Farley Family Documentation

Documentation

Doing research into the details of our Farley family is affected by the kinds of documentation available in three different periods: prior to 1837-1841; 1841-1911; and post-1911.

Before 1837-1841

In England, before 1837, there were only church records to consult. Church registers recorded special ceremonies: baptism, marriage, and burial.

The record of a baptism occasionally included the date of birth.

The record of a marriage gave the marriage date and the names of the witnessess, but not the names of the parents.

The record of a burial did not include the date of death.

1837-1921

On 1 July 1837, there began the civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths for England and Wales and registering the same for British subjects abroad.

While censuses of Great Britain had been conducted in 1801, 1811, 1821, and 1831, the details collected were mainly head-counts. Very few of these records still exist.

The 1841 census was different. The Wikipedia article on the 1841 United Kingdom census says: "The United Kingdom Census of 1841 recorded the occupants of every United Kingdom household on the night of 6 June 1841."

So, for the genealogist researching English ancestors, 1837 is the beginning of Civil Registration and 1841 is the beginning of useful, and available, census information.

The United Kingdom has made the 1841-1911 censuses easily accessible online. The 1921 census is available through a membership in Find My Past or Ancestry. The 1939 National Registration is also available.

After 1921

The Wikipedia article on the 1931 census says:

The census for England and Wales was destroyed by fire in December 1942, during the Second World War, while in store at the Office of Works in Hayes, Middlesex, in an event that was not attributed to enemy action.
The 1931 census for Scotland was not affected by this fire.
There was no census taken in 1941 due to the Second World War.
However, the register taken as a result of the National Registration Act 1939 . . . captures many of the same details as the census and has assumed greater significance following the destruction of the 1931 census.

So, prior to 1837-1841, there is a limited amount of documentation available.

Between 1841-1921, a great deal of documentation can be found.

After 1921, the documentation does not include censuses. And in the 1939 National Registration, data on many individuals is blacked out, with the message: "This record is officially closed."

© Paul Maloney, Mississauga, Ontario, 2022.

First Generation

Documents for Thomas Farley's Family

Documents for George Hickman's Family

Second Generation

Documents for Elizabeth Farley

Documents for Sarah Farley's Family

Documents for Maria Hickman's Family

Documents for Harriet Hickman's Family

Documents for Richard Hickman's Family

Documents for Mary Hickman's Family