Using original records

The original source may take various forms including a single sheet of paper or parchment, a file, book, photograph, film or a large bundle of parchments that are sewn together and folded into each other.

For preservation purposes, you may not be allowed to handle the originals handle but they may be available as microfilms, microfiches or scanned digital images.

An added advantage of an electronic image is that you can zoom in on sections that are hard to read. However, the technical quality of some films and fiches varies and may be in a negative format (i.e. "white on black"). Sometimes, pages have been omitted from filming, been only partly filmed or filmed in the wrong order.

A substantial number of key original records, such as parish registers, monumental inscriptions and other records have been transcribed and either published or indexed online. Many transcription projects have been undertaken by members of local family history societies.

The largest collection of parish register copies is held at the Society of Genealogists' library. Record offices also often have collections of transcriptions of some of their holdings and these can act as a finding aid when looking at the original registers.

These are indexes that specify exactly which records are included and the time frame covered. For example, all the marriages between 1558 and 1837 in the parish register for the parish of Norton.

Some indexes cover a large range of records, such as those to national censuses or of all the marriages recorded in a particular county for a lengthy period.

Every index should be treated with caution. As well as errors and gaps in the original records, the indexers themselves may have made mistakes. This is particularly true if the people who did the indexing work were unfamiliar with local names and the contemporary handwriting styles.