David Flint’s presentation about how to locate our English ancestors in parish, civil, or census records came down to remembering this important date – 1837. Prior to this date, we need to search in church records where we’ll find baptisms, marriages, and burials. After this date we can use civil registrations or census records to locate our elusive ancestors. David’s detailed handout makes it easy to figure out where to focus our inquiries for the best results. Each of these resources offers different information that can be beneficial in furthering our research goals.
A side benefit of David’s overview of English research is that he has cleared up the conundrum of how we are to label the origins of our British ancestors in our genealogical records. David explained that Great Britain is made up of England, Wales, and Scotland; Ireland describes the entire island, both north and south; the United Kingdom represents Northern Ireland and Great Britain; and the whole kit and kaboodle falls under the heading of the British Isles. Knowing all this, I realize that I’ll be making some needed corrections in my genealogical records. His Venn diagram of the various parts that make up the “realm” reminded me of nesting dolls, albeit on a global scale.
One of the more interesting facts that David imparted to us was that there were fifty-two historic counties in England and Wales, but some of these counties no longer exist because they have either been renamed or absorbed into adjoining counties. He also made the point that when recording information gleaned from historical documents it is important to use the original place names and not the modern equivalent no matter how tempting it may be. He also cautioned that there are many common town or parish names throughout the country, so we need to be extra careful so that we are looking in the correct location.
Included in David’s handout were listings of various websites, both free and fee, that can be extremely helpful in focusing our family research. Many of these websites can provide key information about our ancestors in England and help us to place them in historical and geographical context. In my own case, most of my English ancestors arrived on the shores of North America in the 1600s, however, I do have one branch who arrived in Canada in the 1830s and their descendants eventually migrated into Minnesota in the 1860s. Using the information that David presented to us, I hope to trace this family back to their origins in England and Ireland.
Have you found the historic county of your English ancestors?