Mesa Regional Family History Center Quick Start #2 A

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England & Wales Quick Start

Click here for expert help Click here for English additional research at Wiki Click here for Wales additional research at Wiki

The three major record types for England research:
    1. Census
    2. Civil Registration
    3. Church Records

Census Records:
A Census is a statistical count of the population of a country.

Search sites:
     1911 Census (free at the Mesa Regional Family History Center)
     findmypast.co.uk $ 1841-1911 (free at MRFHC)
     familysearch.org 1841, 1861, 1881 census names index (free)
     ancestry.com $ UK census collection 1841-1901 (free at MRFHC)
     nationalarchives.gov.uk/census (person search index free, image $)
     thegenealogist.co.uk $ (free at MRFHC)

     More information wiki.familysearch.org/en/England_Census

Civil Registration:
                          Civil Registration is the government's recording of births, marriages, and deaths.
                          Civil Registration began on 1 July 1837.

                     Search sites:
                           freebmd.org.uk Partial index information 1837-1983
                           thegenealogist.co.uk $ Indexes (free at MRFHC)
                         genuki.org.uk Civil Registration in the counties of the British Isles
                          gro.gov.uk General Register Office - order certificates online
                           ancestry.com $ (free at MRFHC) - Search menu, Card Catalog, keyword search 'England civil registration'
                          findmypast.co.uk $ All indexes, 1837-2006 (free at MRFHC)

                     Registration Districts

                           Index and some films are available at the Mesa Regional Family History Center (film search)

                          More information wiki.familysearch.org/en/England_Civil_Registration

Church Records:
                         Church records are the main source for identifying people prior to 1837 when civil registration began.
                          It is also a main source after 1837 in conjunction with civil registration. The Church of England was created in 1536,
                         after King Henry VIII severed all ties to the church in Rome, he directed that each local parish be responsible to register
                         all marriages, baptisms and burials.

Court Records:
                        Court records will probably mention some of your ancestors as defendants, plaintiffs, jurors, or witnesses.
                        Court records can establish family relationships and places of residence. They often provide occupations,
                        descriptions of individuals, and other family information. They seldom provide birth, marriage, or death information.

Military Records:
Military records are potentially of great genealogical value and may provide information not found in any other source.
These records identify individuals who served or were eligible to serve in the military.