Genealogy & Family Tree

Within this section we hope you can find family members past or living or gather information for family tree's.

The discussion forum has a section 'Genealogy & Family Tree' where questions can be asked and answered, you do need to be registered and logged in to use the discussion forum.

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SEARCH LOCAL RECORDS here

Oxfordshire Family History Society
http://www.ofhs.org.uk/about.html

Oxfordshire Record Office holds:
Adderbury Parish Registers
Baptisms 1598-1863, 1864+
Marriages 1598-1897, 1898+
Banns 1754-1961
Burials 1598-1898+

As well as
Bishops Transcripts
1670, 1680, 1682, 1721-7, 1729-32, 1734-43, 1745-94, 1796-1822, 1826-50, 1854-6 (damaged)
IGI 1598-1856
Marriage Indexes a1754-1837
Boyd's Marriage Index 1598-1840

Oxfordshire Record Office
St Luke's Church
Temple Road
Cowley
Oxford
OX4 2HT
Tel: 01865 398200
Fax: 01865 398201
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/records
County Archivist : Mr Carl Boardman

The Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry
http://www.bmsgh.org/parish/warw/tyaiw/henleyinarden.html

Access information
Open : Wed-Sat 9-5
Closed : Stocktake late Jan, early Feb
Book in advance
Member of CARN scheme
Wheelchair access*
Research service
Parking available. On-site Coffee Shop. Exhibition Gallery.

National Archives can be found at:
Oxford University: Bodleian Library, Special Collections and Western Manuscripts
Broad Street
Oxford
OX1 3BG
Tel: 01865 277158
Fax: 01865 277187
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/
Keeper of Western Manuscripts : Richard Ovenden

Access information
Open : Term Mon-Fri 9-10; Sat 9-1. Vacation Mon-Fri 9-7; Sat 9-1
Closed : August Bank Holiday week
Letter of introduction required
Readers ticket required
A fee may be payable
Wheelchair access

Internet research
There are also hundreds of internet resources to help you trace your family history and listed below are just a few of the tried and tested online offerings. Some offer you the chance to buld your own family tree, others give you access to official registers and records. Some are free, some operate a pay-per-search charge, often requiring additional payment for authenticated copies of birth, marriage or death certificates.

Whilst some isolated census information survives from around 1801, the first major national census of use to family historians was carried out in 1841. Subsequent censuses were taken every ten years, 1851, 1861 etc. (with the exception of 1941 during World War 2, when no census was taken).
Access to censuses is restricted under a 100 year rule. Therefore, the latest census that can be viewed by the public is the one for 1901.

The official registration of births marriages and deaths began in July 1837 and many of these records are also now online.

National online sites for family history research include

www.GenesReunited.co.uk - Allows you to build your own tree and search other trees on their database. Holds no archive information.

www.1901CensusOnline.com - UK Census information from 1901 onwards

www.1837online.com - Births deaths & marriages from 1837

http://www.ancestry.co.uk

http://www.curiousfox.com/history/oxfordshire.lasso - An on online message board service allows you to ask generally for more information

One thing to bear in mind with these early official records is that there were many opportunities for errors, as the original register would have been hand written, spelling was often left to the judgement of the official recording the information so for instance the name Elizabeth may also appear as Elisabeth, or shortened as a family name to Beth, Lizzie and so on. Middle names were often missed out and itinerant workers often never appear.

Also during transcription from the handwritten records to those searchable on the internet websites the translation of a name or date relies on the person reading the original and typing the information into the new database. So persistence will be required and if in doubt try looking at the original yourself - it's often quite enlightening!

Happy hunting!