| If are a white American or Australian, it is very | | | | While it is possible to search for a name on the |
| likely that you have ancestors who originated in | | | | online census indexes or GRO indexes, you are |
| the UK. This is why British family history is of | | | | likely to come with far too many results unless |
| great interest to many people in these countries | | | | you have some idea of the area your ancestor |
| who are attempting to trace their family trees. | | | | came from. |
| As a professional genealogist working in the UK, I | | | | Before requesting the services of a professional |
| have many American and Australian clients looking | | | | genealogist, therefore, it would be a good idea to |
| for ancestors in all parts of the United Kingdom. If | | | | try and do some further research to see if you |
| you are looking for ancestors in the UK, | | | | can find out at least the county where your |
| particularly for records before 1837 where fewer | | | | ancestors originated - and preferably the village or |
| records can be accessed online, you will normally | | | | town. If you have looked at all available census |
| need to find a professional to do this for you. | | | | records and not found any other details other |
| However, I occasionally come across requests for | | | | than the country name, you could try looking at |
| research in Britain where there is just not enough | | | | the immigration records for your country. |
| information to make a start. | | | | Sometimes these records will give the place of |
| The trouble is, some US and other records may | | | | origin of the immigrant. Other records such as |
| state that an individual was born in "England", for | | | | wills or marriage records may sometimes give |
| example, with no details of whereabouts in | | | | details of a person's origins, so do as much work |
| England. When the name is a fairly common one, | | | | as you can to find these records in your country |
| it is just not possible to search the records | | | | first. |
| without more details. The words "needle" and | | | | One possible way of finding an ancestor without |
| "haystack" come readily to mind! | | | | having the location is if you know that they |
| If you live in a vast country such as the US or | | | | married before emigrating. As long as both names |
| Australia, you can probably be forgiven for | | | | are not too common, it may be possible to |
| thinking that British family history is easy because | | | | cross-check marriage index references to find the |
| it covers such a small area. However, don't forget | | | | right couple and then take it from there. |
| that Britain is a much more densely populated | | | | If you are lucky enough to be looking for an |
| country, particularly back in the 19th or 18th | | | | ancestor with a very unusual Christian AND |
| centuries when emigration to places like American | | | | surname, then it may be possible to find them |
| or Australia began to rise in popularity. | | | | without these details, but for the most part, and |
| England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are all divided | | | | researcher will need location details, and/or names |
| into counties, and each county has its own record | | | | of spouses where the couple were married |
| office where local records are kept, including | | | | before emigration. |
| parish registers, land records, wills and other | | | | Tracing your British family history is extremely |
| documents. Some parish registers have been | | | | interesting and it is well worth the effort to find |
| published online, but the vast majority still have to | | | | these details if you can, but if you cannot, you will |
| be looked at by visiting the appropriate record | | | | find it very difficult to locate an ancestor, |
| office, and one county's RO may be about 50-80 | | | | especially if his name is John Smith! |
| miles from the next one. | | | | |