Why start now?

There's never been a better time to start your family tree. More information is available online now than ever before. However, some records are still only available on paper or microfilm, so be prepared to do some travelling at some time in your research, for example, to a county records office.

LiveWire

LiveWire libraries offer access to Findmypast and Ancestry which you can use free of charge on a Library PC. Just ask at the library desk to log on free for an hour. There are many other online resources, some of which are free, so you can also access these on your PC at home, e.g. Familysearch or FreeBMD. The BBC has an informative 'Family History: Getting Started' section on their website. See the links to these websites below.

Where to begin

How do you make a start? Don’t go online yet! The best way to start your family tree is to ask your family. Persuade your parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts to tell you what they know about your ancestors. Make a note of names, dates, locations and any anecdotes about your relatives. See how far back you can get. When you write up your findings, be sure to record the source of information. This is called citing your sources and there are many guides online to show how to write citations. But in this case, noting the person’s name and date obtained may be sufficient.

Family History Helpdesk

Just starting or stuck on a 'brick wall'? Try the Family History Helpdesk on Saturday mornings from 10.30am to 12.30pm at Penketh Library. The sessions are free, but pre-booking is required. Each session lasts one hour starting at 10.30am or 11.30am.

Take a flexible approach

Each family is different and will need an individual approach, but there are some general methods which can be used. Firstly, start with what you know; hopefully the information obtained from your relatives has taken you a couple of generations back, so review this before going back further. See if any of these ancestors appear in online searches. This will confirm any word-of-mouth information. There are a many records available, but unfortunately, they were not written for the purpose of family tree research. You will often need to become a detective when hunting down an elusive relative.

Which records can I search?

In Great Britain, there are three sets of records which a researcher will start looking at: census, civil registration and parish records. To find these for your family, try using Findmypast or Ancestry on Penketh Library’s PCs. Using the information from these three sources, census, civil and parish in combination, will help you to build up your tree. There are also numerous other records that your research may lead you to e.g. military, immigration, newspapers etc. All of these can be useful, but to start with, let’s consider the main three.

Census

The first census of Great Britain, which is useful to genealogists, was held in 1841, then every ten years after that, except 1941. Census records are not released until 100 years has passed. The 1921 census is the latest that is currently available. You can view these including the 1921 England and Wales Census for free using Findmypast on a Penketh Library PC.

The England and Wales 1931 census was destroyed by fire and the 1941 census was not held due to WW2. However, the 1939 Register is available on Ancestry and Findmypast. The 1939 Register was a mini census, taken on the eve of WW2. The NHS used this for patient records after the war and made updates until 1991, e.g. women's married names were added.

Originally handwritten, the census records have been transcribed into computer databases, making fast searches possible. Having located the record, you may prefer to view the image of the original handwritten sheet rather than rely on the transcribed version being totally correct. Errors do happen! Hopefully you will find your ancestors in a family group in at least one census. Occupations, places and approximate dates of birth can also be found. Also, check nearby addresses as relatives may live locally.

Civil Registration

Civil registration started in England and Wales on 1 July 1837, and covered births, marriages, divorces and deaths (BMDs). Coverage was not universal, especially in the earlier years before tougher laws in 1874. BMD events were recorded locally by a Registrar and an index created every three months and sent to the General Register Office (GRO).

Findmypast and Ancestry can be used to search these indexes or you could use FreeBMD. Some indexes can be searched on the General Register Office (GRO) website, look for 'Order certificates online'. The index itself does not give you full information about the birth, marriage or death. To get this you can order paper certificates from the General Register Office, though some records have cheaper PDF or digital image (jpg) options. As the cost for these can add up, ask yourself if you really need to order a certificate and are you sure you have found the right person on the index? You may be able to find almost equivalent information in the church parish records.

If you are looking for a birth date, the 1939 Register shows this. Also, from June Qtr. 1969, the GRO Death Index records the date of birth instead of age at death, this information is shown on FreeBMD, but not on the GRO website.

Locally, look at the Lancashire BMD, Cheshire BMD, (or UKBMD) for records. These are transcribed and compiled from Birth, Marriage and Death records held by the District Superintendent Registrar. Unfortunately, not all records have been transcribed, there are gaps in the coverage. Of particular interest are marriage records as these show marriage venues e.g. church or register office (or register office attended). For church marriages, this can help when searching for a parish record.

Parish Records

Parish records were required to be kept following a nationwide order given in 1538 that each church parish keep a register of baptisms, marriages, and interments. The Church of England or Anglican Church was the predominant religion since 1536. You may also see it referred to as the Established Church.

For many families, parish records are the go-to source of information before 1837 and they are very useful after that too. Records were kept in large books in the church. Copies known as bishop’s transcripts were regularly made. Sadly some of the earlier records have been lost or destroyed. However, many records do exist and have been microfilmed, some of these are available online. These baptism, marriage and interment records can be a good alternative to the General Register Office certificates. Baptism records will often have the birth date noted in the margin, in addition to the baptism date.

