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''[[Europe]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[British Isles]][[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[England Genealogy|England]]''
Guide to '''England ancestry, family history and genealogy''': parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.
{{England-sidebar}}<div style="width: 74%; float: right">
[[Image:Flag of England.png|border|right|120px|Flag of England.png]] '''England '''is a one of the four constituent countries of the [[United Kingdom]] (together with [[Scotland Genealogy|Scotland]], [[Wales Genealogy|Wales]] and [[Northern Ireland Genealogy|Northern Ireland]]). It has a history that goes back over a thousand years. In 1707, the Kingdom of England joined the [[Scotland|Kingdom of Scotland]] in union to become the [[Great Britain|Kingdom of Great Britain]].
== Beginner's Corner ==
The Beginner’s Corner links to information that will help you get started researching your English ancestors. Choose from one of the following:
*I want to find a [[English Birth, Christening or Baptism Date|birth, christening or baptism]].
*I want to find a [[English Marriage Dates|marriage]].
*I want to find a [[English Burial or Death Dates|death or burial]].
*I want to know about [[Finding How My English Family Lived|how my family lived]].
{{main|England Getting Started}}
== Counties ==
'''Click on a county to go to that county's page:''' {{Englandimagemap}}
Or click on a link below:
{| width="100%" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="0" style="width: 573px" class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
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*[[Bedfordshire Genealogy|Bedfordshire]] ([[Bedfordshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Berkshire Genealogy|Berkshire]] ([[Berkshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Buckinghamshire Genealogy|Buckinghamshire]] ([[Buckinghamshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Cambridgeshire Genealogy|Cambridgeshire]] ([[Cambridgeshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Cheshire Genealogy|Cheshire]] ([[Cheshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Cornwall Genealogy|Cornwall]] ([[Cornwall Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Cumberland Genealogy|Cumberland]] ([[Cumberland Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Derbyshire Genealogy|Derbyshire]] ([[Derbyshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Devon Genealogy|Devon]] ([[Devon Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Dorset Genealogy|Dorset]] ([[Dorset Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Durham Genealogy|Durham]] ([[Durham Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Essex Genealogy|Essex]] ([[Essex Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Gloucestershire Genealogy|Gloucestershire]] ([[Gloucestershire Parishes|parishes]])
|
*[[Hampshire Genealogy|Hampshire]] ([[Hampshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Herefordshire Genealogy|Herefordshire]] ([[Herefordshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Hertfordshire Genealogy|Hertfordshire]] ([[Hertfordshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Huntingdonshire Genealogy|Huntingdonshire]] ([[Huntingdonshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Kent Genealogy|Kent]] ([[Kent Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Lancashire Genealogy|Lancashire]] ([[Lancashire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Leicestershire Genealogy|Leicestershire]] ([[Leicestershire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Lincolnshire Genealogy|Lincolnshire]] ([[Lincolnshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[London Genealogy|London]] ([[London Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Middlesex]] ([[Middlesex Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Norfolk Genealogy|Norfolk]] ([[Norfolk Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Northamptonshire Genealogy|Northamptonshire]] ([[Northamptonshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Northumberland Genealogy|Northumberland]] ([[Northumberland Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Nottinghamshire Genealogy|Nottinghamshire]] ([[Nottinghamshire Parishes|parishes]])
|
*[[Oxfordshire Genealogy|Oxfordshire]] ([[Oxfordshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Rutland Genealogy|Rutland]] ([[Rutland Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Shropshire Genealogy|Shropshire]] ([[Shropshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Somerset Genealogy|Somerset]] ([[Somerset Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Staffordshire Genealogy|Staffordshire]] ([[Staffordshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Suffolk Genealogy|Suffolk]] ([[Suffolk Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Surrey Genealogy|Surrey]] ([[Surrey Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Sussex Genealogy|Sussex]] ([[Sussex Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Warwickshire Genealogy|Warwickshire]] ([[Warwickshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Westmorland Genealogy|Westmorland]] ([[Westmorland Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Wiltshire Genealogy|Wiltshire]] ([[Wiltshire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Worcestershire Genealogy|Worcestershire]] ([[Worcestershire Parishes|parishes]])
*[[Yorkshire Genealogy|Yorkshire]] ([[Yorkshire Parishes|parishes]])
|}
== Featured Resources ==
*'''Article:''' [[England Probate Records]]
*'''Browse by topic:''' [[:Category:England|All pages for England]]
*'''Database of British Jews:''' [[Jewish Knowles Collection|'''The Knowles Collection''']] - was last updated with now over 300,000 entries.
