Research Resources

Research Guidance

Tips for researching Cornish ancestry

• 1 Start with what you know. Work backwards from living relatives. Document names, dates, and places before searching databases — it prevents confusion when you find multiple people with similar names.
• 2 Watch for spelling variants. Carkeek appears in records as Cargyk, Carkeke, Carkeeke, and other variations. Always search with wildcards (e.g., "Cark*") in genealogy databases.
• 3 The "Maxfield" clue. The middle name Maxfield (from Anne Maxfield Carkeek) appears in at least one of Stephen and Anne's children. If you find a Carkeek with Maxfield as a middle name, they are almost certainly from this branch.
• 4 Cornish civil registration began in 1837. Before 1837, use parish registers held at the Cornwall Record Office or digitised on FamilySearch. After 1837, UK civil registration (births, marriages, deaths) is available through the GRO and Ancestry.
• 5 Redruth is key. The Carkeeks of our branch were centred in Redruth. Search specifically for Redruth parish records, Redruth mining records, and Redruth Methodist chapel registers — many Cornish mining families were Nonconformist rather than Anglican.
• 6 The Cornish diaspora went everywhere. If you lose track of a Carkeek ancestor after they leave Cornwall, check records in Michigan, California, Wisconsin (USA), Ontario (Canada), New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), and the North Island of New Zealand — all major Cornish settlement areas.
• 7 Connect with others. Use the contact page here, WikiTree messages, and the Cornish Global Migration Programme to find other Carkeek researchers. Collaboration dramatically accelerates genealogical research.