*** EXCITING NEWS *** The 1881 Census Index is NOW available to search online! *** Over 200,000 records and growing every week! *** FIND YOUR ANCESTORS TODAY ***

F I N D M Y P A S T . C O . U K

-- Trace Your British Family History On The Internet! --


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Searching the records of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland since 1997

*** WELCOME TO FINDMYPAST ***

Have you ever wondered who your great-grandparents were? Where did your family come from? Were they miners in South Wales, mill workers in Lancashire, or perhaps fishermen in Norfolk? The answers are waiting for you -- and NOW you can find them without leaving your armchair!

FindMyPast is Britain's FIRST dedicated online genealogy search service. We have been digitising records from the Public Record Office, the General Register Office, and hundreds of county archives to bring your ancestors to life on your computer screen!

Whether you have a 28.8k modem or a blazing ISDN line, FindMyPast works for YOU.

SEARCH OUR RECORDS
Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates
England & Wales 1837-1992
Indexes now fully searchable! Order official copies direct from the GRO for just £6.50 each.

Census Records
- 1881 Census (England, Wales & Scotland) NEW!
- 1891 Census Index (partial) COMING SOON!
- 1851 Census (selected counties)
- 1841 Census (selected counties)

Parish Registers
Baptism, burial and marriage records from over 3,400 Church of England parishes. Coverage varies by county -- check our availability map!

Scottish Records
Statutory registers of births, marriages and deaths from 1855. Old Parish Registers from 1553. Provided in association with General Register Office for Scotland, Edinburgh.

Irish Records
Griffith's Valuation 1847-1864. Tithe Applotment Books. Note: Many Irish records were destroyed in the Four Courts fire of 1922. We are working to recover what survives.

Military Records
- Boer War pension records
- Merchant Navy crew lists
- Chelsea Pensioner records
World War I records coming 1998!
  WHY USE FINDMYPAST?
:) Search from home -- no more expensive trips to St Catherine's House or Salt Lake City!

:) Instant results -- our database returns matches in seconds over a standard dial-up connection!

:) Affordable pricing -- just £9.99 per year for unlimited index searches. Certificate ordering charged separately at GRO prices.

:) Growing database -- we add thousands of new records every single week!

:) Download your results as a GEDCOM file compatible with Family Tree Maker, PAF, Roots IV and Brothers Keeper!

:) Print-friendly -- all results pages designed for your dot matrix OR inkjet printer!


MEMBER PRICE PLANS

Plan Price Searches
Day Pass £1.99 Unlimited*
Monthly £3.99 Unlimited*
Annual £9.99 Unlimited*
* Fair use policy applies. Searches limited to 500 per day to ensure fair access for all users. Secure payment via DataCash. We accept Visa, Mastercard and Switch.

HOW IT WORKS
1
REGISTER
Create your free account in just 3 minutes. All we need is your name and county.
  2
SEARCH
Type in a name and date range. Use wildcards -- try "Sm?th" for Smith OR Smyth!
  3
DISCOVER
Browse your matches and view index transcriptions immediately on screen.
  4
ORDER
Request certificate copies or download your tree as a GEDCOM file. Job done!

FEATURED RECORDS THIS WEEK
Our team of dedicated data entry volunteers has been working hard this week! Here is what has been added to the FindMyPast database since Monday:

Record Set County / Region Date Range New Entries
Parish Baptisms Yorkshire (West Riding) 1780-1837 12,441
Parish Burials Lancashire 1813-1855 8,320
1881 Census Middlesex (additional) 1881 34,109
Nonconformist Registers Wales (all counties) 1754-1840 5,887
BMD Index England & Wales Q3 1925 21,304
Merchant Navy National 1900-1920 3,012
TOTAL THIS WEEK:   85,073

Total records in FindMyPast database: 4,812,009 and growing every day!

