User:WilliamsDa/Sandbox12

Beginner: Wales Genealogy
More major record sets for Wales are available to search online than most countries. Success with Welsh census, birth, marriage and death records depend on a few key points.

1 The names of family members gives a starting point.
Many surnames in Wales are quite common. If you know that you are looking for David Williams you have a start. Knowing that David Williams was married to Matilda Evans is better. If you also know the names of one or more children you will have better success with your searches. Extra reference points will improve search options and success.

2 Where a person lived can be a great help to sort individuals into families.
If you know the county where your ancestor lived that is good. Having the name of the parish is better. If you can find the name of the village, street or farm where people lived that will be very helpful to learning more and being sure you are tracing the correct person and family. {| width="60%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1" ! width="33%" | pre 1974 ! width="33%" | 1974-1996 ! width="33%" | post 1996
 * - valign="top"

3 Dates in a person's life will point to various options for learning more about them.
With all the historical information available, even approximate dates for birth, marriage and death can help bring more focus to a search. A person born in 1850 will not be in the 1851 census but their parents and older siblings should be. A timeline may be helpful.