We are please to expose an additional 28,337 names to your searching eyes.  We have expanded our search code with a new checkbox (at the bottom of the Parish Record Options section of the search form) called:

Search for this person mentioned ONLY as a Witness, Godparent, Grandparent, Other Relative, Employer, etc.

Parish records can contain lots of hidden information that may provide clues to unraveling your ancestral mysteries. Baptisms may list godparents, grandparents, employers, or other relatives. Burials may list employers, siblings, spouses, an adult child, or other relatives. Marriages may have up to 6 witnesses and former spouses may be mentioned.  Until now, these ”peripherally involved” people were not checked during a search. Now they can be!

If you click this checkbox, the primary fields are not searched at the same time. We feel it would be unfair to show you a table of results where you are unable to tell if the person you searched for is a primary participant in the record (bride, groom, parent, child, deceased person) or a peripherally involved person, so we present these information in a completely separate search.

Please try it out and let me know what you think by emailing me from our Email Us link in the left menu! Also, a lot of code was changed, so if I broke something, please also let me know what isn’t working properly. And if anybody can think of a shorter but still descriptive name for this checkbox, please send me your suggestions!