Fran: Once one has exhausted the information available in the census (earliest useful one, 1841) and in civil registration certificates (earliest ones 1837), that is when what I would consider the "real" research begins! Certainly it is, to me, the most interesting research. There are numerous sources available, of which Electoral Registers are one, but not really a very important one. That is because before the 1832 Reform Act - and even for a long time after it - very few people had the vote and hence very few were on the Electoral Registers, which, in any case, only began to be issued in 1832. Before then (and indeed up to the start of the secret ballot after 1868, we have to use Poll Books, published after an election, which listed all those who actually did vote, and who they voted for. Again, there were few voters compared with nowadays, so unless one's family were property owners, or fwell into certain other categories, such as parish clerks, they will not appear. Other sources include: C of E Parish Registers (probably the main source), other church registers (eg Methodist, Presbyterian, Independent, Roman Catholic, etc), Monumental Inscriptions (ie gravestones), Probate Records (Wills, Administration Bonds, Probate Inventories, etc), Deeds, Tithe records, apprenticeship records, Army, Navy and Militia records, newspapers, etc, etc, most of which are the sort of thing to be found in County Record Offices, rather than on-line, though most Record Offices have good on-line catalogues. You will also need to develop the ability to "read between the lines", insofar as what you will find is odd references to people as they went through whatever their life held for them, rather than "on a plate" statements of their family (census information) or full details of important events (birth, marriage or death, as on certificates). If you are unfamiliar with the range of available sources, then I would recommend you to either take one of the various "Beginners' Courses", on offer all over the UK and, as far as I can tell, all over the English-speaking world. You should also buy, and read, a good modern "How-to-do-it" text book, in which all those sources will be explained. However I see that your specific question related to 1931, and so is not all that early. While definitely not "before the census", it is actually, as far as the ordinary researcher is concerned, "after the census" in that the hundred-year rule means that the latest available census is the 1911 one. I would try Trade or Street Directories, and/or telephone directories before Electoral Registers. Both can often be found in local reference libraries. Trade Directories, which tended to turn into street directories as the 20th century went on, and then become telephone directories (and Yellow Pages) as first businesses and then gradually private houses had telephones installed, are easier to search then Electoral Registers (also known as Electoral Rolls, Burgess Rolls, Voters' Lists and various similar names) tend to be arranged by Constituency, then Ward, then Polling District, then street, with houses in "as you come to them" order, which can mean a great deal of tedious searching if you aren't familiar with them or don't know all those details of the address. Also the runs of them in local libraries are often incomplete. You have to be careful, to distinguish between Local Election Rolls and Parliamentary Election Rolls, also between Spring Rolls (no, not a menu option!) and Autumn Rolls. You should also look out for Absent Voters' Lists (1918, 1919), which could help trace a WWI soldier. Don't forget the on-line facilities to obtain birth, marriage or death certificate and also, if the cost is prohibitive, the availability of FreeBMD on-line, which can be excellent for elimination purposes. Good hunting! Geoff Nicholson -----Original Message----- From: knight frances <[email protected]> To: NORTHUMBRIA <[email protected]> Sent: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 20:08 Subject: [NMB] Search Hello Folks what is available to search for a person before the census, ie electoral registers? who keeps them? I am looking for a Alex Deeley who I believe sold second hand furniture around 1930. I am hoping my father is there with him name of Reginald Mallett. Fran .. Please remember to snip most of the earlier message before you post any reply...... Thank you! The NORTHUMBRIA FAQ page is located at http://www.bpears.org.uk/NorthumbriaFAQ/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message