Genealogy Chat

Sue, if you are having problems reading the cert you can always scan and mail it to people on here to have a go. I tend to try to buy certs only for my direct line but then there are the times when you just have to know about someone in the branches. I am now at a point where there doesnt seem to be any certificates I can buy to help me any further and Id long to be sitting here waiting for a marriage certificate to arrive and give me details to digest.

Hi Caz My golden rule is to make sure information on my tree is definite - I never put anything on that I'm not 100% sure about. I don't always buy certificates, though, but make sure that what I find is confirmed by at least two trustworthy sources. Sometimes this is hard when you're further back than 1837, but I use censuses (especially the early ones) and parish records as well as FreeBMD and the GRO civil registration lists; you can also download wills for £3, although not many of my family were wealthy enough to leave wills! Bear in mind sources such as the LDS site and FreeBMD (as well as the GRO) can actually be wrong, though, so it's best to see originals, not transcriptions. As other people have said, the certificates can be vital to clear up mysteries or give further information such as maiden names of spouses/mothers (and I love getting them - I look forward to them!). Unusual names and all being in one place does help, though, to manage without them. With regard to Record Office searches, the nice people at Gloucestershire did a search free for me recently, as I had a definite place and name, and a fairly specific date, and Lincolnshire copied a newspaper extract for me for one pound something (again with a fairly specific date), so if you know what you're looking for, it is often quite cheap to get copies of information (and the archives people are usually really nice, too). I'm Sunbury born and bred, although I haven't lived there for years, and there is a big Mormon church on the road into Staines where the Dog and Duck pub is/was - it is very striking, so they might be a good place to find out where the research centre is. All the best with your research Lysianne

Sue, unless yours is completely unreadable don't buy the original. It will only be a scan of what you already have and will cost £16 I think. (A costly error I made when new to all this)

I realise that this is an old thread, but, as another newbie, I have a slight variation on the question. Just last night, I found my grandmother's birth certificate on Scotland's People, which was a great breakthrough for me as my mum knows very little about her mother's life and family in Scotland. I paid the credits to view the certificate, and have saved an image of the certificate. My question is, if I purchase a certified copy, could I expect it to be clearer and easier to read than the imaged copy that I have? Also, is an imaged copy 'enough' evidence, or should a certified copy always be required for a direct line? Thanks, all, I'm starting to enjoy these message boards! But I shouldn't be looking at them while I'm at work! Sue

I think the answer is yes they are necessary. I have confirmed my ancestors by purchasing copies of their birth/marriage and death certificates and it is great when they all tie up and you know for sure that they are family. Without them you can never be sure that you are following the right line. Good luck. Irene

I managed to get some microfiche copies for birth records from the Mormon Church. If you are not far from Heathrow there is an office in Staines. I have a phone number if it would help. L

Yes.....I agree with Marion, purchasing certificates for sidelines/siblings of direct lines can yeild interesting results! I bought a marriage certificate to answer a nagging query re my GGAunt and a family story about a connection to the Harrods of Knightsbridge (Shop fame). It lead me to not to untold wealth :( but a very interesting family connection to a pionering new religion in 19c Essex. Chris

To be controversial have not bought many certificates but most of my family history was not really lost. I have looked for grave inscriptions instead of death certificates. I am lucky that most of my ancestors came from small villages and had relatively unusual names. I have not got cause of death but have usually found date of death. I was also lucky enough to find a school admissions register which gave child's date of birth address and father's name. Much of my family come from Bath and Bath BMD have added mother's maiden name to birth and church to marriage records so as long as I can find a reference that matches what I want I will go with it. I have put a personal tree on ancestry and tried to find all the relevant census records. I also have great grandparents who owned a pub and have found them in a trade directory. I have several family wills which give details of relatives. I am in a simialr position to you an only child with no-one left to ask - it is frustrating as I have inherited lots of photos and would love to know who they were. Unfortunately by the time I took an interest in family history my mum's sight was not good enough to tell me. Anne

Personally I would say they are an absolute must for at least your direct lines. I am now the proud (but much poorer) owner of... Birth certificates for all my direct lines, except four, two that weren't registered and two born prior to registration :( Having said that I bought certificates for younger siblings to confirm mother's maiden names. Marriage certificates for all where available....Witnesses have been an eye opener on more than one occasion :) Now working my way through the long list of death certificates I need to complete my records and must say I am amazed at the new leads I am getting... For example, having not had any ancestors who were a subject of an inquest my last three certs all gave dates of inquests! Chris

