In a genealogy Q/A session you can rely on being asked which is the best database. I was asked about Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage at the BIFHSGO open house on Friday.
The answer is that for England they all have the common databases national in scope, and each have strengths in particular counties. In deciding which is best you need to dig into their holdings for your area of interest.
As an example I looked at Somerset, for which MyHeritage has no coverage, for titles with more than 1,000 records.
| Title | Records | Service |
|---|---|---|
| Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1531-1812 | 4,462,551 | Ancestry |
| Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914 | 2,943,017 | Ancestry |
| Somerset Baptism Index | 2,140,273 | Findmypast |
| Somerset Marriage Index | 1,713,126 | Findmypast |
| Somerset, England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914 | 1,521,727 | Ancestry |
| Somerset Burial Index | 1,517,693 | Findmypast |
| Somerset, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1914 | 585,287 | Ancestry |
| Somerset Banns Index | 258,480 | Findmypast |
| Somerset, England, Gaol Registers, 1807-1879 | 101,284 | Ancestry |
| Somerset Monumental Inscriptions | 80,052 | Findmypast |
| Somerset, England, School Registers, 1860-1914 | 47,047 | Ancestry |
| Somerset Electoral Registers, 1832-1914 | 31,783 | Findmypast |
| Somerset Monumental Inscriptions (Full) | 24,260 | Findmypast |
| Somerset England, Evercreech Parish 1538 - 1890 | 17,099 | Ancestry |
| Wells, Somerset, England, Bishop's Transcripts, 1594-1736 | 15,917 | Ancestry |
| Somerset & Dorset Notes and Queries, 1890-1980 | 10,092 | Findmypast |
| Notes and Queries for Somerset and Dorset, 1888-1899, 1905-1906 | 3,349 | Ancestry |
| Somerset Registers & Records | 1,970 | Findmypast |
| Somerset Medieval Will Abstracts, 1385-1558 | 1,616 | Findmypast |
| Somerset, England, Church of England Confirmations, 1843-1913 | 1,504 | Ancestry |
| Parish Apprentices For Somerset | 1,245 | Findmypast |
Ancestry has 9.7 million records, Findmypast 5.8 million so on the face of it for Somerset your chances are probably better with Ancestry. But you need to dig deeper as you may find one service has images of the original record that are lacking in the other.
People often overlook TheGenealogist. For Somerset it contains information in 1,185 Somerset titles listed separately by parish and for baptisms, marriages and burials.
While FamilySearch has nothing for the county in the Records collection, as always, check the Catalog where you'll find 171 titles online you may be able to browse, if they're open outside Family History Centres and affiliate libraries.
Digging deeper there are sites like the online parish clerk and Dusty Docs for Somerset. Those are just examples. Google can help.
Not to be overlooked are the online archival resources in the county such as at Bath Record Office: Archives and Local Studies and and indexes from the Somerset Archive via the South West Heritage Trust.
2 comments:
Fabulous!! Somerset is my primary county of interest, and I, too, have found them THE most helpful., Much thanks.
My favourite place for Somerset transcriptions wasn't even mentioned. It is FreeREG. Their transcribers usually know the area and the surnames they are dealing with and are much more accurate than others. They have great coverage in Somerset. As Online Parish Clerk for Ansford & Castle Cary, I donated all my transcriptions to them. They do a great job on other counties as well and are always the first place I search for parish records.
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