Isle of Man Miscellaneous Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Isle of Man

What is in the Collection?
Records in this collection cover the mid to late 1800s. Facts current at the time of the event are generally reliable.

The collection consists of miscellaneous records from the Manx Museum and National Trust. The records include the following:


 * Wills and Testamentary papers
 * Indexes to wills
 * Diocesan orders of court
 * Diocesan Presentments
 * Liber Causarum
 * Manorial Records
 * Deeds and Conveyances
 * Indexes to deeds

The records are handwritten in bound books. Court officials began keeping records from the time the court was formed. Each type of record was created for a different purpose, but most were created to keep track of the vital events happening in the lives of the citizens and to safeguard their legal interests and the legal interests of their heirs.

Collection Contents
These records may contain the following information:


 * Name of primary persons
 * Names of heirs, such as spouse, children, other relatives, or friends
 * Names of the executor, administrator, or guardian
 * Names of witnesses
 * Dates the documents were written and recorded (used to approximate event dates since a will was usually written near the time of death)
 * Description and value of property or land

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * The approximate date the event occurred.
 * The name of the primary individual or individuals.

Compare the information in the records to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example:


 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * The name of the officiator may be a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county.
 * The name of the undertaker, mortuary, or cemetery could lead you to funeral and cemetery records which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname. This is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married, or died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * The information in the records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as more recent records.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.
 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes created by local genealogical and historical societies.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

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.

Collection Citation:

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