England, Gloucestershire Non-Conformist Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Why Should I Look at This Collection?
When nonconformist church records are available they are the most informative and accurate source available for English family history until the start of civil registration in 1837. Nonconformist birth and baptismal registers are fairly common, and generally contain more information than those of the Church of England.

For more information on the content, significance, and availability of Nonconformist Records, please see England Nonconformist Church Records.

What is in This Collection?
Non-Conformist Church records from the county of Gloucestershire containing baptisms/christenings, marriages, and deaths from the following religions in Gloucestershire: Society of Friends (Quaker), Dutch Reformed, Presbyterian, Congregational, Independent, Baptist, Wesleyan Methodist, Protestant, French Protestant, New Jerusalemite, and Methodist.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Birth
 * Name of declarant (often father)
 * Age, occupation and residence of declarant
 * Name of child
 * Sex of child
 * Date and place of birth
 * Names of parents, including maiden name
 * Names, ages, and occupations of witnesses (often godparents)
 * Residence of parents

Baptismal
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Given name of child
 * Date and place of birth
 * Names of parents
 * Occupation of father
 * Legitimacy of child *Marital status of parents
 * Names of godparents

 Marriage
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of bride and groom
 * Ages of bride and groom
 * Previous marital statuses of bride and groom
 * Occupations of bride and groom
 * Residences of bride and groom
 * Birthplaces of bride and groom
 * Names of parents, including maiden names

 Death and Burial
 * Date and place of burial
 * Date and place of death
 * Name of deceased
 * Age at death
 * Cause of death
 * Marital status of deceased
 * Name of spouse
 * Birthdate and place of deceased
 * Residence of deceased
 * Occupation of deceased
 * Surviving family members
 * Father of deceased, especially if infant
 * Occupation of father, especially if infant

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Record information from the index entry.
 * Cite the record. See below for help citing this collection.
 * Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives. Note that family members often appear on an individual's vital records, such as in the role of witnesses to a marriage.
 * Use the information which has been discovered to find more. For instance, use the estimated age given in a marriage or burial record to calculate an approximate year of birth.
 * If in the appropriate period, use the information which has been discovered to find the individual in civil records.
 * If researching the nineteenth-century England Census and England Civil Registration records may be available.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * When looking for an individual with a common name, look at all the search results before deciding which is the correct person. Use the place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to help you decide whether you've found the right person.
 * If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records.
 * Try variations of given names and surnames. Nicknames or initial are sometimes used in records and spelling was not standardized until the late 19th and 20th centuries. Sometimes names were often spelled as recorders heard them. Some women returned to their maiden names after the death of their husbands.
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible matches and try expanding the date range.
 * Search the records of nearby parishes. While it was uncommon for an individual in this period to move more than about 20 miles from their place of birth, smaller relocations were not uncommon.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Gloucestershire.
 * Gloucestershire Guided Research
 * England Record Finder
 * England Research Tips and Strategies

Related FamilySearch Historical Records Collections

 * England, Bristol, Non-Conformist Church Records, 1777-1936
 * England, Cheshire Non-conformist Records, 1671-1900
 * England, Northamptonshire, Non-conformist Records, 1840-1894
 * England, Northumberland, Non-conformist Records, 1708-1982
 * England, Norfolk Non-conformist Records, 1613-1901
 * England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.