FIND MY PAST - USER GUIDE

FIND MY PAST - USER GUIDE
                            CONTENTS

WHAT YOU CAN DISCOVER IN FIND MY PAST

  HOME PAGE INFORMATION / GETTING STARTED

HOW TO EXTEND THE SEARCH

  SEARCH YOUR FAMILY HISTORY OR BUILD A FAMILY TREE

BUILDING MORE COMPREHENSIVE SEARCHES

APPENDIX A

  SNAPSHOT OF A-Z RECORD SETS

APPENDIX B

  CENSUS RECORDS 1841 – 1966

ONLINE PARISH CLERKS COUNTY OF LANCASHIRE

BAPTISMS, MARRIAGES AND BURIALS

WHAT YOU CAN DISCOVER IN FIND MY PAST

THROUGH THE HOME PAGE YOU CAN ACCESS

An A – Z of records containing hundreds of sets of information.

Refer to Appendix A for snapshot of contents

World (130 pages A – Z order)

Australia & New Zealand

Ireland

United Kingdom

      England
      Scotland
      Wales
      Other British & Ireland
      Overseas Unknown

United States & Canada

Getting Started
Researching birth, baptisms, marriages and deaths may be the most common
uses of Find My Past

Click on Search and select a record set, either All Records or follow a Quick Link
e.g. birth, marriages and deaths. The more information you have will give the
best results: -

    Full name(s)
    Date of event e.g. birth year, baptism, marriage or death. If unsure,
     apply ‘Give or Take’ between +/- 2 to 40 years
    If known, where born
    If known, for births, mother’s maiden name

Note that using birth, marriage, death and parish records will give the widest
results, and may save time on multiple searching.

How to Extend the Search to Build a Family History or Tree
Work through generations using name, event dates, places of birth and maiden
names etc. It will help to trace individuals but can be widened to whole
families by using the above information but searching on census rather than
say birth or marriage.

The census search should identify the person on any census held in the system
on which they are named e.g. if born in 1839 and died in 1902 the census for
the years 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 should come up. The
birth date used should show the first census, the other reports in year order
will be shown on the right-hand side of the screen and can be selected
individually to display the contents.

Using the census information this way will list all family members at that date
and enable a profile of how the family changed during the lifetime of the
subject of the search. The address of the family at the census date will also be
shown.

As you work through the information, if you wish to trace what happened to
individual family members, you will have to use their information, probably
using the birth year and home town, to find out if they married, died etc.

The census years held in Find My Past are shown at Appendix B.

More Comprehensive Searches
The 1939 Census may give a good starting point. By entering a family member
by birth year and searching on census, the following information is shown: -

First name(s)/Last name(s)/Birth year/Date of Birth/Occupation/Marital Status

Links to related records e.g. other census years, births, marriages, deaths etc.
will also be shown and can be used to trace other events during these years.

Also, by clicking on any other family member listed on that census you will
display their individual records over time and then be able to work through
their individual records.

The 1939 Census may be best start as it is the latest publicly available so may
enable logical steps through family generations: -

e.g. Census 1939 searching on grandmother’s name and birth year shows
grandfather, grandmother, father and uncle

Click on grandfather’s name displays 1911 Census and family details

Click on great grandfather’s name shows 1901 Census and family details

Click on great grandfather’s name shows 1891 Census and family details
including great-great grandfather’s family in 1881 and 1871 and so on, you
may then get a trace through to the 1841 Census for your family.

Other records such as marriages may then be searched using names and birth
years to find links to other relatives such as your great grandmother’s family
before her marriage etc.

More detailed information may also be found on baptisms, marriages and
burials – refer to Lancashire OPC website below.

EXTRA TIPS

On FMP, sometimes less info gives better results.

Census ages are not always correct.

1939 register – anyone under 100 and derived to be still alive is redacted –
black lines

Cheshire BMD and UK BMD, which gives local register office references.

