Genealogy Chat

Hi Everyone! Am in the process of ordering certificates to back up my research! I THINK I have found the births of a couple of my rellies on ancestry and have printed off the details (District, Page and Volume) The problem is - would I be able to verify my findings on 1837 online? (eg are there parents named on this website?) before I send off for certificates?? Am used to ancestry but am having big problems finding my way around 1837!! Would appreciate any advice!! Kim

Dont know if Ive explained myself very well!! Ive noticed on 1837 its 10p a record? Does this mean you get the sheet of pepes births for 10p?? Or is it 10p per person? On one of my ancestors whom Im not exactly sure of the month she was registered - there are 6 possible pages where she may be. So would that cost me 60p or £6?? Or would I be better off risking it and ordering my cerificates based on my ancestry.com findings? Or do you get more info from 1837 online??? Thanks for reading this! Kim x

Hi Kim, Do you have a Free BMD for your area? If so, I`d try that first as it`s free. I would also try ordering the certificates from the local register office of the area you are interested in . You can then put the criteria that will ensure you get the correct one. ie; father`s name must be John, mother Sarah or whatever. Just make sure that you put every bit of info for each possible. 1837 charge £4 for a certificate with wrong checks and no certificate either. I only order from them now if I`m absolutely certain. Jay.

no you will not find parents on 1837 online- just name, quarter registered & district- you need to order cert to see. good site for searching births, deaths & marriages for free is www.freebmd.rootsweb.com.

Thanks Girls!! Have just ordered credits and am bumbling along on 1837! Wish Id have known that there is no more info on there than on ancestry!! :o(( Have tried the free sites and my 2 arnt on there! Dont know for sure the fathers names - just the mothers! Just had email from a member offering to look them up for me at local FHS so thats my best bet! (Thanks Again Looby!! xxxx) Cheers Everyone! Kim x

Ancestry and FreeBMD have transcripts of what appears on 1837online, so if you have found your entry on FreeBMD or Ancestry then there is no more info on 1837. If you look for an entry on 1837 beause the period isn't covered by the other sites then you pay 10p for every sheet you view. The sheet will cover the name you have asked for, for the quarter concerned. So, if you are looking for John Smith, the entries might spread across two pages, so that would cost you 20p for the quarter. Merry

Thanks Merry! I was just toooo eager! (Shouldve waited for you guys to reply before I jumped in and ordered credits!!) Thats Me All Over! Never Mind! Kim x

hi Kim, just two more wrinkles to add to previous posts:1) 1837online etc. give mother's maiden name from Sep qtr 1911 - no help for those 19th century jobs though and 2) unit cost varies according to how many you buy minimum cost is 5p a shot - can't remember how many you need to get this price, I think it's a couple of thousand or so, 7.5p for intermediate number see site for details. 3) if yr interested in a one name study you might as well give 'em the whole nine yards, you'd need 'em. Er... three more wrinkles to add to previous posts.......'No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition'. best wishes julian

Just to try to clarify matters a little - what you get back from the ancestry search is FreeBMD's transcription. FreeBMD advise that you should always check the details against the image before ordering the certificate. This is just in case there is a mistake in the transcription, for example the page number could be wrong. You will often find that if you look it up on FreeBMD you will see a pair of spectacles next to the entry, and if you click on them you can view the image without having to pay. But the quality of the image you will get isn't as good as that which you get on 1837 online, though you do have to pay for 1837. Personally I usually check them against 1837 online (or the microfiche at the records office) unless the image on FreeBMD is very clear. Kate.

By the way, June - FreeBMD covers the whole of England and Wales, and you can't order certificates from 1837 online. When you click on the 'order certificates' link it takes you to the GRO's website! Kate.

Free bmd for the basics 1837-1911(ancestry or 1837 as back up) Ancestry for bmd 1837-1911,1984-present,census 1861,1871,1881,1891,1901. Familyrelatives for 1911-1920 bmd 1837 for finding bmds 1911-1984 manually quarter by quarter,10p per quarter sheet.(no choice here-except the odd region of UK are covered by bmd indexes,ie cambridgeshire,Cheshire,lancashire,durham partly) 1837 is a tool for confirming exact info for ordering certs and is to be used in conjunction with other sites ,not as an alternative. It is essential in the 20th century searches of living people and linking the present day with the census eras.

Thanks Kate! Julian thanks for your input as well! (Not too sure about the Spanish Inquisition pun though - Did I ask too many questions?) lol!! Thanks Again Everyone who added! Kim

Brilliant Alter! Thanks for that! Hope you are well! Night Kimxxxx

*nudge for Manda* ;o)))

Hi Everyone, I've read this thread with great interest. I too have been thinking about 1837 online, but was under the impression it gave more information than other sites. So a big thank you to you all. Also could some kind person please tell me why I can find some bmd's on online / free / ukbmd sites and not on others, even when I've got the GRO's I still can't find relatives in local bmd's? Just curious, Lou

Hi Kim!! It is still worth having because I have found some marriages/births on 1837 that weren't transcribed on Ancestry or freebmd for some reason. Use it as a last resort when you can't find what you want on the free ones. :0) Joan

I use 1837online a lot. All the other free sites are fine as far as they go, and it is best to use them first. HOWEVER, 1837online is the only one that is COMPLETE from July 1837 up until 2003. I use Ancestry a lot and their births, marriages and deaths go up about 1910, but again what they do have is not complete, so if you can't find the entry you are looking for on any of the other sites, you WILL find it on 1837. Trouble is people weren't always born/married/died on the date we think they were, so you have to be prepared to look a few years before or after the date, if they aren't registered when you think they should be. Births and deaths are also sometimes registered in the quarter after the event happened, so it's worth looking there too. Kath. x

Just to reiterate a fact- 1837 is the ONLY site at your disposal that you can use to find relatives born married or died 1920-1983 fully. It is the crown copyright sheets owned by the ONS.and is invaluable for filling in all the gaps left by other sites-it is a very quick version of manual fiche searches in the library.

Hi, Have read with interest & will hang onto all the info you have given. Thanks Lorraine