Local Record Offices

[Eiggam]

I have just found this site, and as I am new to this topic, I was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to tell me what information can be found on visiting the local office where records are held?
Thank you for your help.

[sara3]

you're not new to this site.

local records offices hold details of births, baptisms, marriages and deaths.

[dothawkes31]

the local record office has a number of rolls, they act as the diocesan archive for the Anglican Church and any diocesan records like the Parish Records, Tithes, local wills and some Parish registers of baptism marriage and burial are sent there.
They hold alot of County Council and Local authority archive material, like school records, council minutes, electoral rolls.
Most CROs will have a full set of the calendar of grants from 1858 to the 1970s, these are the annual publiocations by the Probate Registry and are alphabetical recotds of wills and letters of administration.
CROs hold the Quarter session records for their county and these are probably card indexed by surname of any event including filiation orders, criminal cases, land disputes, settlement examinations and settlement certificates.

[dothawkes31]

They will hold the Land Tax Assessment returns for their county, any protestation rolls, full Tithe maops and their apportionments.
They will hold any series of publication made by the local history and antiquary societies dating back into the 1800s.
They will hold copies of any graveyard surveys and Monumental Inscriptions done by private or charitable groups.
They will hold many many local history records, sets of Burkes Peerage, slayers, pigots kelleys trade and town directories.
Old newspapers are spmetimes deposted there .
Any large local industry like the mines, mills, train companies etc will have depost=ed their archive there.
They will have computers where you can search the GRO index to birth death and marriage 1827 - 2005
They will have the LGS church International Genbealogical Index.
They will have Family Histories that have been donated by the public.
They have a huge map collectionm.
Burgess Rolls
Electoral Rolls.
Oath Rolls,
They will hold the pre-1858 wills and admons for any deanery, archdeanery or perogative court that is within their durisdiction.
They will provide4 free access on production of a couple of pieces of ID including addrtess,
You will get a readers ticket that should allow you access to any record office in the country.
you can only use pencils, no rubbers.
You can order photocopies in all sorts of amazing sizes.

They will all have a guide which details all their records.

[dothawkes31]

*1837 not 1827.

[dothawkes31]

lol are you maggie?

[Mosaic]

Sara3, have you been on a course to hone your judgemental responses? You're doing really well at occupying the moral high ground just now. I think the post may have meant, they haven't posted in genealogy before. Cool it kid.

[dothawkes31]

I think sara might have been confusing record office with regsiter office, they are vastly different but easily confused unless you are familiar with both.

[sara3]

oh Mosaic, that really hurt some, kid.. lol!

Dot, I've been dragged around a lot of Local Records Offices, but obviously this is more your subject than mine ;o)

[dothawkes31]

I'm actually alot more comfortable transcribing the various documents found in a CRO than working with the GRO index and the census, mainly because there is more meat on the bones in the CRO, I did do a module on conservator work at uni and i would have loved to have enetered that profession but i am not patient enough

[craft1948]

well sara if mosaic's post is the norm in genealogy I don't think I'll bother posting any more.

[sara3]

Dot, I helped a friend last year who has traced his family back to 1500 and something! it's great to find what you're looking for, but it completely did my head in ;o)

craft, maybe I mis-read the first line of the post.

and maybe not :o)

[dothawkes31]

It also begs the question:
'Who would ever think sara was occupying the moral high ground'

she's a floozy and we all know it lol

[sara3]

indeed. I thank you!

[Eiggam]

Thank you so much for all your help!! I am trying to help an uncle of 88 to trace his mother's side of his family. I am able to visit my local library where I can access the Ancestry. com site free of charge but it becomes quite expensive obtaining the various birth, marriage and death certificates so I wondered if it was possible to search out parish and church records at these offices and whether I would be able to find names of parents etc. in such records.
I am sorry Sara 3 that I didn't explain myself very well - I should have said new to the Genealogy section but thank you all so much especially dothawkes31.
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!! Maggie

[sara3]

no need to apologise for the confusion!

I'll wish you all the best, as I know it's hard work! hopefully Dot will come back and offer some words of comfort as it drove me nuts :o)

[dothawkes31]

What area are you researching in maggie? if you go to familysearch.org you can search by surname county and event parish registers. depending on the county you can order copies of wills at £3 or £3.50 a copy, all depends which CRO.

[dothawkes31]

Before visiting the CRO you need an action plan to decide which records are there that your ancestor may be in, then you need to find out before you visit that the records you need to look at are availabole and not on any handling restriction. then you need to compile a profile page for each ancestor establishing names dates occupations religions etc, so that you can use the resources at the CRO efficiently. The first thing to do however is to get the tree up on ancestry.co.uk and see if anyone else is researching the same line, that can save alot of time and money,.

[sigma]

For your profile sheets etc. visit here.
http://www.uftree.com/family_tree_template.asp