Three Basic Family History Records: Census, Church, and

Civil Registration

ByDarris G. Williams, AG®

CENSUS

Basic Facts

• Lists families together providing context

• Wales began a national census in 1801

• 1st complete, useful census is 1841

• 1841 through 1911 are available

• All are indexed by name

• All are available online

Potential Problems

• Indexes often have errors

• Families & individuals moved

• Naming customs were changing

• A few records have been lost

• Census information can be incorrect

• 12% of the 1911 census is on Welsh forms

Tips for Success

• Work from recent to remote time period• Find your family in each available census• If one index does not work try another• Always, always, always get a copy and write

down where you found it• Look a few pages before and after the one

with your ancestor for relatives

1841 Census on Findmypast.co.uk

1861 Census

CHURCH RECORDS

Basic Facts

• Beginning 1538 parishes were to record

baptisms, marriages and burials

• Few parish registers survive from 1538, most

start around 1700

• All Welsh parish registers will soon be online

Potential Problems

• Indexes often have errors

• Families & individuals moved

• Naming customs

• Early records have been lost

• Not everyone attended the state church

Tips for Success

• Work from recent to remote time period

• Find the whole family not just the direct line

• If one index does not work try another

• Always, always, always get a copy and write

down where you found it

• Compare what you learn with other records

The parish was the center of the world

Before 1834 the parish was the both the civil and ecclesiastical center of life.

Parish Registers

• Recording christenings, marriages and burials went into effect in 1538.

• There are just over 1,000 ancient parishes (created before 1813) but only 71 survive before 1600.

• Many parishes have no registers before 1754.

Jurisdictions

• Several levels of jurisdiction applied to the area where your ancestor lived.

• The parish and diocese are very important for searches in church records.

What you need to get started• A place, the parish name is good

• Having the village or farm name is best

• Name of the ancestor

• Reference tools– Gazetteers– Maps– Book: Parish Registers of Wales

Christenings

Christenings often show:• child’s given name• Father’s name• Mother’s name

Sometimes included:• Family residence such as

the village, street or farm name

• Father’s occupation

Post 1812 parish register

Bishop’s Transcript

Marriages

Marriages pre 1754

Pay close attention to all names

Typical post 1753 parish register

Details to watch for 1754-1837

• I’d like to look at a Banns register for 1818 but according to Parish Registers of Wales the records do not exist.

• Note that the BTs start a generation earlier than PRs

Banns register

Banns register

Marriage by license

Post 1812 Burial Register

Nonconformity

• By the mid nineteenth century 80% of the population

were nonconformists

• Before 1689 and the Toleration Act nonconformity

was illegal so few records were kept

• The church was unable to cater to the spiritual needs

and growth of the population

• Nonconformity offered religion in the Welsh

language

Growth of Nonconformity

Year 1716 1742 1775 1816 1861

Chapels 110 105 171 993 2927

Nonconformity

High incidence of nonconformity

Many records have not been deposited. About 5,500chapels existed in Wales but less than thirty per centof the registers have been deposited at a record office The records may still be with the chapel

Nonconformity

No record made Records may have been lost

Families may have traveled a considerabledistance to worship

Strategies for Success

Identify the chapels in the area where your ancestors lived using the 1851 religious census and the six inch to one mile scale Ordnance Survey maps http://www.old-maps.co.uk/

Utilize chapel records other than the registers of birth, marriage, and death/burial

Strategies for SuccessSearch the National Burial Index compact disc. This databaseincludes 265 thousand entries for Wales (Glamorganshire,Cardiganshire, Radnorshire, Monmouthshire, andMontgomeryshire only)

Search for burials at the parish church. Nonconformist chapelsseldom had their own burial ground before 1800

Strategies for Success

Search monumental inscriptions

Examine chapel and local histories

Utilize histories about the chapel, area, and denomination

Search records within a five mile radius of where your ancestors lived

CIVIL REGISTRATION RECORDS

Basic Facts

• Government registration of births, marriages and

deaths began 1 July 1837

• Local registrars sent a copy to the national office

• Free online index is based on the national records

• Marriages recorded at church or chapel then a

copy sent to local registrar

• Many marriages performed at Register Office

Potential Problems

• The national records have many errors

• Common names complicate index searches

• Most certificates will cost about $15

• Ordering certificates from local registrars

requires a check in British pounds

Tips for success

• Search a wider date range

• Name variations

• Consider a broad locality search

• Use local registrar vs national records

• Was the event registered late

• Use other records verify your findings

Civil Registration Birth Certificate

1. When and where born will usually give a farm or street name

2. The child’s name

3. Gender

4. Name and surname of father

5. Name, surname and maiden surname of mother