Genealogy Family History for All

The good thing about having access to the local registrar index from my own experience is that in several instances, I have found their service to be less costly, and slightly quicker on certificate delivery. Although you should check to ensure that your local registrar does supply certificates for family history purposes before ordering.

You can search for local registrars contact details through the links above.

The dates when civil registration began varies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but through these certificates you should be able to take your family history research back several generations from what you already knew.

No doubt, by now, you’re probably eager to find out more about your relatives - I know I was after I’d followed the civil registration path as far back as possible.

Next Time we’ll take a look at some more resourses for the Genealogist:

There are a wide variety of public records available, both in physical, and digital format now which can help you in your research.

From the information that you’ve gathered by speaking to relatives, you should now have quite a good guide to work from when searching indexes for births, marriages and deaths of relatives.

Always check these indexes to confirm what someone has told you, as people sometimes don’t remember details correctly, we are all human after all aren’t we.

Births, Marriages & Deaths

The records which you’ll probably use to start off with are the birth marriage and death records. As much as possible, it is best to purchase birth marriage and death certificates - these often give extra information which you may not have known previously, such as addresses, the name of a previously unknown relative who may have registered a death and so on.

Certificates really are good information gathering tools.

There is a central index held at the General register Office in London for England and Wales. (you can visit their website at http://www.gro.gov.uk for more information)

Separate indexes are held for Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Scotland’s registrar website is at http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/ and Northern Ireland’s is at http://www.groni.gov.uk/index.htm.

Your local record office, or library will most likely also have a copy of the indexes which are available for searching, it is usually a good idea just to give them a call to check whether they have a reader free for you to use before planning a visit though.

You can find a list of places which hold indexes at this link:

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/ficheholders.asp

There are also ongoing projects to make available all of the indexes for births

marriages and deaths free online in some areas, for an index to a wide range of these projects, plus links to other useful birth, marriage and death sites (including subscription sites and so on) please do visit

http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/

It’s a good idea to keep a separate file with all your old photos and give them all their own unique id numbers. Then you can simply make a note of this id number in your family history programme in the notes section, so you can look this up later.

By now, you’ll probably have so much information, you’ll wonder what to do with it!

Don’t throw any of your notes away when you’ve transferred them to your family tree software, keep them in a separate file, just in case you need them later on, or you have an idea which you can follow up on - you may be able to add to those notes with the help of another relative. It may well be the case that you end up getting another relative hooked on the genealogy bug!

Every so often, just take a quick look over the notes you’ve made, is there anything which you may have overlooked at the time, which you could add to now?

Did Great Aunt Jane remarry after her 1st husband’s death? Are you wondering how you can find that out? We’ll look into that next time

Ok, Who are/were your parents? Are they still alive? Do you have contact with them? Could you ask them more about their ancestors to help you to build your family tree?

Maybe you have the answers to questions which will help you gain more information on their lives in an old suitcase?

Are there some old wedding photos which have been lying in a dusty box somewhere just waiting for you to discover them? Even better, do any of the photos have dates on them?

Are your grandparents still alive? Grandparents usually love to tell their grandchildren all about the family history, your grandparents may even have a copy of a family Bible, detailing your own ancestry back several hundred years.

If there isn’t a copy of a family Bible, don’t despair, if you’ve managed to speak to your grandparents, then it’s more than likely you’ll now have several more names to add to your family tree!

Maybe you won’t have heard of some of the names, so any information picked up from family members is a bonus!

Speak to as many family members as possible. Ask them for their tales from when they were younger, did they go to visit cousins in a close by (or maybe even distant) town or city?

Have they any photos they’d be willing to let you have a copy of? Can they remember any details about a family members marriage? Do they remember where a relative may have been buried, or baptised?

Where do you start?

Genealogy is like a big Jigsaw Puzzle! If you don’t put the pieces together correctly, you’ll never see the full picture. So where do you start? This is the most common question asked. The answer is start with yourself and work backwards. Don’t get tempted to skip a few generations and run the risk of researching the wrong line. It’s better to be methodical and approach your research step by step. That way, you’ve less likely to research someone who isn’t your relative.

A simple but effective way to research your immediate generation is to construct a chart of your family as far as you can go. Then interview and ask your relatives, especially parents and grandparents to fill in the gaps and add more information. This will kick start your research and probably provide about 100 years of history. Be sure to document this well. In particular, identify each person with personal information such as the following:

• Name
• Important dates such as their birth, death and marriage (If applicable)
• Their occupation and interests
• Their relationship to other members of the family
• Their birthplace address and other places of residence

To make this task easier, download a free Pedigree Chart and Family Work Group Sheet here! http://www.genealogy4beginners.com/

• A Pedigree Chart allows you to list your pedigree such as your parents, grandparents, great grandparents and so on.

• A Family Work Group Sheet allows you to record the information of your entire family.

You need to print multiple copies of the above charts. Purchase a 3 ring binder to store the information. The charts will save you a heap of time and effort because it organizes your information in an orderly and simple format. You will soon notice what important information is missing and what is incomplete. Don’t worry this is perfectly normal. This is where the fun begins as you begin to research more carefully. Organizing your information this way will help you avoid the pitfalls that most people face. It will help you establish the proper groundwork. Take small steps; don’t go too far back yet. Be very sure about the information you have before you take the next step. Otherwise, you will end up researching the wrong ancestor. I recommend you document all your research so that you don’t go over old ground.

So, how do you fill in the gaps from your charts? I suggest you circle any missing information to highlight the gaps. As already mentioned you start with yourself and work backwards. You should bring together and document your own life first. Gather any records such as education, photographs, birth certificates, marriage, journals, and family bibles and so on. Then do the same thing for your parents, grandparents etc. All these documents could be a great source of information, providing important dates of events, places of residence, occupations and so on. It will bring your family history alive. If you’re visiting relative’s homes, be sensitive to their feelings and respectful. Ask permission to obtain copies of any documents, such as wills, Birth, Death and Marriage certificates. Official documents are a great source of information. They provide names, dates, places and information about other relatives. Involve them in your project. Explain you are personally interested in their personal history and tracing your roots.

Family documents, photographs and other documents can provide valuable information and point you to the right direction in your research. Often photos and documents have dates and places written on the back of them. This can guide you to where to search for official records. Open your mind; often deceased ancestors have left many sources of information such as scrap books, old family bibles, wills, Birth, death & marriage certificates, letters, postcards, journals, military records, Biographies and so much more.

As you speak to your family find out where relatives were married and buried. Churches and Cemeteries can be a good source of information. When visiting the cemetery photograph the tomb stones of your relatives. They usually provide accurate dates and sometimes may reveal names of relatives you never knew existed. Often family members are buried in the same plot or nearby. Nearby unmarked graves may indicate children that died in their infancy? Contact the cemetery administrators for more information.

Summary of sources to research:

• Birth, Death & Marriage Certificates
• Family Bibles
• Wills
• School Reports
• Photographs
• Scrap Books
• Letters
• Postcards
• Journals
• Military Records
• Biographies
• Churches
• Cemeteries

CONCLUSION

Be patient, persistent and don’t completely rely on people’s memories. They can be inaccurate. The most reliable information comes from primary official sources, but you should have an open mind. You never know where you could pick up a lead. Keep all information no matter how insignificant it may seem. Often a piece of information that doesn’t initially fit makes perfect sense later when new pieces of information become available. Then the jigsaw puzzle begins to reveal its full picture. Finally, be organized and keep detailed accurate records.