Understanding Your Western European Ancestors:
Demographics

Demographic information, specifically birth, marriage, and death dates and places, are the backbone for genealogy research. These are the blanks we all dutifully try to fill in on our genealogy charts. The key records are, of course, parish records – records kept by the church with birth, marriage, death and sometimes other information. A little background about these key events experienced by your ancestors in Western Europe can both help you understand the lives of your ancestors, as well as help you target your search more effectively.

The list below shows the arrangement of information in this section. For more information, click on that link.