RootsChat.Com

I'm not that much of a beginner, albeit I'm certainly no expert either, I've been looking it my family history for about 2 years now, but this seems the best forum for this question.

I suspect that many people who have researched their family and have started in the last couple of years have, like me, done 99% on their research via the internet.

I am now at the stage where I am 5 generations back on every strand (I have a couple of loose ends which I am in the process of tidying up by getting birth and/or marriage certificates), 6 gens on about 50% and upto about 11 or 12 generations on a few strands where I have been lucky enough to stumble across VERY distant cousins who have already done a lot of the hard work. 

There are other avenues I could explore (military records and the like) to get more information on people I have already identified. But what do I need to do next to get 'further back' ? I have largely exhausted the census options and the 1837 onwards bmd records. In the back of my mind I know that I need to get out and about to County records offices, but I'm a little vague as to what this actually entails.

To take two simple examples;
1.Say I had a relative who was born in Yorkshire in 1770, and I knew the parish - what would I need to do upon arriving at Northallerton to find out who his parents were? And what if I didn't know the parish?
2.Likewise if the same relative was married in Yorkshire in 1795?

I guess I'm really looking for an FAQ on the 'pre internet' method of family history research!

If I found all the information mentioned above and it transpires that his wife was born in, say, Cornwall, then I'd then need to go all the way down there ...... only to find that her parents are from Norfolk or somewhere? This is going to take years, not to mention many pound notes! Is there an easier way ?!? It strikes me that some sort of exchange program involving credits or something could be evolved whereby people go and look in their local office on behalf of people who live a long way away, and in return other people do research for them in other distant locations ? Or does such a system exist ?!!? Or am I over simplyfing and there really is no easier way?

Many thanks.

Ian,

That is excellent, George and Eleanor are direct line relatives of mine and I didn't know when they'd died - so this is v useful. Also I have 6 children for them - but no Edward or John (I presume John is also their son) so that is also new.

I have been in contact with Lisa G, who is apparantely a distant relative of yours. We've been discussing the same part of my family - namely the Pirkins family of Pattishall - John Pirkins Wright (who's mother was a Pirkins) married one of George and Eleanor Rands daughters - and one off the resulting offspring of that union was my grandmothers grandfather.

I saw a few Rand (no 's') graves in St Leonards, Priors Marston, Warwicks last week - but no RandS.

Thanks again, very very helpful.

Stephen.

Ian,

This newbie would be very interested in any of the RANDS graves that you mention in your post.

Thanks in anticipation.

Stephen.