Genealogy Chat

Hi, don’t know if anyone can advise me. If I have traced a line through IGI back to the wedding of my ggg grandparents and it doesn’t give a name for her father, if I went to look at the parish register (these are quite a long way from me and not easy to get to) would they hold any more info than the IGI pages? Sorry to be a bit long winded. Trudy

Thanks Edith

Church of England Marriage registers pre 1837 didn't have a place for fathers' names and occupations. Normally, for late 1700s early 1800s you will find an entry similar to the following: George Manley of this Parish bachelor and Charlotte Wells Spinster of the same were Married in this Church by Banns this 29th day of May in the year one thousand eight hundred and eleven By me J P Bose Curate This marriage was solemnised between Us (Groom and bride's signatures) in the Presence of (witnesses signatures) Earlier than this there may be even less detail.

Before 1837 you are most unlikely to get parents' names as the standard registers had no space for them. After 1837 you should get parents' names, unless the person was illegitimate. Recent entries on the IGI seem to include parents' names, but the transcribers didn't bother to note them in the past. It is worth getting a photocopy of the entry for any other clues it might provide. Usually the Record Office will do this fairly cheaply, or you could see whether there is an LDS library near you and order the film. It's always worth looking at the register yourself, as you may spot ancestors who were witnesses, widows remarrying etc: things you would not be able to find in an index.

Thanks all - if that is the case, how on earth do you proceed once you get this far back, not being able to 'qualify' any info and links that you find?

Where did they marry as if the records are in London and you can get a look up the witnesses of the marriage are sometimes the parents. Just a thought. Irene

There are lots of ways of proving information pre 1837, but they depend on the existence and survival of certain records. These may be wills, taxation records, marriage licences, poor law records etc etc. Most people will appear in more than one sort of record, it's just a question of tracking those records down. Some are indexed and on-line, but the vast majority are held in local records offices and only available there.

Was the IGI ref from parish records or one of those submitted by a member. The latter can be misleading, so you would need to double check anyway. If it is the parish records, have to tried searching the same batch for someone with the same surname who may be a brother of sister of the couple you are looking for. Sometimes a fathers name comes up on one but not another record.