How do I find a Parish register?

[Gardengirl]

I have realised that there is a gap in my knowledge here (one of many). I am trying to find the marriage of someone to find the wife's maiden name. I have looked in all the usual places and have the information below but both of the wives mentioned on the page are called Mary Ann so I think I need to see the original register to find out which one married Edward.

But where do I search to find an image of the actual register? Or have I overlooked something?

Edward Barton Barber

Marriage

West Ashford, Kent, England

West Ashford

Kent

Oct-Nov-Dec

1852

2A

36

Mary Ann Anderson

Mary Ann Dawson

Nathanael Pack

[Olde Crone Holden]

A quick way - if your couple had children, look for the birth registrations which will give mother's maiden name.

OC

[Gardengirl]

Ah, of course! Why didn't I think of that ?

But in general, how and where would I look for that parish marriage register?

[bcbrit]

Hi Gardengirl,

I used ancestry and looked for Nathaniel Pack. In the 1861 census he was mistranscribed as Pluck !

I then looked up his first and large child from the 1861 census, on the GRO site. Both children have a mmn as Dawson.

So it looks likely that Edward Barton Barber married Mary Ann Anderson.

Hope that helps.

bcbrit

[cbcarolyn]

I am no expert either, but do know parish registers images are in various places, or nowhere!

EG Essex registers are still with the Essex archives and you have to pay them, lots are with Ancestry and FMP.

Familysearch have lots - learnt from here that you go to search --> catalog

I think something like GENUKI may tell you, or google for particular register.

[Anne in Carlisle]

Different counties are represented (or sadly not!) on different websites. You need to check the main ones to see what their databases hold. For example Ancestry are excellent on much of West Yorkshire but you need FindMyPast for north and east and also the Sheffield area. Lord help you if you want Bedfordshire as there are no images online at all!

You were wanting Kent (and I'm sure someone will help me here) but I think they are one of the ones which have a website of their own.

Alternatively I think most counties have a Family History Society and they quite often produce CDs of records for their area for you to buy. They may also run a lookup service on email.

Anne

[Gardengirl]

Thanks all. After my first post I remembered that I belong to the Kent FHS so I have emailed them too. If anyone’s going to know where to look they should !

I’ll let you know

[Anne in Carlisle]

Luckily the Bedfordshire FHS do a lookup service. I needed details of an alleged marriage in 1824 but there weren't even any transcriptions online. A number of Ancestry trees had a specific date and place but their source was (you've guessed it!) 'Ancestry Trees'. Lots of others claimed it wasn't even in Bedfordshire. I wasn't prepared to use any of that suspect information and thought about emailing the Archive but they are closed . Then I remembered the BFHS which I used to belong to. An email reply came quite quickly ...... and YESSSS! It was the marriage I was looking for with the bride's brother as a witness.

That single look up together with a number of DNA matches has broken a major block in my tree! Very excited!
Anne

[Olde Crone Holden]

Also, remember that not all marriages were church marriages. Many of mine were nonconformists and married in the registryoffice. Fortunately, Lancashire has a very good bmd site which gives bride's name.

OC

[cbcarolyn]

Also, remember that not all marriages were church marriages. Many of mine were nonconformists and married in the registryoffice. Fortunately, Lancashire has a very good bmd site which gives bride's name.

OC

the registrar at MK used to always correct everyone and say it was the register office and not the registry office....I never knew why....but she wasn't the sort of person you argued with! She has since retired....

[GallowayLass]

Funny how different areas have different ways. I have always called them registration offices

[kylejustin]

Is it part of medway? Which has their own site. Alternatively, i think fmp or ancestry has kent records?

[Olde Crone Holden]

Ha! I have always called them the Register Office but was corrected on here and told it is the Registry Office!

OC

[Gardengirl]

I had various replies from the KentFHS group - all arriving at the same conclusion via different routes, mainly using OldCrone's method of looking for the MMN on the children’s birth registrations at the GRO.

One man flagged up this website https://webapps.kent.gov.uk/KCC.ROIS...s/Default.aspx which enables you to search for the groom and the two brides and compare the reference numbers.

So lots of alternative routes

[Janet in Yorkshire]

And I was told by a deputy registrar that it was the registrar's office! At that time, she worked out of an office located in the offices of a local solicitors' practice. It was all part time back then, open three mornings a week and also on Saturdays for marriages only.The registrar and his deputies were all members of the practice.

[Caroline]

I remember the quite heated arguments about the terminology when we were first sorting out the reference library/wiki!!

When you google, they offer both and then the official site uses register office: https://www.gov.uk/register-offices

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regist...nited_Kingdom) - points out the difference as well

On the other hand, West Sussex uses Registration apart from Crawley: https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/find-m...ration-office/

[cbcarolyn]

opened a can of worms now....interesting. I think I used to call it registry, but after Sharon telling me it was in her stern tone - it has stayed with me!

I guess both Ancestry and FMP add images as they get a deal - or even an offer. It was FMP boast in the early days that they had more.

[teasie]

Dover Telegraph and Cinque Ports General Advertiser 23 October 1852

Oct 12 at Smarden, Mr E. B. Barber, grocer &c., Canterbury, to Miss Mary Ann Anderson, youngest daughter of Thomas Anderson, of Smarden, glazier &c.

[Gardengirl]

Thanks, Teasie, I hadn't looked in the newspapers yet. Was that from FMP?