You need the certs, unless you have unusual surnames, they were the only family of that name to live in that place and they had the same occupation. I have learned nothing new from buying certs - but mine all lived in tiny villages, had unusual surnames for that county and all were ag labs, who once they had married, stayed in the same village until they died and were buried there. I tend to use record office marriages, but buy them if I have a problem and can't wait until my next visit. Jay

Caz Certificates are a MUST for your Family History even if you do just get the mainline ones. You will get more help from people if you can prove your lineage. As an example I have Birth Certs for all 10 children born to my G Grandfather. Expensive, yes but the info has given me a very rounded picture of my Grt G Fathers life in the Army, as a Prison Warder and as a Night watchman. I found one of the siblings in an Army School in London on the 1891 Census and beacuase I knew the name, date of birth and place of birth of this sibling together with G G Fathers regiment I was able to contact the school and seek information. The info came back as yes he had been at that school. I then went back to see if the other 3 boys had been at the school and the info came back that one other had also attended the same school. I was then given an address to write to and I have just received the most wonderful Crock of Family History that anyone would give their right hand to have. It includes copies of letters written by my Grt Grandfather to the school, as well as Record Reports of conduct, Baptismal Certs the regiments the two boys went into as well as Grt G Father's pension and a list of all the children which if I had not known would have been an extra bonus and G Gfather's regimental history which also if I had not known would have been wonderful. Unless you have been lucky enough to inherit material like this, then the only way to get this sort of info is to have the knowledge of all siblings at your fingertips so you know where to go when you want the 'Flesh on the Bones!'. From all my 10 Certs I have enough info now to write up several projects, so satisfying. If I had not known the names and dates and places of birth I doubt I would have got anything from my enquiry. They were not prepared to give the info to anyone, you must have done your homework first. Janet

Thank you all for the tips and taking the time to reply Caz

The local record offices would only be able to help with events that took place in their localitly. Usually, you have to trawl through baptism records yourself. Some provide a search service, but you have to pay for this (usually min £20). The LDS centre would be able, for a small fee, to get records for any area.

Caz - how far back have you reached so far? Census period? Or not that far yet? Just wondering because sometimes (not always though) it is possible to trace your lineage right back to the 1841 census without having ordered any certs - the certs will be needed to verify what you find and to find extra details, like maiden names of wives, birth places/dates, marriage places/dates etc. I have done this many a time in my research, especially if the surname is not that common and easy to pinpoint the family on the censuses. Once I have all the names of family members etc I then start looking for their BMDs and order certificates to confirm everything and put some meat on the bones.

Caz Sorry, I am a purist! Yes, certificates are necessary, if you want to be absolutely sure of your facts. You can, if your couple married in Church, get a photocopy of the marriage entry in the Church Register, for a varying amount, but always cheaper than a GRO cert. As you get back into the 1900s, you can use baptismal entries, if you can find them, but these have less information (usually) than a birth cert - you probably won't get the address, or the mother's maiden name, which are all useful in confirming you have the right person. I am on a limited budget too, and I buy only my main line certs, with the odd sibling etc, to maybe clear up a mystery. Yes, this is a very expensive hobby I am afraid - but you don't have to spend the money all at once, you can do it as your budget allows. OC

Jill, thanks for your advice Much appreciated! Caz

Hi Caz Yes they are necessary if you want to show 'evidence' otherwise you can end up following the wrong line. If, however, you're searching for uncommon names then you may be able to spot marriages on FreeBMD and pick up parent details from info on census returns. That helps a bit. You quite often end up with a reasonable 'picture' of your family this way - and sometimes you can link up with someone from here who already has the 'proof' and that can help a bit. I'm always happy to copy certs for anyone who might need them and other people are the same. I use the tree on here for what I know plus what I think I know - and have had to make odd amendments here and there as a result - but at least it provides a starting point for contacting other people with the same rellies. I tend to buy certs for my direct line only - and try to piece together any sibling information as above or from other people - as yes, it can work out expensive. If you're new to this you'll probably find that after your initial 'rush' of certificates it will ease off a bit - you are bound to come across the odd brick wall or 3 and that will slow you down - it doesn't seem so expensive then - just frustrating. I usually buy one cert a month to spread the load although I bought 6 in one go once after not having bought any for some time which was fun but I prefer the once a month routine really! Good Luck Jill

thank you Tracy Would the local records office be able to give details irrespective of where a rellie was born/ married or had died? Caz

You could try parish records, but you'd need to visit either the local records office or your local LDS centre.

I’m realizing that this genealogy lark could become expensive. Although limiting myself to one certificate a month, going further and further back will require quite an outlay. Is there a cheaper way of confirming my linage-other than keep forking out £7.00 per certificate? At 49; an only child, both parents dead, and no close relatives to interrogate what else can you suggest? Caz