MEMBER STORIES -- YOUR ANCESTORS FOUND!
" I had been searching for my great-grandmother Edith for three years. I visited the Family Records Centre twice, wrote to six county archives, and even travelled to Wales. Then I tried FindMyPast and found her 1878 baptism record in under FOUR MINUTES. I actually cried. "
-- P.H., Shropshire

" Brilliant site. Found three generations in an afternoon. The 1881 census is absolutely smashing -- you can see the whole household, so you get brothers and sisters you never even knew existed. My tree has gone from 12 people to 87 people in one weekend. My wife thinks I have gone quite mad. "
-- D.W., Tyneside

" I discovered my great-great-grandfather was transported to Van Diemen's Land in 1831 for stealing a sheep. The family always said he "went to Australia for business reasons." I have never laughed so much in my life. Thank you FindMyPast! "
-- M.T., Somerset

" As an American of British descent I always wondered about my roots. FindMyPast helped me trace my family back to a village in Dorset. I am planning a trip over to England next summer specifically to visit the church where my ancestors were baptised for 200 years. Worth every penny of the subscription. "
-- B.K., Ohio, USA

TIPS & TRICKS FOR FAMILY HISTORIANS
Spelling Variants
Remember that before compulsory education, many ancestors could not spell their own names! A surname like "Featherstone" might appear as Fetherston, Fetherstone, Featherston, or even Feathorston. Our wildcard search (use * or ?) handles this brilliantly -- try "F?th*st*n" to catch them all.

The 100-Year Rule
Census records are closed for 100 years to protect privacy. This means the 1891 census will NOT be available until 1991... sorry, we mean the 1901 census will not be available until 2001! The 1891 census SHOULD be openable but the Public Record Office are dragging their heels. We are lobbying on your behalf.

Civil Registration Started in 1837
Births, marriages and deaths were only officially recorded by the state from 1 July 1837 onwards. Before that, you need parish registers -- which is why FindMyPast has indexed thousands of them going back to 1538 in some parishes!

Don't Forget the IGI
The International Genealogical Index compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covers millions of British baptisms and marriages. We have linked our search results to the relevant IGI entries where possible. The Mormons have been extraordinarily helpful to British genealogists!

GEDCOM -- The Universal Language
GEDCOM (Genealogical Data Communication) is the standard file format for family tree data. Once you have built your tree in FindMyPast, you can export it and open it in Family Tree Maker, Personal Ancestral File (PAF), Roots IV, or Brothers Keeper. Don't get locked in to one program!

Writing to Record Offices
Always include a stamped addressed envelope (SAE) when writing to county record offices! They are under-funded and short-staffed, and they are much more likely to help if you make it easy for them. Be polite and specific about what you need. A good letter goes a LONG way.

** UNDER CONSTRUCTION **
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Coming Soon to FindMyPast:

- 1891 Census -- we are in negotiations with the PRO, watch this space!
- Scottish Valuation Rolls -- find your ancestors' addresses and occupations
- London Street Directories -- Kelly's and Post Office directories 1850-1900
- Wills and Probate Records -- Principal Probate Registry 1858-1930
- Newspaper Digitisation Project -- birth and death announcements from regional papers
- Photograph Sharing -- upload and share your old family photos (requires 33.6k minimum)
- Message Boards -- ask other researchers for help with your brick walls

This page last updated by Terry -- November 1997

COUNTY COVERAGE MAP
ENGLAND & WALES -- RECORD AVAILABILITY AT A GLANCE
===================================================

KEY: [B] = BMD Index  [C] = Census  [P] = Parish Registers  [N] = Nonconformist

Bedfordshire      [B][C][P]     Leicestershire    [B][C][P]
Berkshire         [B][C]        Lincolnshire      [B][C][P]
Buckinghamshire   [B][C][P]     London/Middlesex  [B][C][P][N]
Cambridgeshire    [B][C][P]     Norfolk           [B][C][P]
Cheshire          [B][C][P]     Northamptonshire  [B][C]
Cornwall          [B][C][P]     Northumberland    [B][C]
Cumberland        [B][C]        Nottinghamshire   [B][C][P]
Derbyshire        [B][C][P]     Oxfordshire       [B][C][P]
Devon             [B][C][P]     Rutland           [B][C][P]
Dorset            [B][C][P]     Shropshire        [B][C]
Durham            [B][C]        Somerset          [B][C][P]
Essex             [B][C][P]     Staffordshire     [B][C][P]
Gloucestershire   [B][C][P]     Suffolk           [B][C][P]
Hampshire         [B][C]        Surrey            [B][C][P]
Herefordshire     [B][C][P]     Sussex            [B][C][P]
Hertfordshire     [B][C][P]     Warwickshire      [B][C][P]
Huntingdonshire   [B][C][P]     Westmorland       [B][C]
Kent              [B][C][P]     Wiltshire         [B][C][P]
Lancashire        [B][C][P][N]  Worcestershire    [B][C][P]
                  Yorkshire     [B][C][P][N]