Records for other religions, non-conformist and Roman Catholic records are not as extensive. The excellent FamilySearch website can give guidance on how to research ancestors of different faiths in this country and overseas. Before 1837 and during the years of oppression, many Catholics were baptised and married in Anglican churches and even buried in Anglican churchyards, so church records may exist but could be misleading regarding the faith of your ancestor.

Burials and Memorial Inscriptions

Gravestones and their Memorial Inscriptions (M.I.s) can provide a wealth of information about a family. Many graves on Findagrave and Billiongraves have readable photographs of inscriptions. There may be transcriptions of Memorial Inscriptions by Family History Societies, available as booklets or downloads for a small fee.

Try searching for burials on Ancestry or Findmypast. Warrington Borough Council (WBC) has burial records online. Some burial records may be held at a regional record office or library. Newspaper Archives can be searched for funeral announcements, these will often include the names of family members.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) lists civilian casualties as well as armed forces fallen. Also try the Imperial War Museums (IWM) War Memorials Register.

You may like to visit a grave. For church burials, look online first or enquire at the church. There may be a friends group who have details. Municipal cemetery officials can usually take you to a particular grave for a small fee. Otherwise obtain a cemetery map, also section and plot information for the grave of interest. When you are in the correct section, look for headstones which have plot numbers on the side or back as a guide. Not all graves have a gravestone, e.g. public graves, where many unrelated people can be buried. Private graves can have headstones, but not all do. If you visit a grave, consider uploading a picture to Findagrave, as this may help others.

Citing Your Sources

Remember to record where your information came from. You may not remember when you return to your research and can spend hours searching to find the information source again! Citing your sources may seem tedious at first, but it really is worth doing!

Some genealogy websites provide a source citation which you could use. If you generate your own citation there are numerous formatting styles, and many opinions as to which is 'correct'. However you choose to format it, basic source information may include: Author or Creator; Description or Title; Location where found; When created; When accessed; How to it find again.

You can generate professional standard citations with ease by visiting www.cite-builder.com. There's basic (free) and premium (£) options for UK, USA, Canadian and Australian record citations.

If you pass your research on to others, they will have more confidence in your findings if they can see the sources you have used.

"We cannot judge the reliability of any information unless we know exactly where the information came from; and the strengths and weaknesses of that source."; Elizabeth Shown Mills; Evidence Explained.

Storing Records

You may want to build a tree online. Ancestry and Findmypast for example, both let you build your own tree, to do this you will need to use your own log-in. Familysearch lets you add your ancestors to a collaborative tree that anyone can access. You may find your ancestor is already on this. If you look at trees edited by others, remember they can and often do contain mistakes!

Keeping your data on your own PC is another option. There are numerous genealogy programs available, some are free, some require payment. Have a look at some online reviews before choosing one.

Paper records may be your preference. Organise these logically to suit your system. Family Group Sheets can help you collect information about a family into one place. These are forms you can print and use for storing information or perhaps as an aid to understanding and organising a 'difficult' family. (See the Links below for examples from Ancestry and Familysearch. The BBC have some Record Sheets on their Family History page.) Use archival quality materials to protect your precious photographs and documents.

More Information

This is a very brief guide on how to start your family tree. For further guidance you could read one of the many books which have been written on the subject. Ask a Library Assistant to suggest one. Happy researching!

Genealogy Links

These are links to external websites, which you may find useful.
FOPL has no control over their content.

Ancestry: Free on a library PC or (£)
Findmypast: Free on a library PC or (£)
Familysearch: Registration needed (Free)*
GRO: Search (Free) or Order Certificates (£)**
FreeBMD: England & Wales BMD Index (Free)
FreeCEN: Census Records (Free)
FreeREG: Parish Records (Free)
CheshireBMD: Cheshire BMD Index (Free)
LancashireBMD: See CheshireBMD for Warrington (Free)
UKBMD: UK BMD Index (Free)
UKGDL: Genealogy Directories & Links (Free)
UKMFH: Military Family History (Free)
CWGC: Commonwealth War Graves Commission (Free)
IWM: War Memorials Register (Free)
Lancashire Online Parish Clerks (Free)
Genuki: UK & Ireland Information (Free)
National Library of Scotland: View old maps (Free)
Findagrave: Find Graves, some with photos (Free)
BillionGraves: Find Graves, some with photos (Free)
British Newspaper Archive: Search (Free) or view article (£)
WBC Burial Records: search (Free)
Cite-Builder: (Make Citations) Basic (Free) Premium (£)
National Genealogical Society: Family Group Sheet (Free)
Ancestry: Family Group Sheet (Free)
Familysearch: Family Group Sheet (Free)
BBC Family History: Getting Started (Free)
u3a Family History Resources Booklet (Free)
The Workhouse: Story of an Institution (Free)
Ourpublicrecords.org: Europe Guide (Free)

* Familysearch requires registration.
** The GRO (General Register Office) requires registration.