Family history can be fascinating and, with a little patience, very rewarding. We have an Archives Starter Pack for sale in our Study Centre which will help you get started.
It is important to remember, always start with yourself and work backwards, step by step. Family history begins with you. Gather as much information as you can from living relatives and try to compile a tree starting from you. Include birth or baptism dates, marriages and details of deaths or burials. See just how far you go back before you have unknown events. At that point your research really begins.
We have prepared a short video on “How to Trace Your Family Tree” (please refer to our current price lists as some information in the video may be outdated).
Family history research can be very time consuming and progress may sometimes be slow. Be patient; some days you will find every single person you are looking for, other ancestors could be well hidden in the records. Here at Northumberland Archives we offer a Professional Research Service to help you along, following the link for further details.
Once you have done some background reading, next gather all the information, which you can from members of your own family. Get as many names, dates and places as possible for even if this is not always entirely accurate, it may provide useful clues and starting points.
Having done this, some of the following sources may be of help:
Anglican Parish Registers
These record baptisms, marriages and burials and were first kept in 1538, although very few survive from that date. Even if your ancestor did not regularly attend the parish church, the registers are worth checking. Between 1754 and 1837, the law required everyone (except Quakers and Jews) to be married in a parish church and buried there, in the absence of a civil cemetery. Many registers have been microfilmed and several have been transcribed and indexed.
Click here for more information and list of parishes.
The Census
A survey of the population has been taken every 10 years since 1801, but 1841 is the first year that lists individuals. The census can be extremely useful since members of each household are listed with ages, occupations, relationship and place of birth.
Click here for more information on the census.
Civil Cemeteries
By 1900 there were several civil cemeteries in Northumberland, administered by Burial Boards. Registers of burials and grave spaces often exist and occasionally cemetery plans.
Click here for more information on civil cemeteries.
Civil Registrations
From 1837, all births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales had to be reported to a local registrar. Registrars still keep the certificates, so if you know the date and place of the event, you can apply to the local register office for a copy. Indexes to births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales can be searched online at www.freebmd.org.uk. Certificates covering the county of Northumberland can be obtained via the Northumberland Registrars.
The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.)
This was compiled by the Church of the Latter Day Saints and is an index to the baptisms and marriages in parish registers, mainly those pre-1813. For each county, it gives an alphabetical list so it is especially useful for tracing families who may have moved between parishes. However, not all parish registers are indexed on the I. G. I.
This index can be searched online at www.familysearch.org
Monumental Inscriptions
Gravestones can supply useful information about your ancestors. There are several lists available.
Newspapers
Newspapers are a valuable and often overlooked source. Not only do they provide useful additional information to events events detailed in other records, but in some cases they can be the only source of information available.
Click here for more information on Newspaper research.
Non-Conformist Registers
Due to the proximity of Scotland, Presbyterianism was strong in Northumberland and many mining communities were often Methodist There was also a strong tradition of Roman Catholicism in the county and Northumberland Archives Service also holds the registers of several Catholic churches.
Wills and Probate
Wills can often give information about next of kin, and also about social standing. Prior to 1858 wills were proven in church courts. In the case of Northumberland, this was generally the consistory court of the Diocese of Durham. These records are held at Archives and Special Collections, University of Durham . A microfilm copy of indexes to the wills and copies of some of them can be viewed in our search room. A catalogue to and images of the wills are available online at http://familyrecords.dur.ac.uk/nei/ . From 1858 wills were proved in District Probate Registries. The Newcastle District Probate Registry covers Northumberland. Registered copies of wills proved there during the period 1858 - 1941 are available to view in our searchroom.
Click here for more information on wills and probate.
Further information:
- Brief Guide to Northumberland Family History
- Census Returns for Northumberland 1841-1911
- Civil Cemetery Records
- Coal Mining Records for Family Historians
- Coroners Records
- Enclosure Awards
- Family History Repositories in the North East
- Methodist Registers
- Newspapers
- Northumberland Wills
- Presbyterian and Congregational Registers
- Roman Catholic Registers
- Trade Directories
- Websites for Historical Sources
- WW1 Service Records
- WW2 Service Records