FamilySearch's Resources for Britain and Ireland

 Syllabus for class taught by Diane C. Loosle, Genealogical Community Services Manager at FamilySearch, for the NGS Conference 2010

FamilySearch International is working to provide you, the genealogical community, with the tools and resources you need to be more effective in researching your United Kingdom and Ireland ancestors. We will review the exciting new tools available to you, including: England Jurisdictions 1851, Standard Finder, FamilySearch Research Wiki, Training Courses, FamilySearch Forums, FamilySearch Community Trees, and online records and books. Many of these tools allow you to become a part of the cause to raise the knowledge of the genealogical community at large by sharing what we know with each other. Through case studies using these tools, you will understand how to use them in your research to be more effective. The tools presented can be accessed at FamilySearch under the "Learn" tab or on FamilySearch Wiki.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
It is important to gather background information about the places in which you are doing research. You need to understand the jurisdictions and history of the locations. FamilySearch provides several tools that can help you with this task.

England Jurisdictions 1851
England Jurisdictions 1851


 * Search for a place to determine the type of location.
 * View the place on a map in context of other locations.
 * Determine the historical jurisdictions, including: county, civil registration district, probate court, ecclesiastical jurisdictions, poor law union, hundred/wapentake/rape and province.
 * View the historical jurisdictional boundaries on a map.
 * Determine the Church of England parish registers and bishop’s transcripts’ beginning dates.
 * Locate non—Church of England congregations.
 * List all locations within your chosen radius.

Standard Finder
With Standard Finder familysearch.org/stdfinder/PlaceStandardLookup.jsp, you can search for a standardized name, date, or place. The Standard Finder will present the standards that will be used in future releases of FamilySearch. Use filtered results to see what we think the best match would be or uncheck filtered results to see all the possible standards.


 * Search for variations of given names and surnames.
 * Search for places.

FamilySearch Research Wiki
FamilySearch.org; click the "Research Help" tab or go directly to it at FamilySearch Research Wiki

FamilySearch Research Wiki is a repository for genealogical community knowledge about places, records, archives, libraries, and anything else related to doing family history research. You can take advantage of the collective knowledge of the genealogical community, and you can contribute your knowledge for the benefit of others. EVERYONE KNOWS SOMETHING THAT CAN HELP SOMEONE ELSE. Come join the fun.


 * Search or browse for information about how to do research in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, as well as colonies of the empire.
 * Find thousands of links to Websites with helpful information and records.
 * Interact with other genealogists to collaboratively build a resource to benefit the whole genealogical community.
 * Add your knowledge to benefit others.
 * Join the cause with the community to build the best resource for up-to-date information about how to research ancestors.

Online Classes
FamilySearch.org; click the “Learn” tab.

Browse through training classes for those of interest to you to improve your skills. Share your classes and training materials with the community. Become a part of the future of this community resource.

FamilySearch Community to the Rescue
FamilySearch.org click the "Help" tab and then either enter your question in Ask a Question or follow the additional links.

go direct to them through FamilySearch Forums

Have you ever wished you had access to an expert to ask him or her questions? Now you can.


 * Ask your questions in a place where people from all over the world are helping each other.
 * We need your help too, because everyone knows something.
 * Come join the cause to build a community where you can get answers to your genealogical questions online from your home.
 * Search through already answered questions.
 * Ask your own questions to the genealogical community.
 * Respond to others who have questions.

FamilySearch Community Trees
FamilySearch Community Trees

Community projects reconstruct family trees and whole communities. Data can be downloaded as GEDCOM files. This project currently includes the following projects with UK or Ireland interest:


 * British Isles: Peerage, Gentry and Colonial American Connections
 * Canada: Manitoba: Winnipegosis
 * Canada: New Brunswick: Southampton: Millville
 * Canada: Nova Scotia: Kings County
 * Canada: Toronto: Youngs in Toronto
 * England: London: Residents of London
 * England: Norfolk Visitations, 1563
 * England: Todd Knowles Jewish Collection: Jewish database from the British Isles
 * Scotland: Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae
 * Wales: Medieval Records Primarily of Nobility and Gentry

Online Books
FamilySearch.org Click the the “Learn” tab and then follow the links to the BYU Historical Books Collection. Over 60,000 books have been scanned from the collections of the Harold B. Lee Library (Brigham Young University), BYU Hawaii, BYU Idaho, LDS Business College, Family History Library, Church History Library (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Allen County Public Library, Houston Public Library-Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, and Mid-Continent Public Library-Midwest Genealogy Center. All books are every word searchable. Search by author, title, subject or keyword. View actual book online.

Records
FamilySearch is digitizing and indexing millions of records. Many of these are available online for you to search. Collections of interest for UK and Ireland are:


 * England and Wales, 1841 census
 * England and Wales, 1861 census
 * England Baptisms 1700-1900 (no images)
 * England Marriages 1700-1900 (no images)
 * England and Wales Non-conformist Record Indexes (RG 4-8)
 * Cheshire Bishops’ Transcripts 1598-1900 (no images)
 * Cheshire Parish Registers 1538-2000 (no images)
 * Cheshire Non-conformists records 1671-1900 (no images)
 * Cheshire School Records 1796-1950 (no images)
 * Cheshire Register of Electors 1842-1900 (no images)
 * Cheshire Land Tax Assessments 1778-1832
 * Cheshire Probate Records 1492-1940
 * Diocese of Durham Bishops’ Transcripts (images only; not indexed)
 * Ireland Births and Baptism 1806-1900
 * Ireland Civil Registration Indexes 1845-1958 (no images)
 * Ireland Deaths 1864-1870
 * Great Britain Deaths &amp; Burials 1778-1988
 * Great Britain Marriages 1797-1988
 * Wales Births &amp; Baptisms 1586-1907
 * Wales Marriages 1541-1900
 * Wales Death &amp; Burials 1856-1885
 * Warwickshire, England Parish Registers 1538-1900