Can I search parish records without going there

[Janade]

Hi all |wave|, I am a relative newbie and have only being doing this for a few months and have had great success on the various internet sites but have now reached the brick wall stage so think the only way forward is via parish records. My question is can I do this online or do I have to go personally to each area to search. As none of my research is local this would involve lengthy and probably costly trips.

Also - Is it easy to search at Kew if I do have to go there, having never done anything like this before are there people to help? is it like a library where you just search for what you want? or am I being too simplistic.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Jane

[suedent]

An alternative to going to County Record Offices is to order the films from an LDS Family History Centre & when they arrive, view the films at the centre.

To find your nearest FHC:
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHC/frameset_fhc.asp

To search their catalogue:
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp

[Janade]

thank you for that info, so does this mean I can view records of another area at my local records office?

This would save loads of time and travelling if I could do that.

Jane

[suedent]

No, the LDS (Latter Day Saints) are seperate from County Record Offices. You don't have to be a member of the Church to visit & in my experience they welcome genealogists with open arms.

The LDS have filmed Church records from all over the world & most are available on loan, the cost is minimal.

[Janade]

ah was getting confused, yes they have a local branch I can go to but
would they have records over and above the ones on the IGI website as I have searched all those ones online.

ta

Jane

[suedent]

They have many more records than appear on the IGI, they are also films of the original parish records rather than transcriptions.

If you use the link to the catalogue that I gave above & select the place of your choice. Not just parish records, also Poor Law records, Census records & Non-conformist records. Sometimes they also have maps, military records, correctional institution & school records.

It's a real treasure trove.

[ChrisKelly]

Do have a look at the Parish Chest (http://www.parishchest.com/shop/index.php) website and follow the link to Parish Registers. Depending on how rich you're feeling, you can buy copies of many parish registers.

There are also some parish registers very conveniently online:
FreeREG (http://freereg.rootsweb.com/)
On-line Parish Clerks (http://www.genuki.org.uk/indexes/OPC.html)
and many more miscellaneous ones ...

[suedent]

Another good way of checking what is available for any given Parish is to check with Genuki

www.genuki.org

[Janade]

Thanks Sue
this looks like the place to go next then.

Sounds interesting. It is on my list for next week to go and have a chat with them.

Jane

[Alan Welsford]

Another option may be to find if a local family history society has transcribed the registers for a parish of interest.

I've just bought some for some small Buckinghamshire parishes from the Bucks Family History Society for example.

These are on CDs, and fully searchable by name or any other text string you choose, and are a literal copy of the original, with all the "margin extras" and footnotes included, (some "a thoroughly good read"!).

They were between about £4 and £7 per parish, based on size, which I consider excellent value, as it costs me more to go to the records office than that.

Obviously it's a transcription, and to be sure you need to also check the original, but so far they check out 100% with transcripts I have already made from the originals.

I'm sure many societies offer this, although I don't know if all are of the same quality. Some are only available on paper, rather than in electronic format.

Alan

[Geoffers]

Another alternative is to purchase copies of fiches/film from record offices and view them at home - though you will need a fiche/film reader, some libraries may let you use theirs rather than have them just gather dust.

As for TNA at Kew. Once you get used to the place, it is fairly easy. I recommend that you go there with a plan. In particular have one or two documents that you want to order when you first get there. Ask one of the staff how to go about this. Whilst waiting for the documents to arrive, have a good snoop around finding your way about and where to find various records - some of which are on open shelf. Before going have a practice with TNA's online catalogue and research guides so that you get used to the types of records and how they are classified.

[Janade]

So at TNA can you order and collect on same day then - saves waiting for things in the post. I have had a look online but find it all very confusing. Only managed to find what I wanted with lots of online help and links pointing me to where exactly I wanted to go. Think the place may confuse me even more.
Think going with a plan is a good idea but I always seem to go off on a tangent with my plans when I find something else interesting. If I can find the time I may just go for a visit to see what, how etc.....

[Colin Moretti]

So at TNA can you order and collect on same day then - saves waiting for things in the post. I ...
Slight misunderstanding, I think. There are two formats (for want of a better word) of documents available at TNA. First are records on microfilm or microfiche, generally the more popular records, those you use viewers in the normal way and you can then print off a copy to take away (for a small fee). The second format, and I think that this is what Geoffers is referring to, is original documents. They are kept in storage areas to which you do not have access so they have to be ordered via the on-line catalogue and they are then delivered to one of two reading rooms where you may consult them. You can generally take copies (either self-service or from a copying area) or, if you have a digital camera you can photograph them yourself. You can't, of course, remove the original documents from the reading room. You can order up the documents in advance or once you get to Kew; in the latter case they can take up to about half an hour to arrive at the reading room, although usually its quicker than that.

There are some documents at TNA that you can order on line (for a fee, see http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/) they are emailed to you as image files. You can also see them at Kew without paying the fee and you can print them off for the normal printing charge.

When you go to TNA be sure to take the introductory tour first; Kew is a daunting place the first time you visit and the tour guide will explain all the intricacies to you. Your first visit is unlikely to be very productive.

Colin

[Janade]

thanks to all who have given advice. All very useful, I think a tour of Kew is an excellent idea for newbies like me. I will definately do that. Glad you said that the first visit may not prove very fruitful, i will not expect too much at a first attempt. Onward and upward.

Jane

[RosalindElsie]

Most of the family that I am researching into are jewish and I have wondered if any parish records would be of any use to me.

I am at present researching into the Samuel, Franklin, Waley Montagu
family, which are all branches of my Franklin family.

I am confused and stuch there. Thanks

[Jan1954]

Most of the family that I am researching into are jewish and I have wondered if any parish records would be of any use to me.

Not really. A good place to start could be JewishGen which is a door to many Jewish Genealogical sites. They can be found at:

www.jewishgen.org

Also, you could post any queries on the Jewish Roots board.

I wish you success,

[Peter Goodey]

Most of the family that I am researching into are jewish

It would be worth your while getting hold of the book "My Ancestors were Jewish" by Dr Anthony Joseph