Parish chest – unlocked & online

Ssshh! Family Tree assistant editor Karen Clare lets you in on a secret...

So, you’re fairly new to family history and you’ve got branches of your tree back to 1837, the start of civil registration in England and Wales. But where do you go next to continue your family’s story?

Many of you will already be aware that parish registers should be the next stage of your journey of discovery into your ancestors’ lives, and you may already have begun delving into them. But did you know that the ageing parish church chest contained much more beyond the local baptism, marriage and burial registers?

Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret (and it’s the key to how experienced family historians get so far back in time, and know so much about their forebears)... these other parish sources are literally packed with fascinating facts about our ancestors. And, where once they were hidden away in local archives, many are increasingly being digitised and put online for all the world (and probably his wife) to enjoy.

These wonderfully informative documents can include annual accounts provided by local officials, records relating to poor law administration (such as settlement certificates and removal orders), bastardy papers, apprenticeship indentures, and much more, as our expert Jeremy Palmer reveals in the December issue of Family Tree, on sale now.

Jeremy’s easy-to-read guide will take you straight to the key websites and record collections, both free and paid-for, and will undoubtedly help you to unlock those secrets of the parish chest. We promise to be there for you every step of the way. So read, learn and enjoy. You never know what genealogical gems await.