WALES:
Anglesey [B][C]   Caernarfonshire [B][C]   Denbighshire [B][C][P][N]
Flintshire [B][C] Glamorgan [B][C][P][N]   Monmouthshire [B][C][P]
All other Welsh counties: BMD index only -- parish coverage expanding 1998

SCOTLAND: All 33 historic counties -- BMD from 1855, OPR from variable dates
IRELAND: Griffiths Valuation + Tithe Books -- additional records being assessed
Coverage expanding constantly. If your county is missing parish records, why not volunteer to help transcribe? We provide the scanned images -- all you need is time and patience!

SIGN OUR GUESTBOOK!
Have you found an ancestor using FindMyPast? We would LOVE to hear from you!
Sign our guestbook and share your story with other family historians.

[ SIGN THE GUESTBOOK ]     [ READ THE GUESTBOOK ]

We have had 847 guestbook entries since we launched in March 1997!

USEFUL LINKS FOR FAMILY HISTORIANS
Official Record Sources:
Public Record Office, Kew -- The national archive. Breathtaking if you've never been.
General Register Office -- Order official BMD certificates for England & Wales
General Register Office for Scotland -- New Register House, Edinburgh. Very helpful staff.
Family Records Centre -- Islington. Open Saturdays! Worth the trip to London.

Societies & Organisations:
Society of Genealogists -- Excellent library in Clerkenwell. Membership well worth it.
Federation of Family History Societies -- Find your local family history society here
Guild of One-Name Studies -- Researching a single surname? These are your people.

Other Genealogy Websites (there aren't many yet but these are good):
GENUKI -- Genealogy UK and Ireland. Absolutely massive. Could spend days on here.
Cyndi's List -- American site but brilliant links to British resources as well
ROOTSWEB -- Free mailing lists and message boards. Very active.
One-Step Webpages (Stephen Morse) -- Clever tools for searching BMD indexes by soundex

Software:
Family Tree Maker -- Most popular family tree program. Available at PC World for £29.99
Personal Ancestral File (PAF) -- Free from the LDS Church. Perfectly decent program.
Brothers Keeper -- Shareware, very popular with serious genealogists

Magazines:
Family Tree Magazine -- Monthly. Available at WH Smith. Very good beginners' guides.
Ancestors (PRO Publication) -- More technical but excellent record guides

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: How do I know if my family name is in your database?
A: The quickest way is simply to search! Our basic name search is FREE for everyone -- you only need a paid subscription to view the full transcription details. So you can always check whether we have your name before committing a single penny.

Q: The census shows my ancestor living at an address that no longer exists. Can you help?
A: Street renaming was VERY common in Victorian England, particularly after slum clearances. We recommend consulting old Ordnance Survey maps -- your local reference library should have the 1st and 2nd edition 25-inch maps. Old Kelly's Directories can also help locate addresses.

Q: My ancestor's age is different in every census. Which one is right?
A: Probably none of them! Ages in Victorian censuses were notoriously unreliable. People often didn't know their exact age, and there was a tendency to round to the nearest five. Always use the birth certificate as your primary age source.

Q: Can I search Scottish records if I have an English subscription?
A: Yes! One subscription covers all FindMyPast records regardless of country. Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales are all included in your annual £9.99.

Q: How long does it take to download a GEDCOM file on a 28.8k modem?
A: A typical GEDCOM with 200 individuals is around 40KB. At 28.8k this takes approximately 15-20 seconds. An ISDN user will barely notice it. If you are still on a 14.4k modem, we strongly recommend upgrading -- BT have some good deals on at the moment.

Q: Will you be putting the 1901 census online?
A: We certainly hope so! The 1901 census will be released by the PRO in January 2002. We have already been in discussions about digitising it at that point. It is a long way off, but something to look forward to in the new millennium!

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--- The 1881 Census is ONLINE and SEARCHABLE --- Register today for just 9.99 per year --- Search 4.8 MILLION British records --- New records added every week --- Find your ancestors NOW ---

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Last updated by Terry -- 14th November 1997

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