Genealogy

Census records and birth, marriage and death certificates for family history (UK & US)

TUREFF• •0
Two kinds of record form the backbone of most family history research in Britain and the United States: census returns, which show a household on one particular day, and civil registration records of births, marriages and deaths. Used together, they let you move back a generation at a time with real evidence. This guide covers the basics for England and Wales and the US, and what to watch out for.

Census records: a snapshot of a household

A census lists everyone at an address on census night, usually with names, ages, relationship to the head of household, occupation and birthplace. That makes it ideal for building family groups and finding where people lived.

England and Wales

  • Censuses have been taken every ten years since 1801, but the earliest ones with names useful to family historians start with 1841. From 1851 onwards they generally give more detail, such as exact ages and birthplaces.
  • Individual census returns are kept closed for 100 years. The 1921 census for England and Wales was released online on 6 January 2022.
  • There is a long gap after 1921: the 1931 census was destroyed in a fire in 1942, and no census was taken in 1941 because of the Second World War. The next full census due for release is 1951, which would follow in the early 2050s.
  • For some of the gap years, the 1939 Register, a record compiled at the start of the Second World War, is widely used by researchers as a substitute.
  • The census returns are held by The National Archives and are searchable on several websites, some free and some by subscription. Free volunteer transcriptions also exist for some years.

United States

  • Federal censuses have been taken every ten years since 1790. Early ones name only the head of household; from 1850 every free person in the household is named.
  • Individual records are released 72 years after the census was taken, a rule agreed between the National Archives and the Census Bureau in 1952 and later written into law. The 1950 census was released on 1 April 2022, and the 1960 census is expected in 2032.
  • Most of the 1890 census was destroyed or badly damaged in a fire in 1921, leaving a 20-year gap between 1880 and 1900 for most families.
  • Many states also took their own censuses in some years, which can help fill gaps.

Civil registration: births, marriages and deaths

Civil registration records are made by the state when an event is registered, and they usually carry more detail than a census entry. Where to find them depends entirely on the country.

England and Wales: the GRO

  • Civil registration began on 1 July 1837. The General Register Office (GRO) holds the national records of births, marriages and deaths registered since then.
  • The GRO's indexes let you find the registration quarter, district and reference for an event. You need that reference to order a copy of the certificate through the GRO's online service on GOV.UK; check there for current prices and formats.
  • Certificates give valuable details: a birth certificate names the parents, including the mother's maiden name; a marriage certificate gives ages, addresses and both fathers' names and occupations; a death certificate gives age, cause of death and the informant.
  • Registration was not always complete in the early decades, so a missing birth before about 1875 does not necessarily mean the person was born elsewhere.
  • Registration districts often do not match towns or parishes neatly; check which district covered a place at the time.
  • For events before 1837, parish registers of baptisms, marriages and burials are the main source, usually held at county record offices.
  • Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own separate systems and start dates.

United States: state by state

There is no national register of births, marriages and deaths in the US. Vital records are kept by states, and sometimes counties or towns, and:
  • the year statewide registration began varies widely between states;
  • rules on who can order a recent record, and how long records stay restricted, differ by state;
  • older records may have moved to a state archive, while recent ones remain with the state health department or county clerk.
Start by searching for the vital records office of the state where the event happened. For periods before statewide registration, look at church records, county records, newspapers and cemetery records.

Using the two together

  1. Find a family in the most recent available census.
  2. Use the ages and birthplaces to search for birth or baptism records.
  3. Use a marriage certificate to find the parents' names and then the previous generation.
  4. Step back ten years to the previous census and repeat.
Treat ages and birthplaces in censuses with caution: they were often given by one member of the household, and ages drift by a year or two between returns. Which record finally broke down a brick wall for you? Share tips or ask about a specific record in the comments.

Comments (0)

Popular in other spaces