The above quote is taken from the guide to using the library at the Society of Genealogists and is as apt a quote for utilising that establishment as it is for anyone with English ancestor's in general.
Family historians who are descended from English immigrants are usually in a rush to discover their forbears and rightly so - it is exhilarating to discover one's ancestor hailed from another country. Unfortunately what happens in the course of that mad rush of adrenalin is a neglect of research at home that would facilitate research overseas.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks is the failure of the family historian to thoroughly research all of their immigrant ancestor's children; often one finds one or two of their children were born in the country of origin before they set sail; for nineteenth century ancestors it is imperative that these children are captured on a census return. For this you may need to investigate them in more detail than you would like, e.g. finding their marriages and their children; this is a bit galling for all of you only interested in your own ancestor and not their brothers and sisters, but it is worth it as a means to an end.
A typical plan of research for finding English ancestor's in their country of settlement might be:
A number of these records can also be used to find an ancestor's children of course, but it probably begs the question: why take such an indepth look at the brothers and sisters of your antecedent? Well the answer to that is not only does it provide a broader picture of the family as a whole - you will have a better story to tell when you write the family history - but it will also ensure a greater chance of locating the ancestors origins in England and the rest of Britain.
The need to find a narrower margin for research is ultimately a necessity, tracking down Thomas Edward Jones a carpenter from Birmingham with an uncle Edward Jones, clerk living in Smethwick would never be easy, but it is considerably less of a task than looking for 'Tom Jones' originating 'somewhere' in England.
Should you need more help conducting research in your own country, look for family history societies, local history groups, free web based guides to research and ultimately professional researchers expert in genealogy at home for that fine detail of guidance.When you are satisified that you have enough information for research to be carried out in England and Wales, then I will be here as your first step. If, however you feel you have all the detail you need to begin your UK research after browsing through the above guidelines, please send information about your ancestor using the On Line Request Form.
A general guide to prices for researching Emigrants can be found on the Parish page; here you will find the general resources used to trace your ancestor and therefore the type of prices you would be paying.