Filed under The National Archives and Discovery: A Method Guide
Where should you start looking?
Search Discovery by unit, place, record type and date range, not by surname alone. Catalogue entries are organised by creator and series, so a search that mirrors the catalogue structure returns far fewer false matches.
Keep the question narrow. A search for everything about a person returns nothing usable, while a search for one dated fact returns something testable. A single record can be wrong on a detail, so a match needs more than one agreement, and a disagreement needs a note, not a deletion.
The order to work in
A step is finished when its finding is written down with a reference, not when the record has been read. Reading without writing is not research, it is browsing. Treat each step as a test with a possible negative result. A step that can only confirm is not a test, and a research plan made of confirmations is a story, not a timeline.
- Fix the record series first, from the research guide for the record type you need.
- Search inside that series by unit, ship or date range, with the surname as a filter inside it.
- Read the catalogue description carefully: it tells you the dates, the coverage, and whether a digitised copy exists.
- Note the full reference before you open, download or order anything.
How to read this kind of entry
A term that appears only once in a file deserves more care, not less: a single unusual entry is often the clue that explains a transfer or a change of role. When a record and a published history disagree, the record written at the time wins, and the history becomes a question, not an answer. An entry that flatters, an entry that blames, and an entry that is purely routine are written for different readers. The reader shapes the wording.
Dead ends to expect here
If the same name keeps appearing in the wrong unit, the problem is usually a filter, not a missing record: widen the dates, or narrow by number, and try again. If the dates you have are approximate, say so, and search a range rather than a single year. A record filed under a neighbouring year is a common miss. The most common reason a search fails is a date filter that is too tight. Widen the range by a year on each side before you conclude anything is missing.
Where to go next from here
Check the holder current guidance before any next step that involves a request, a copy, or a visit. Guidance changes, and a step planned on old guidance wastes a session. Keep the person, the number and the dates together as you move to the next record, and re-check them on arrival. Filters drift when they are carried in memory.
Work the chain one link at a time. A timeline built link by link can be checked; a timeline built by jumping to the most interesting record cannot. A referenced gap is better than an unreferenced bridge. Mark the gaps, and return to them with a named record in mind.
Primary sources for this guide
Claims in this guide are kept general and point to official holders, so you can check the current position with the holder itself. This guide is general educational information only. It is not personal professional advice, it does not offer a record lookup service, and it does not determine any individual's service.