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== Research tools ==
*Join a Community of England Researchers! Ask questions, help others, and share your research successes on [https://www.familysearch.org/learn/forums/en/index.php Forums], [http://www.facebook.com/pages/England-Genealogy-Research-Community/183991398317906 Facebook] and/or [[Join a Skype Research Community|Skype]]! NEW!
*[[England Search Strategies for Births, Marriages and Deaths|Search strategies]] for finding births, marriages, and deaths.
*[http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/Regions/Codes.html England counties list] (with their Chapman Code abbreviations)
*[[England Record Selection Table|England Record Selection Table]]
*[http://script.byu.edu/english/en/welcome.aspx English Script Tutorial]
*[[England Major Websites]]
*[http://www.genuki.org.uk/indexes/MailingLists.html#ENG England Genealogical Discussion Groups]
*[http://www.workhouses.org.uk/ The Workhouse]
*[http://www.movinghere.org.uk/galleries/roots/default.htm Tracing Your Roots]: Carribbean, Irish, Jewish and South Asian Cultures in England
*A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe [http://thepeerage.com/ thepeerage.com/]
{{England Research Guidance|category=}}
=== '''Beginners Guides''' ===
*[http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/education/frameset_education.asp?PAGE=education_research_series_online.asp%3FActiveTab=2 ''England Beginning Research''] (series of videos from the Family History Library)
*[[England Search Strategies for Births, Marriages and Deaths|Search strategies]] for finding births, marriages, and deaths.
*[[England Record Selection Table|England Record Selection Table]] - a list of the best records to search for finding specific information.
*[[Finding Ancestors in England|Finding Ancestors]] in England
*'''Beginners Courses''' [https://www.familysearch.org/learningcenter/lesson/english-ancestry/79 ''English Ancestry''] in the FamilySearch Learning Center
== Research Strategies in England Records ==
Follow these principles as you search the records for your ancestor:
==== Always search for one generation at a time ====
Prove ancestry one generation at a time; always allow the evidence to lead where it takes you under all circumstances. Never jump to conclusions seeking specifically with the intent to connect into families of nobility or Royalty.
==== Always search for an ancestor's entire family ====
Each person in a family is precious. Records for each person may include clues for identifying other family members. In most families, children were born at regular intervals (every two to three years). Where gaps appear for a longer period between some children (four to five years), re-examine the birth-christening and the death-burial records for a child who may have been overlooked. Consider looking at parish chest and other records and in other places to find a missing family member, i.e. first-born children are often christened in the parish of the bride (mother).
==== Search each source thoroughly ====
The information you need to find a person or trace the family further may be a minor detail of the record you are searching; especially ancestors with more common surnames. So ''always'' note identifying factors such as the occupation of your ancestor, become familiar with his/her signature, a street address, place of abode, age, note a middle name, given-names usage, names of witnesses, godparents (in Catholic registers), neighbors, relatives, guardians, children's birth order in a family, and others.
==== Search a broad time period ====
Dates obtained from some sources may not be accurate. Look several years before and after the date you think an event, such as a birth, occurred.
==== Search indexes ====
Many records are indexed, including especially census, civil registrations of births, marriages and deaths (post-1837), and probate records; and to a lesser extent, church records. Most indexes are incomplete, even if just a little. Often indexes include only the name of the specific person the record is about, excluding most pieces of evidence shown in the original documents. Always be aware that those recording original information may have misheard and thus miss-recorded the names of people and places; moreover, at the indexing-stage, indexers may have have omitted, miss-spelled given, surnames and places as well.
