Elizabeth FLECKNEY, Ayot St Peter, born circa 1804.

A Worked example

In November 2000 David Heath <davidandmaggie@aol.com> of Westcliff on Sea, Essex, said that Elizabeth Fleckney was born circa 1804 in Ayot St Peter. .She subsequently moved to east London and married first John Flint then after his death married my 3x great grandfather She was described as a laundress in the 1851 census. I would be pleased to have any information about her or the family.

I used this request as an example to show how the IGI at familysearch can be used to draft a family tree

To find Elizabeth FLECKNEY's parents

(1) go to the LDS web site at  www.familysearch.org

(2) select the tab "SEARCH" at the top of the screen.

(3) While you can use the search form displayed at this stage, for the purposes of this demonstration select "International Genealogical Index" from the left hand column.

(4) Complete the form as follows

First Name: Elizabeth
Last Name: Fleckney
Event: Select Birth/Christening
Region: Select British Isles
Country Select England
County Select Hertford

(5) Select Search

(6) You are now presented with a list of five Elizabeth/Eliza FLECKNEY born in Hertfordshire [If you had selected the Year and Year Range at Stage 4 there would have been less]

(7) Click on the Elizabeth FLECKNEY christened at Ayot St Peter on 27th May 1804

(8) The indexed details from the register are presented and her parents are identified as Joseph and Mary FLECKNEY. The information in the Source Information is also important but for the time being note the Batch number of C072091

(9) Go back to the form at 4 and complete as follows:

First Name: Blank
Last Name: Fleckney
Father: Joseph
Mother Mary
Event: Select Birth/Christening
Region: Select British Isles
Country Select England
County Select Hertford
Batch Number: C072091

(10) Select Search

(11) You will be presented with a list of 9 christenings, between 1792 and 1810, including that of Elizabeth FLECKNEY - all of which are children of parents called Joseph and Mary FLECKNEY, and in the same registers of Ayot St Peter.

(12) Go back to the form at 4 and complete as follows:

First Name: Joseph
Last Name: Fleckney
Spouse: Mary
Event: Select Mariage
Region: Select British Isles
Country Select England
County Select Hertford

(13) Select Search

(14) You are presented with the information that Joseph FLECKNEY married on 7th November 1791 at Kensworth.

(15) Click on Joseph FLECKNEY

(16) You are told that his wife was Mary BINGHAM

By using the same techniques you will find a Mary BYNGHAM was christened at Kensworth in 1770 ... and maybe many other possible ancestors and relatives.

The IGI is only an incomplete index - and it is extremely easy to make spurious associations - particularly if you don't know the geography or don't realise that most people may have spent their whole life within 10 miles or so of their birthplace. Names often run in families so there may be several people with the same name - and the  Right Name, Wrong Body?  and The Limitations of familysearch should be compulsory reading ...

The Source information is not there to waste space on the screen. As said earlier, the IGI is only an index and the original may include more vital information. In addition indexing errors are not unknown. Microfilms of the relevant registers can be consulted at HALS at Hertford - and copies of some of them, and other transcripts and indexes, are available in the Society of Genealogists Library in London.  In addition the source information allows you to order copies at LDS Family History Centres throughout the world - and this is actually the most convenient place for many people living in Britain. Addresses of the centre nearest you can be found on the familysearch web site.

See also the web site IGI Batch Numbers