FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Please note that your main point of contact is the County Coordinator. This is a project venture, contributed to by many individuals, and we are all part of that, but it does need some degree of "central" guidance, rather than lots of individuals "doing their own thing".

CONTENTS

• General questions
• The databases and what they contain
• Tips for searches
• Volunteering for the project

I have a question not answered here

• You can consult The FreeREG Discussion Forums and/or join the FreeREG-L mailing list for information on other peoples experiences or to ask a question of others who are transcribing data.

General Questions

• What is involved in contributing to FreeREG?
• What is FreeREG?
• Are transcripts of parish registers available to view or download?
• Will Scotland and Northern Ireland be included?
• Can I purchase a transcript of a register?
• How do I search FreeREG
• Quality Control

The databases and what they contain

• What  kind of data is in the database
• Is there information in the original registers which is not in the database
• Why doesn't FreeREG have a full literal transcript of the register?
• How reliable are the records in the database?
• What counties and parishes are included in the database?
• Is data from Non-Conformist church registers included?
• Is a Church and a Parish the same thing?
• Why does the database contain "Place" and "Church", and not "Parish"?
• Why does the church name contain a BT or something similar after it?
• What does a date of 1724/5 mean?"

Tips for searches in the database

• Surname variations
• First name variations
• Examples of searches

FreeREG is kindly hosted by The Bunker and supported by Roots Web, www.Ancestry.co.uk, www.british-genealogy.com and Parish Chest