England, Cheshire Non-Conformist Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
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| This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org. | |
| Cheshire, England | |
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| Flag of England | |
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| Flag of Cheshire | |
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| Location of Cheshire, England | |
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| Location of England | |
| Record Description | |
| Record Type | Non-Conformists |
| Collection years | 1671-1900 |
| FamilySearch Resources | |
| Related Websites | |
| Archive | |
| Cheshire Archives and Local Studies | |
Contents
What is in This Collection?
This collection contains an index to baptismal, marriage, and burial records from the county of Cheshire for the years 1671-1900. The original records are held at the Cheshire Archives.
Nonconformist church records may not have the most widespread coverage, but when they are available, they are the most informative and accurate source available for English family history until the start of civil registration in 1837. Nonconformist birth and baptismal registers are fairly common, and they generally contain more information than those of the Church of England.
Image Visibility
Whenever possible FamilySearch makes images and indexes available for all users. However, rights to view these data are limited by contract and subject to change. Because of this there may be limitations on where and how images and indexes are available or who can see them. Please be aware some collections consist only of partial information indexed from the records and do not contain any images.
For additional information about image restrictions see Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections.
What Can These Records Tell Me?
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Birth Registers
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Baptismal Records
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Marriage Registers
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Death and Burial Records
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Collection Content
Sample Records
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How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching, it is best to know the following information:
- Name of the person
- Year of the record
Search the Index
Search by name on the Collection Details Page.- Fill in the search boxes in the Search Collection section with the information you know
- Click Search to show possible matches
How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.
What Do I Do Next?
I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?
- Save or print a copy of the image or record, if possible. The original may contain information that was not recorded in the index
- Use the information which you have found to estimate ages in other life events. For example, use a christening date to approximate a marriage date, or a burial record to calculate an estimated year of birth
- Once you have found a christening or a burial church record, you may want to search for birth and death in civil records (1837 and later)
- Use the information you have found to find the person and families in census records
- Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives. Note that family members often appear on an individual's records, such as in the role of witnesses to a marriage
I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?
- When looking for an individual with a common name, look at all the search results before deciding which is the correct person
- If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname
- Be careful using the listed age on a marriage record to estimate a birth year. Rather than listing actual ages, clerks often wrote in 21 as the age of both the bride and groom to show that they each were of legal age
- Search the records of nearby locations
- Lancashire to the north
- Derbyshire to the east
- Staffordshire or Shropshire to the south
- Welsh counties of Denbighshire and Flintshire to the west
- Check for other names. An individual might have been listed under a middle name, a nickname, or an abbreviation of their given name
- Spelling was not standardized for much of the period of this collection, so names were often spelled as scribes heard them. Try searching based on how the name may have been pronounced
- Vary the search terms. For example, expand the date range or search by either the given name or surname to return a broader list of results
- The individual might have records in the parish registers
- When you search baptismal records, remember that it was not unusual for a child to be baptized weeks or even months after birth
- Note that marriages often took place in the town where the bride resided
Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Cheshire.
Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.
| Collection Citation: The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Citing this Collection. |
| Record Citation: When looking at a record, the citation can be viewed by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Document Information. |
How Can I Contribute to the FamilySearch Wiki?
| We welcome user additions to FamilySearch Historical Records wiki articles. We are looking for additional information that will help readers understand the topic and better use the available records. We also need translations for collection titles and images in articles about records written in languages other than English. For specific needs, please visit WikiProject FamilySearch Historical Records/Guidelines for Articles. Please follow these guidelines as you make changes. Thank you for any contributions you may provide. |
