Getting to the Roots of Your Family - RootsWeb - Ancestry.com

https://wiki.familysearch.org/ or www.familysearch.org and click “Learn.”
MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS
These records can be very helpful in giving relationships with birth and death dates. Family
members can be buried close together and these tombstones can provide much family
information.
Things to remember about tombstones
• Weather and removal
• Online tombstone pictures: www.google.com
• Location of records and place: Cemetery, church, or non-conformist burial grounds
• Transcriptions: Family History Societies
• Visiting—Prepare for changes in ground, foliage, age and weathering. Obtain
permission from minister or sexton
WRITING TO ENGLAND
The county record offices and local minister can have the original or copies of these documents.
They can usually be e-mailed and they will reply with how they can help you in finding and using
Church records. Most have a fee associated with searching records.
Crockford’s Clerical Directory lists the clergy for the Church of England, the Church in Wales,
the Scottish Episcopal Church [and] the Church of Ireland. See FHL British Ref Area 942 E4c.
This yearly published book can help with providing recent information, but can also help with
early ministers and their genealogical information.
Local libraries may have historical information on the town or parish or family histories. This
could help in locating family in church records.
www.google.co.uk can provide websites and information about parishes and their histories.
http://Wiki.familysearch.org is a genealogical community tool for genealogical and historical
information to parishes. The community can add church record information.
HANDWRITING
Church records from the 1500’s to the present day can have all different types of Handwriting.
There are online helps for handwriting:
• www.familysearch.org (Learn→Research Courses)
• www.nationalarchives.gov.uk (Search box: type “Handwriting”)
The Family History Library has good books:
• N. Denholm-Young, Handwriting in England and Wales, FHL Book 652.1 D414h
• John Barrett and David Iredale, Discovering Old Handwriting, FHL Book942 G3bj
• Hilary Marshall Palaeography for Family and Local Historians, FHL Book 942 G37m
• Frank Smith and David E. Gardner Genealogical Research in England and Wales V.3
FHL Book 929.142 G172g v. 3
NON-CONFORMIST CHURCH RECORDS
Non Church of England denominations often kept their own records and were often referred to
as Non-conformists. Please visit the FamilySearch Research Wiki for articles with more