TheGenealogist are releasing fully searchable Norfolk Parish Records. These feature the registers of baptisms, marriages, burials and banns of marriage covering the majority of parishes in Norfolk.

In phase one of this two stage release we are giving access to over 3.6 million individuals. You can search transcripts linked to the original images of baptism, marriage and burial records.

Some of the surviving records are from the early 1500s. These vital records will allow family history researchers from all over the world to search for their Norfolk ancestors online for the first time.

One of my old glass lantern slides shows an old fisherman who in his later years sold fish from a wagon. His name, as shown on the wagon in the picture, is Thomas Craske.

Searching for him in the records allows us to find his entry in the transcripts, and with one click we can see the original entry in the parish records.

You can also find famous people in the records, such as ‘Samuell Lincolne’, the great-great-great-great-grandfather of Abraham Lincoln, 18th President of the United States of America. He can be found in the baptismal records of St Andrew, Hingham in Norfolk for the 24th August 1622.

You will be able to easily search Norfolk records online for the first time. From the results a click will allow you to view high quality digital images of the original documents. Joining our already extensive Parish Record collection on TheGenealogist, this release will be eagerly anticipated by family and local historians with links to Norfolk.

The Norfolk Record Office is pleased to be working with TheGenealogist, a commercial company helping to make these important records available to a worldwide audience.

These records will be released to all Diamond subscribers on 1st January 2016.