Records and archives
There is a wealth of archived records to be found in county
based repositories and other local centres of genealogical
information.
Of particular value are local council Record Offices
which hold local archived records, many of which are not accessible
even in copy form anywhere else. The further back you go in tracing
your family tree, the more critical Record Offices are likely to be
in progressing your research. Much administration before the 19th
century was conducted at the local level with:
- locally managed registration of births, marriages and
deaths
- locally controlled prisons and workhouses
- agricultural estates (manors) being the key units of
administration
The archived records for this local level administration (parish
registers, manorial records and so on) are normally held at Record
Offices.
Although many do not hold original archived records, council run
Local
Studies Centres often provide excellent facilities for family
historians with free access to a wide variety of genealogical
sources (microfiche indexes to registered births, marriages and
deaths, access to the International Genealogical Index, local
history publications and so on)
Other very useful local centres providing access to genealogical
sources are the Family History
Centres run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(more commonly known as the Mormons). There are no less than 80 of
these centres spread across England and Wales (and over 4,000 world
wide). They are effectively branches of the vast and comprehensive
Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah and as such provide
access to a wide variety of extremely valuable sources of
information for genealogists.
There is at least one local Family History
Society in every county in England and Wales. Many counties
have several (Yorkshire has around 20). It is well worth joining
your local Family History Society plus those in counties where your
ancestors came from. The contacts you will make could prove
invaluable in progressing your family tree.
Finally but not least are Local History
Societies. Some positively welcome family historians. Most
provide access to a wealth of information on local history, much of
it of value to genealogists - not least in fleshing out the bones
of individual ancestors in your family tree and providing an
insight into the way your ancestors lived.
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