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Other Family History Records

Although the birth, marriage and death and Census records are like to be the the main sources you use to create your family tree, because more of these documents have survived and been made available online, there are several other sources of genealogical and family history information which may be useful.

Parish Records

Parish records are records produced by the Church. The main records of interest to genealogists and those tracing their family tree are baptisms, marriages and burials. Until the civil(government)records began in the 1800's, parish records were the main records of birth, marriages and deaths. They are therefore very important when tracing your earlier ancestors and, even after the date of first official registration beacuse this was not at compulsory at first. For detailed information and links go to the Parish Records Page.

Wills

Wills are documents that set out what people want to happen to their possessions after their death. Although first legally recognised in 1540, most will that survive were made after the Wills Act of 1837 was introduced you can find more information on the Tracing Wills Page of this site.

Workhouse Records

Workhouses were places where the poor and destitute would go to received food and shelter in return for work. If any of your ancestors were poor for part or all of their live, and most people have at least some who were, they may have been in contact with a Workhouse at some point in their lives. A good place to start is the UK Governments National Archives and look for records relating to a workhouse in the area where your ancestors lived. If this fails, You can read more about life in a workhouse and find other links here.