Cornwall Look-up Exchange

These pages contain lists of reference works on Cornwall which volunteers are willing to search for specific entries. I have now re-ordered the lists into five separate sections, as the original single-page version was getting a bit cumbersome! It was easier for me to organise this under "type of resource" thus you will find pages for Census-type lookups (Censuses, indices to censuses and the IGI), Register-type lookups (birth, marriage, death parish registers, protestation returns etc.), Other lists (various sources which are mostly lists of names) and Other (various sources, for example histories, which include names in addition to other information). There is also a new category of geographic resources as some volunteers are particularly interested in one or more areas. It may be worthwhile checking all five pages before deciding there's nothing here of interest!

To ask for a look-up, please click on the name by the reference. Requests should be specific: give as much detail as you can. Abuses of the kindness of these volunteers will probably cause them to withdraw their names so please don't ask for all references to a common name, or for time-consuming research. Many of these sources will be out of copyright, but volunteers may or may not be willing to obtain copies of the relevant pages. If they are, expect to reimburse expenses.

To ensure that your message receives prompt attention please use the words "Cornwall Lookups" in your subject line. Many volunteers work on several projects at once and it can be hard for them to guess to which you are referring. Failure to do so could result in your request being overlooked.

Wendy Angove, one of the contributors to this particular list would like to add that due to the volume of enquiries her current average turn-around for requests is about a week - longer for more complicated lookups. Volunteers will also, obviously, be away from their computers occasionally - especially at holiday times. In other words, don't panic if you don't receive a reply immediately!

Please bear in mind that many of the sources used for these lookups are the result of the dedication and hard work of a family history society. Many societies produce publications related to their county. You may want to consider purchasing your own copy of relevant resources to aid your research. Links to all known on-line publication lists can be found at Family History Society On-Line Catalogues. You may also wish to consider supporting research in this area by joining the society. Details can be found at their respective web-sites or see Genuki's Family History Society listings.

The lists

• Census-type

  Censuses for Cornwall from 1841 to 1891, some in full, some index only, some paper, some on disc. Also International Genealogical Index lookups - the list by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

• Register-type

  Birth, Marriage, Death parish and non-conformist registers and so on.

• Other lists

  Various lists of names, collected for varied purposes. Includes protestation returns, muster rolls, miners, one name studies and the like.

• Other sources

  Usually books of other sorts - histories and so on - which contain mentions of names as part of the text, rather than lists of people.

• Geographical information

  Some of the volunteers have gathered a lot of general information about specific areas (e.g. individual parishes) of Cornwall. Although most of the information above is geared towards finding families or individuals in Cornwall generally, you may find information here which can help round-out your picture of a particular area. Worth a look if you are less than sure about dates but have an idea of the area.

Please contact Martin Angove if you have problems with this list or especially if you are willing to add your name as a volunteer! Give the full title(s) of any reference you are prepared to check. Suitable items would include tax lists, electoral rolls, directories, census indexes, indexed parish registers etc., etc.

The Cornwall GENUKI Page (Cornwall Family History Society)

If you are looking for information from a different county...

Look-up Exchange Home Page

Wendy Angove's home page, which has expanded descriptions of the sources she has available from Cornwall and other counties.

Martin's Pointless Pages including the amazing Virtual Tour of the Aber Valley

This counter attached to this page, 23 March 1999 18:00, reading 0820