England Genealogy

Counties
Click on a county to go to that county's page:

Research tools

 * England Record Selection Table
 * England Websites
 * Others?

Getting started with England research
Have you ever wondered about one of your ancestors, perhaps you great grandpa? Do you know when or where he was living, or perhaps his christening or birth date, and the place? What if you don’t have this information? Your curiosity is important and you want to know more about him. Being new to genealogy, where can you start to find more information? Do you know when and where he lived?

To search for the right area of England your ancestral heritage is from you should first check for all the clues in the area where your relatives lived. Do you know a place? Did they immigrate to another country, such as Canada or the United States? If so, search records in those countries to try and find the place where they lived in England. Look in any location in England that is mentioned in connection to your family members.

If you're not sure where they lived, search first at your and your parents' home for documents and papers. Ask family members what they remember. The old photographs and books they owned and left in the family possession, can tell where the family lived. Keep your eye out for old country friends of the family they may be connected to your ancestral home. Some family tales are based in fact and should be considered. Check all information about your direct relative and any lateral relatives you can find. Remember your surname might vary in spelling.

Birth records of the children can help locate a place. Places can also be mentioned in funeral cards, cemetery burial records, death notices, death certificates, marriage license and certificate information. Do you have any of these records in your possession? If they immigrated to Canada or the United States, search for passenger records from England. U.S. Social Security applications, starting in 1942 but fully recorded from 1962, ask where the applicant was born.

Remember school records in your search. Schools were not available to all 19th century English people.

The following Beginner’s Corner links will help you get started. Choose from one of the following.


 * I want to find a birth, christening or baptism.
 * I want to find a marriage.
 * I want to find a death or burial.
 * I want to know about how my family lived.