Free BMD gives GRO reference.

GRO website gives mother’s maiden name for certain dates. Certificates can be
ordered through the GRO website and certain births and deaths can be
acquired for £7 as a PDF.

APPENDIX A - A – Z of record sets snapshot of contents pages 10 of 130.

Armed Forces & Conflict                Boer Wars
                                       Civil War & Rebellion
                                       First World War
                                       Government
                                       Medal Rolls & Honours
                                       Other Wars & Conflicts
                                       Regimental & Service Records
                                       Second World War

Census, Land & Surveys                 Census
                                       Electoral Rolls
                                       Land & Surveys
                                       Surveys

Churches & Religion                    Newspapers & Magazines

Education & Work                       Apprentices
                                       Colonial Service
                                       Farming & Agriculture
                                       Guild & Trade Associations
                                       Occupations
                                       Professions
                                       Schools & Education
                                       Workhouses & Poor Law

Institutions & Organisations           Courts & Legal
                                       Prison Registers

Life Events                            Civil Births

Births, Marriages & Deaths             Civil Marriage & Divorce
                                       Parish Births
                                       Parish Baptisms
                                       Parish Marriages

Births, Marriages & Deaths cont.   Parish Burials
                                   Wills & Probate

Newspapers, Directories            Directories & Almanacs
& Social Histories                 Family Histories & Pedigrees
                                   Social History

Travel & Migration                 Migration
                                   Passenger Lists
                                   Transportation

APPENDIX B - Find My Past Census Records

The following years are held for England & Wales.

1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911 and 1939.

Records for Scotland ………..

A census was not conducted during the First World War years.

1921 - Under the '100 year rule' it is UK Government policy that the 1921
Census data remains unavailable to the public until 2022. However, in February
2019 it was announced that Find My Past has been awarded the contract to
publish the 38 Million records involved.

1931 – The census was a paper record only and was destroyed during a fire in
1942, the fire was not due to enemy action. The census for Scotland was not
destroyed.

1939 - A census was completed shortly before the outbreak of war to enable
identity cards to be issued, plan for conscription to the armed forces and to
organise emergency evacuation.

1941 – A census was not completed due to the war.

1951 on – A census has been completed every 10 years to 2011 but the data is
not available as, under the Census Act 1920, the Government decided that
information should be kept unpublished for 100 years. The 1951 data should
therefore be released in 2052.

1966 – A census was held, the first to collect data on car ownership and means
of travelling to work. It trialled a new method of enumerating data including
electronic collection.

ONLINE PARISH CLERKS COUNTY OF LANCASHIRE

Further information on church baptisms, marriages and burials may be found
in these records, searching on www.lan-opc.org.uk . Although Wirral is not
covered, Liverpool and surrounding districts are included and it is useful if
relatives are traced outside Wirral but within the pre-1974 Lancashire
boundary. Depending on data collected records may go back to the 1600s.

From the Home Page, click on Parishes and select a town: -

e.g. Liverpool – Edge Hill

Click on Churches

Click on St Catherine

Click on Baptisms

Click on Surname……. the baptisms against this surname will displayed

Click on Christian name e.g. displays

Baptism: 18 Dec 1864 St Catherine, Edge Hill, Lancs.
Mary Catherine Lawrence - [Child] of Joseph Lawrence & Sarah
  Abode: 215 Chatsworth St.
  Occupation: Licensed Victualler
  Baptised by: R. Hughes

e.g. marriage search All Hallows church displays

Marriage: 10 Sep 1887 All Hallows, Allerton, Lancashire, England
Wm. Henry Clark - Full Clerk Bachelor of Allerton
Amelia Abel - Full Spinster of Grassendale
  Groom's Father: Joseph Clark, Gentleman
  Bride's Father: Roger Abel, Ship Builder
  Witness: John Broughton; John Abe

Combined with All My Past searches greater detail may be traced or more links
may be found in tracing family details.