Paul Revere’s call to the cold New England night resonates differently from the British genealogist: it is no longer a warning, but an invitation. Are those branches of your English family tree tempting you to book a flight, book a quaint bed and breakfast close to your ancestral roots, and plan to immerse yourself in genealogical research for several weeks? As Eliza Doolittle says in the movie My lovely lady, “Would not be adorably? “But the financial realities of such a genealogical dream come true burst that bubble quite quickly. The average genealogical researcher must find ways to follow those British wwww (Wonderful World-Wide Web) lines.
Considering the main Internet sites like “Genealogy for Free“and” Genealogy for Fairy, “We should exhaust the free sites first. So when we pay for research, we know as much as possible to use our budget on paid sites. For British genealogy, FamilySearch.org offers the most free information. This amazing site constantly uploads original documents and transcripts The site’s search engine is excellent, features close matches (over a hundred variations for “Catherine”) and contains vast databases for the British genealogist.
To access all of your images, you must sign up for a free account; otherwise, you will only be able to view the transcripts. From your main search page, scroll to the bottom and click on “UK and Ireland”. Here you will find over 50 databases specifically focused on England and dozens more for other UK locations. Note the camera icons, which indicate the actual recorded images. The others are transcripts, but they offer a wide variety of information ranging from probate records to parish records, marital ties, vital record indices, and much more. To view some of the images, you will be directed to a paid “partner site”: findmypast.co.uk. There you will have to pay a subscription (recommended if you have numerous British lines) or purchase credits to view the actual documents one by one.
Another aspect of the FamilySearch site is the rich Family History Library Catalog. If you’ve dreamed of a trip to the “Candy Store” in Salt Lake City, but you live too far away, use this catalog and request microfilms to be delivered to your local Family History Center. Begin by selecting the “Place Search” button found on the Family History Library Catalog website (link above). When researching British censuses, you should have an idea of where your English ancestors were born. The parish record books of the Family History Library (FHL) date back to the 16th century. Imagine finding birth, marriage and burial records for your family dating back 500 years! Many families were born, married, and died in the same small parishes for dozens of generations. These records are not totally free – microfilm rentals vary by location, but generally cost $ 5.50, what a bargain!
The second major free site is Findagrave.com, which recently changed its policy to allow requests for foreign gravestone photographs. If you cannot find the burial you are looking for, but you know the name of the cemetery, enter an individual memorial page and click “Request a Photograph.” This worldwide database currently has more than 100 million burials and is growing daily.
A third major free site for British genealogy is GENUKI. Organized by historical counties, this site offers an excellent collection of search references, organizations to contact, and general guidelines.
After following your British genealogy lines for free, it’s time for the rate sites, the most important of which is Ancestry.com. Although some databases are free, you pay for most, but compared to spending two nights in that dream bed and breakfast, this is a steal, offering document images and transcripts in numbers unimaginable even ten years ago. Don’t wait for the “shaky green leaf” to suggest multiple records. Actively search British genealogy databases. From the “Search” button on the home page, select “Search all records” and scroll down to the US map, above which is the “UK and Ireland” button. On the next screen with a map of the British Isles, look for the “England” link in the lower left corner. That opens up hundreds of databases dedicated to British genealogy, containing tens of millions of records. You will find a wealth of resources that few Ancestry subscribers use. Without even knowing of his military service, I found the actual mention of an ancestor for the Distinguished Medal received in WWI.
These resources represent the high points for the British genealogy researcher, but if you need the professional assistance of a genealogist, contact a trusted ancestry genealogy service. Our British ancestors hope to be found by the family’s dedicated historian, and learning about their lives can be challenging. adorably search.
