Ancestry is one of the most well known subscription genealogy sites in the world. It has over 4 billion names in over 4,000 collections. Ancestry provides the most genealogical information in one place including many historical records that have previously not been available online. It is continually expanding.
Ancestry Library Edition is distributed exclusively to libraries and is ideal for the family historian or local historian.
You can access Ancestry Library through Bradford Libraries - visit your library now!
Parish Registers on Ancestry
The family history database Ancestry (available at www.ancestrylibrary.com through all Bradford Library PC's) are buying access to, and creating electronic images from, original records all the time.
The latest addition to their catalogue is a large selection of parish and nonconformist records for West Yorkshire normally only available in record offices. All images have been digitally enhanced and are clearer to read than the originals. They are also searchable by surname or Christian name. (A great improvement on the current situation). Launch date of the first tranche of records is 22nd June 2011 and there will be browseable images of individual registers.
West Yorkshire Archive Service have agreed with the Dioceses not to include baptisms under 100 years old, marriages less than 75 years and burials less than 25 years. This means the following will be available: Baptisms to 1910 Marriages to 1935 Burials to 1985 These dates will apply to non-conformist records as well as Church of England registers. As regards indexing, the following dates will have full searchable indexes available from the 22nd June:
Baptisms 1812 - 1910
Marriages 1754 - 1935
Burials 1812 - 1985
Indexes for baptisms and burials pre-1812 and marriages pre-1754 (earliest entries date to 1538) will be made available sometime in the autumn. These are the registers that are less consistent in format and content and where the palaeography and image quality are more likely to cause issues. Ancestry are spending longer on these indexes with the aim that there will be fewer mis-transcriptions.
This is the list of parishes that have not given permission to be included:
Bradford Diocese:
Bierley, St John
Thornton, St James
Wakefield Diocese:
Birstall, St Peter
Hartshead, St Peter
Liversedge, Christ Church
Heckmondwike, St James & St Saviour
Norristhorpe, All Souls
Roberttown, All Saints
This means those Parishes will still only be available through record offices The non-conformists images and indexes are going live together in December.
