An important factor to remember when searching through early records is the variation in the calendar system. The Julian Calendar was the standard system until 1752 which was then replaced by the Gregorian Calendar and the first day of the year became January 1st. According to the Julian Calendar, the first day of the new year was 25th March 'Lady Day', so a full year would run from March 25th to March 24th. Dates between January 1st and March 24th would still be assigned the previous year, for example, January 1st 1744 would either be written as 1744 or 1744/45 to indicate the dual date. At TheGenealogist we use the date as written, so please be aware of this when searching for dates before March 1752.