Nonconformist records RG 4 through RG8
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I'm not familiar with the term "RG." Could you explain what that is?
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It is part of the reference numbering system used by The National Archives in Kew, England. RG is for Registrar General.
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FamilySearch has these records on microfilm but I would like to search those records online.
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These records are available online on FindMyPast.
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They are also available on FamilySearch.org
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Here is the link at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1666142
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You may need to use a combination of websites to be successful with the RG4-RG8 nonconformist records. FamilySearch probably has the best index but no images are connected. The images are on Findmypast and Ancestry but there are inconsistencies with their indexes that may make it difficult to find the person you seek. None of the indexes include details such as the father's occupation or the name of the farm where the family lived. Those details are critical when working on common name ancestors.
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In some cases a chapel name is given as the place. This can be an effective search option. On Findmypast a search for Gellionnen in the place field with all other fields left blank returns a list of 410 entries for that Presbyterian chapel. Then I can order the list and browse to individuals of interest. This will help overcome indexing errors and inconsistencies. This only works if you know the chapels near where your ancestor lived. The six inch to one mile Ordnance Survey maps, first edition, name the chapels. These maps are available at http://maps.nls.uk/os/
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Always look at the original image of the record because nonconformist records will sometimes name grandparents of a child who was christened.
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When I am researching any records that are held by sites like Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast, etc. I always go to the website of the repository where the original records are held to read the description of the records in the online catalog, and to find scope and content documents or research guides.
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On TNA's Discovery, you can see which site holds the records by drilling down to the individual pieces. Start with a browse at RG 4 here: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C13329/first/C13329/C2490774 or search for the place you need by name, and the catalog description will say which site offers the records.
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For example: Reference: RG 4/20 Description: HAMPSHIRE: Winchester (Independent): Births & Baptisms from 1784-1804 can be viewed at The Genealogist, Ancestry, and at BMD Registers.
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Discovery also has research guides that will help you learn more about the records.
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The question "what difference is there between the different sites" is a good one to ask, but to give you a definitive answer, someone would need to have access to all the sites and to check the coverage for each one to see if any pieces were missing. So the question is a little broad for this Q/A format. If you have access to all three, you can choose the site whose search engine you like best, or you can choose to search all of them to see if there are any differences in the search results. I prefer to search collections on every site I can, in case there are problems with any one website's index.
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If records are on both Ancestry and FamilySearch, I always check the FamilySearch microfilm notes first -- my experience is that I get a much clearer picture of the way the records are arranged on microfilm than I do via Ancestry's browse view.
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If you haven't seen them already, I recommend the classes by G. David Dilts, AG� in the Learning Center on keeping research logs. Making out a log before you start to search makes it easier to keep track of which websites you need to visit, and where you've already looked.
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I really appreciate being pointed to the details in TNA's Discovery catalog listing for their nonconformist records. They make it easy to see the link to The Genealogist website. I had to look a little to find the "More ways to view this record" link. I checked the records for "Gellionnen" a Presbyterian chapel in Glamorgan Wales and find that the list of websites where the record can be viewed in incomplete. This particular chapel record (RG 4/4415) is available on Findmypast. Indexes are also available on FamilySearch. Although there are some deficiencies in how complete the online availability is documented, it seems like TNA's Discovery catalog is much more important in nonconformist record searches than I thought. Thanks for the great insight.
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