R E S E A R C H   G U I D A N C E

Wales
Research Outline
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Welsh Search Strategies
     Step 1. Identify What You Know About Your Family
     Step 2. Decide What You Want To Learn
     Step 3. Select A Record To Search
     Step 4. Find And Search The Record
     Step 5. Use The Information
The Family History Library Catalog
     Map: Wales Pre - 1974 County Structure
     Map: Wales 1974 - 1966 County Structure
     Map: Wales Post-1966 County Structure
Archives And Libraries
     National Archives And Libraries
     County Record Offices
     Public And Academic Libraries
     Family And Local History Society Libraries
     Special Archives
     Locating Web Sites For Record Offices And Libraries
     Inventories, Registers, Catalogs, And Schedules
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
     National Census
     Understanding The Census
     Searching Census Records
     Locating Census Records
     Census Records At The Family History Library
     Census Indexes
Church Directories
Church History
Church Records
Civil Registration
     General Historical Background
     Information Recorded In Civil Registers
     Locating Civil Registration Records
     Indexes To Civil Registration Records
     Searching Civil Registration Records And Indexes
     Records At The Family History Library
     Miscellaneous Indexes
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Gazetteers
Genealogy
     Major Collections And Databases
     Family Histories
     Genealogical Collections
     Research Coordination
Historical Geography
History
Land And Property
     Estate Records
     Availability Of Estate Records
     Manorial Records
Language And Languages
Maps
Merchant Marine
Military Records
     History And Background
     Twentieth Century Records
     Understanding Military Records
     Locating Military And Naval Records
     Records At The Family History Library
     Search Strategies
     Handbooks For Military Records
Names, Personal
     Patronymic Names In Wales
     Other Types Of Surnames
     Adopting A Surname
Newspapers
Nobility
Occupations
Periodicals
Probate Records
     Types Of Probate Records
     Laws And Customs
     Guardianship
     Probating A Will
     Pre-1858 Probate Courts
     Post-1857 Probate Courts
     Estate Duty Wills And Administrations
     Locating Probate Records
     Determining The Court
     Indexes
     Probate Records At The Family History Library
     Records Not At The Family History Library
     Difficulties In Locating A Pre-1858 Record
Schools
Societies
     Family History Societies
     Association Of Family History Societies Of Wales
     The Federation Of Family History Societies
     Local History Societies
     One-name Groups
     Locating Records At The Family History Library
Taxation
Other Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions

CEMETERIESLook this term up in the glossary.

Cemetery records (known as monumental or memorial inscriptions), sometimes provide birth, marriage, death, and occupational information. They sometimes give clues to military service, residence, and cause of death.

To find cemetery records, you need to know where an individual was buried. The person may have been buried in a church, city, or public cemetery—usually near the place where he or she lived or died. You can find clues to burial places in church records, death certificates, or family histories.

Before the Burial Acts of 1852 and 1853, most people were buried in church cemeteries. If the person was buried in a church cemetery, you may need to use church burial records. See the “Church Records” section of this outline for more information on burials.

Welsh family history societies are transcribing the cemetery inscriptions from their local areas. Some societies have also compiled the indexes from several cemeteries. Write to the society in your area of interest to learn more about their work. See the “Societies” section of this outline more information on family history societies.

It is also possible to gain access to cemetery inscriptions through the Internet. There are lists of people on the Internet who volunteer to search various types of records for certain areas free of charge. You can locate these lists through the GENUKI Web site at:

www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/#Counties
From the above site
Click [County of your choice]
Click Genealogy
Click Look-up Exchange
The Family History Library has copies of many transcriptions of cemetery inscriptions including many from Glamorgan Gwynedd Dyfed Clwyd and Gwent Look in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under

WALES - CEMETERIESWALES, [COUNTY] - CEMETERIESWALES, [COUNTY], [PARISH] - CEMETERIES
The following inventory will identify cemetery records which may not be found in the Family History Library Catalog:

Smith, Frank. Smith’s Inventory of Genealogical Sources: Wales. 14 vols. Salt Lake City: Family History Library, 1994. (FHL book 942.9 D23s; fiche 6110529; computer number 0755490). This is a subject and surname index to items within selected periodicals, books, and films.

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