This page is especially for people who are new to Genealogy and the Look-up pages. It describes how the Look-up pages are best used, and explains some of the documents which may be listed.

  The Look-up Pages

The volunteers who are listed on the Look-up pages are usually offering to search a record which they hold at home, or have easy access to a local library or archive. It could be a book, microfiche, floppy disk or CD-Rom. The volunteers are located all over the world, and so you cannot assume they have access to any other documents relating to the county.

Many of these resources have been previously bought from Family History Societies and used by the volunteer in their own research. If the volunteer suggests that there are quite a few entries in the document which you would be interested in, always consider purchasing your own copy if possible. This supports the Society which produced the document, and goes towards making further records available.

If there is no record for a town or village you are interested in on the Look-up page, it means that no volunteer has yet offered to search a document relating to that place. However, it may also mean that no resource has been produced which covers the town or village. It is always worth checking with the Family History Society which covers that area.

When making a request please bear in mind that not all the resources are indexed. Some are in date order, and would need an approximate time span otherwise the search would take too long. Others have just a surname index, which means that a volunteer may have to look at many entries of that surname before getting to the one you are looking for. Suggestions for the  minimum amount of information required with your request are shown in the following section.

Finally, don't forget to include the name of the County and the words "Look-up" in the subject line, and clearly mention which document you want searching. Some volunteers are listed on more than one look-up page, and may have multiple items listed. The volunteers have limited time available so don't ask for all instances of a surname unless you are very sure that it is uncommon. If the volunteer thinks your request is unreasonable they might reply with an
"I'm sorry but ....". Some volunteers have removed their names from the look-up pages because of too many unreasonable requests. We would much rather receive regular small requests, which are easily answered, than a very large enquiry comprising of many names and documents, which may take time to research.

Type of Document

This is a list of some of the things you may find offered on the Look-up pages; what information is available, and the information you should provide to get the best from your look-up request. For items not included here you should contact the volunteer directly for more information if you are not sure what it is, or what information is given.

Census Indexes & Transcriptions

There are different types of census index and transcripts, as there has been no standard way for Family History Societies to provide this information. There are three main types:

• Census Surname Index
  In strictly alphabetical order. Only the surname(s) in each piece number were recorded, and the index gives the folio and sometimes the schedule number. The volunteer can only provide you with the folio reference numbers where this surname is found - you will still need to access the census record to view the entry. You will need to give the surname, and any spelling varients.

• Census Index
  There are also indexes where a limited amount of extra information is provided. This can include first name, age and rarely occupation. You also get the folio number and sometimes the schedule. By matching the reference numbers you can sometimes suggest a family group, although you would need to check the original entry to confirm the household. This index will not show any members of the household with a different surname, as it is in strict alphabetical order, so you will still need to check the original entry to confirm the make-up of the household. For this type of index it helps to provide surname, first names of at least one member of the family (with age if possible) and perhaps the names of other family members. Providing an occupation doesn't usually help.

• Census Transcript
  This is the full entry as shown on the census return, with names of occupants, ages, occupations and birthplaces. In the 1841 census the ages of those over 15 years were rounded down to the nearest five, so someone listed as 45 could be between 45-49 years. Also in the 1841 census, birthplace was not given but the question "were you born in this county" prompted a Y(es) or N(o) answer. If born overseas the country was given. In 1851, the full birthplace was recorded (if known). Because these are not in alphabetical order, there is often a surname index provided, but not always. Please provide as much information as possible about the family you are looking for - names, ages, occupations where known. (Bear in mind that some of the family might be missing, so if we only search for a head of household and he is no longer around we might miss his widow with her family!)
  
  Note: A piece number is the "book" which the census enumerator recorded the entries into. In a large town or city there might be more than one piece number, while in the rural areas a piece may cover at least five small villages. The folio number narrows it down to one page of the book (printed on both sides) while each household has its own schedule number. Therefore if you have the piece number and folio then your search is reduced to two sides of one page, while the schedule number means you can go straight to the entry you are looking for once the right page is found.

Directories

These are sometimes described as Trade Directory or Commercial Directory, in which case they list businesses and people who were self-employed, such as the Butcher, Baker, Blacksmith, Innkeeper etc. They will also list the Gentry and Clergy. They are usually arranged by town or village, and then sorted into occupation, finally being arranged alphabetically within each occupation. Therefore, a search of all entries for one surname would be impractical. Some later directories do have county indexes, which organise the traders into alphabetical order.
People who worked from home, such as Knitters and Weavers, would not be included in these directories, nor would Labourers or Coal Miners.
If it is not listed as Commercial or Trade Directory, then it will sometimes list more occupants, even those employed, but still not many Coal Miners or Labourers.
You should give full name of Head of Household, address, occupation.

GRD (Genealogical Research Directory) and Big 'R'

These are surname interests lists - similar to those now found on the internet. They are useful because not all family historians have access to a computer, so list their interests in these publications. You should give county, surname, and approximate time frame of interest e.g. 1750-1820. If your family were limited to one parish then providing that will also help.

Monumental Inscriptions, aka Memorial Inscriptions or "MI's"

These are the details taken from the gravestones found in churchyards or cemeteries. Bear in mind that only about 10% of the population could afford gravestones, and some early stones might have been illegible at the time they were recorded. Not all sources are indexed, and most indexes are surname only. Alternatively, the inscriptions might be sorted into alphabetical order. You should provide the names of the people you are looking for, along with approximate years of birth. In a small village a surname is usually enough. Please mention if you are interested in others with the same surname. Also if you are interested in a certain time span i.e. up to 1850. Sending in one surname at a time is preferrable to a request with four or five different surnames.

Parish Registers

Again, these differ depending on their source. Sometimes the original parish registers are being offered by the volunteer. (in some counties you can buy copies of parish registers on microfiche or microfilm) There are also transcriptions of the original register. They might be copies of the whole register, or separate baptisms, burials or marriages. Marriages are often from the series of printed transcripts produced by Phillimore or Boyd. Transcripts do not always contain the full entry i.e. witness names, but they do give most of the additional information which is present in the original register. Prior to 1755 witnesses were not recorded.
Bishops Transcripts may be offered. These were copies made at the church to be sent to the Bishop, and are often less complete than the actual parish registers. However, where gaps in the parish register exist, Bishops Transcripts (BT's) may be useful in filling those gaps if they survive.
Please make sure that you only make enquiries within any specified dates given. These transcripts are not always indexed, so you should always provide the full name of the person you are looking for (at least the groom for marriages unless otherwise stated) and an approximate date. If you don't know the date, please give a rough time span of around five years. In a busy parish this would mean quite a long search.

Page created by Heather Faulkes 25th July 2002