==== Search for emigrant's origins in records of country of settlement ====
Information about an England emigrant ancestor's place of birth or residence is vital to successful research. In pre-1700 England many people in [[England Genealogy|England]] especially used a small variety of names, knowing the place of residence or birth is critical before you can research in England's records for further generations. Identifying the correct ancestor (example: Richard Taylor from other Richard Taylor), requires extensive research in all available records in the country of settlement--to the fullest extent possible such as noting neighbors, others possessing the same surname in the same or nearby township[s], given-naming patterns and searching for the same matching given-name usage in England via searching in the largest available online databases, including (but not limited to) 1) [http://familysearch.org FamilySearch], 2) [http://www.findmypast.com/content/english-genealogy-records findmypast], 3) [http://www.ancestry.co.uk/home/lo/index?version=a Ancestry.co].uk, 4) [http://freereg.rootsweb.com/ FreeReg], 5) [http://www.onlineparishclerks.org.uk/ county OPC] projects (Online Parish Clerk), 6) [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ TNA] (National Archives), 7) [http://www.origins.net/bowelcome.aspx BritishOriginsNetwork], [http://www.fhlfavorites.info/ FHLFavorites], and others.
==== Searching Parish records: Include chapelry registers ====
Difficult ancestral trails often 'disappear' when an area is dotted with a mixture of chapels among the parishes, such as in especially Lancashire and Middlesex, and to a lesser extent in Cheshire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, northeast Surrey and in England's large cities, such as Bristol, Norwich and others'''.''' <u>Aways search</u> ''all'' chapels that exist and lay within an ancient parish. Check the following outstanding online resources and aids to help you to more accurately identify '''<u>''all''</u>''' chapels lying within an ancient parish boundary. Thorough research critically depends upon this endeavor''':'''
*[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales''] (1870)
*[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=445 ''Topographical Dictionary of England''] (1848)
*[http://maps.familysearch.org/ England Jurisdiction 1851 Maps] project
*A parish locator program can be downloaded at this link, [http://www.parloc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ParLocDL.html www.parloc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ParLocDL.html]. This program provides a simple means of locating a parish and those other parishes that surround it. In general the database includes those parishes that existed sometime between the mid 16th and mid 19th centuries for the mainland and for a somewhat later period for Ireland.
*Phillimore's ''Atlas and Index of Parish Registers ''(2003) - available at many large archives, public and academic libraries throughout the world; purchase at Amazon.com or used on Ebay.com [Note: Contains omissions of some known chapels in two or more counties]
==== Watch for spelling variations ====
Look for the many ways a person or place name could have been spelled. Spelling was not standardized when most early records were made. You may find a name spelled differently than it is today, as well as several different spelling variations in the original records.
==== Record Your Searches and Findings ====
Copy the information you find and keep detailed notes about each record you search. These notes should include the author, title, location, call numbers, description, and results of your search. Most researchers use a research log for this purpose.
== FamilySearch Historical Records ==
Wiki articles describing [[England Genealogy|England]]-related online collections that can be found at [[FamilySearch.org]]
*[[England Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)|England Births and Christenings]]
*[[England Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)|England Deaths and Burials]]
*[[England Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)|England Marriages]]
*[[England and Wales Nonconformist Index for RG 4-8 (Record Groups 4-8) (FamilySearch Historical Records)|England and Wales, Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8)]]
{{main|England FamilySearch Historical Records}}
=== Ideas for Finding Compiled Information on English Ancestry ===
Here's an article entitled "[[A Checklist of Compiled Sources and Where to Find Them|A Checklist of Compiled Sources and Where to Find Them]]" that's specifically focused to aiding researchers--beginners to professional--who want to learn of compiled genealogical data on (i.e. immigrant) ancestry from England and Great Britain in general.<br>This article shares numerous resources such as gateway websites which provide access to ultimately billions of names that researchers worldwide have gathered and shared online or in major archives on British ancestry.
'''For LDS tracing LDS Ancestry in England''' It must be noted that early (historical) branch and ward records of membership, records of baptisms, marriages (and some deaths) have not been indexed.
=== Help Wanted ===
{{Click|Image:Volunteers wanted sm.png|FamilySearch Wiki:Help wanted on the England pages|Wiki Volunteers Wanted}}
To add your knowledge and help expand the wiki see [[FamilySearch Wiki:Help wanted on the England pages|Help wanted on the England pages]]
{{featured article}} __NOTOC__
[[Category:United_Kingdom]] [[Category:Countries]] [[Category:Great_Britain]] [[Category:Countries_in_Europe]] [[Category:England]]