Welsh genealogy

[MaxD]

I am dipping my toes into a Welsh family's roots for the first time. Is it really as difficult as I am finding it?  I think I have a decent feel with my English researches for when I really need to buy a certificate to confirm a relationship but it seems to me that I need a cert for every birth and marriage, but how to distinguish between dozens of (eg) David Williams in the same registration district in the same time frame? There are only two surnames on both sides as far as I can see!  Any general tips, I've read all the resources ideas.
MaxD

[osprey]

if it's a question of a birth cert, it can be easier to get the cert for a sibling with a less common first name, if there is one. Also, you can get the birth certs from the local registrars and say you only want it if the father is so & so. It can cost a little more to get the certs directly from the registrars, but if it means buying only one, it will be cheaper in the long run.
You can look for baptisms to help as well, but non-conformity can be an issue as non-conformist  records aren't always available
http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/reg/regoff.html

Using the registrars doesn't work so well for marriages, as these are arranged by church at local offices. So, if you have a birth cert to give maiden surname & use the census to work out eldest child & where family were living, FreeBmd should help find the marriage reg.

Depending on where your family are from, there's this index for bmds as well
http://www.northwalesbmd.org.uk/

Or you could post any searches you're struggling with under the relevant county board.

 

[Drosybont]

It's certainly challenging - when there are middle names that helps.  I've found Welsh Newspapers Online very useful, free to use, and the pre-1858 wills on the National Library of Wales website, also free access.

Drosybont

[MaxD]

Thanks for the thoughts, I'll persevere!

[annesthreads]

I posted a similar comment recently - yes, it really is that difficult! I found it quite a shock after sailing through the English parts of the family. And as well as all the difficulties with common surnames, availablity of non-confomist records etc, I've been struggling with placenames, as spellings vary wildly, I'm guessing because they were written down by English-speaking enumerators. I've spent a lot of time with Google and a modern road map trying to work them out. But that did produce one bonus - a Google search for an obscure place turned up a genealogy of one of the families I was looking for!
I'm grateful for the advice posted above  - thanks to the contributors.

[StevieSteve]

I was also in a similar position, and getting similarly frustrated.

I was lucky in that the Powys/Montgomeryshire parish registers are on FindMyPast and they've been an absolute godsend.

They eat up credits very quickly on PAYG so I've taken out a 1-month subscription and that gives the freedom to try out all the alternatives without umming and ahhing on whether to fork out 20 credits each time.

If your area and denomination are covered, I would thoroughly recommend; it's the most I've got out of £12.95 for a long time.

If you only want it for a month, then remember to turn off the auto-renewal

Like annesthreads, I also found that I was constantly checking which parish is in which registration district as well as trying to work out where these places actually are

[KGarrad]

GenUKI is a godsend for working out where towns and parishes are!
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/index.html

Select your county, and then click on "Towns and Parishes".

They also have a downloadable PDF of parishes, listing the relevant Registration Districts, and any changes.
http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/places/index.html

I have saved this PDF to my PC and have it open almost every day.

[Hystericalwriter]

Think about joining a family history society that covers your area of research. They have local knowledge and can point you in the right direction and some offer a modicum of research.

Anne

[MaxD]

Thanks also to later contributors, some wise words.  Glad to know it's not just me!

MaxD