required baptisms, marriages and burials to be entered in separate and specially printed books. These books provided for only eight entries per page and required more information to be gathered on the individuals than had been the common practice.
Baptismal entries now included the Father's occupation and the Mother's maiden name. Marriages, henceforth, included the parish of origin of both parties, their names, if they were a bachelor, spinster, widow, etc., their ages, the parties signatures or marks, and also those of two witnesses.
Entries for burials now included the age, occupation and abode of the departed and between 1678 and 1814 an affidavit had to be sworn that the deceased was buried in wool to help the economy or a fine of 5 was payable.
Marriages could have been solemnised in the Church either by banns, or by licence. Family historians, searching for their ancestors, will find that banns are recorded in the parish register. The reading of bans was the process where the couple's intention to marry would be read out on three occasions in the parish churches of both parties. So if you know the place where the bride-groom lived, just prior to his marriage, this record will also give you the information as to the parish of his bride. Normally the wedding is likely to take place a few weeks later and so this gives you a time period to search. Marriage Licences themselves will probably not have survived the years as they were sometimes handed to the couple intending to marry. But fear not, because a search can be made for the marriage licence's bond, or allegation. This is a document that can give up some useful information for family historians as names of those who stood surety, along with the names of the bride and groom, place of marriage and in some cases the occupations of the sureties and groom are recorded.
These are just some of the documents that you can use to help you get your family tree back beyond 1837 in England & Wales.
by: Nick Thorne Dating Tips For Men - Get A Girl'S Number Why is Laser spine surgery a treatment for failed back surgery? Christmas Shopping for Your Wife Every Other Day Diet Torrent Cosmetic Surgery For Women: The Top 5 Procedures Chosen By Women Revealed Attractive Bunk Beds To Decorate Kids Room Girls Clothing – Take out the inner style and look good Few Unique Dating Tips For Men How The Payday Loan Companies Make Money Plastic Surgery For Resolving Major Weight Loss Issues Facts and Information About An Online Medicine Store Procedure For Registration Of Trademarks In India at Affordable Price Using Online Fundraising Products To Raise Money For A Social Cause