Genealogy Chat

Can anyone tell me how to go about finding records of my great grandparents children. I know my g granfathers name and my grandparents names, thats as far as ive been able to go back without knowledge on where to look and what for!
Thanks Karen

As you have given no dates.....If its before 1901 you can look in the census to see it they had children.

You'll need your Gt G/parents M/C for her maiden name...then find the childrens births, get their B/C to cross ref Mothers maiden name

Do i have to buy them or can i find that information on a site?

Well it depends on when they were born, whether anyone else has them on their tree who might have the information - save you buying the certs - but most of the time - you tend to need to buy certs to get further back....

some pointers:

civil registration began in July 1837 - it was not compulsory to register a birth until 1875 which is why some can be hard to find - as they might not have been registered.

From the last quarter of 1911 mothers maiden names were shown on the birth registers (which makes it a bit easier when searching for the right people!)

Marriages: From 1912 the spouse surname was given on the registers.

Deaths - from 1866 the age at death was shown on the registers and from 1969 the date of birth of the deceased replaced age at death.

One of the best sites to use is www.freebmd.org.uk

It is easy to search and narrow down your searches.

When looking at marriages you can find possible spouses by clicking on the blue highlighted page number.

Please note this is a transcribed index and is not 100% complete - at the moment it goes up to the 1920s. After then you would have to consult the images of the indexes which can be looked at pay per view on Ancestry or Findmypast. They are the scanned images of the index pages which would need to be looked at quarter by quarter, year by year etc.

From 1984 all BMD records were computerised so they are much easier to search - again these can be found on Ancestry & Findmypast. At the moment they go up to 2005 but 2006 to come soon. Due to a change in the law I think 2006 will be the last year to be available online.

When you find a reference for a certificate you want to order you can go to www.gro.gov.uk and follow the instructions to order a certificate online.

You can then work your way backwards through the censuses from 1901 back to 1841. (The 1911 wont be available for a while yet!)

Pre 1837 you will have to rely on Parish Registers - some of which have been transcribed by the Latter Day Saints - www.familysearch.org - under the International Genealogical Index - aka IGI.

My big tips:

Always start from yourself and work backwards

Always ask as many living relatives as possible

Always remember to use Google - its an invaluble tool for finding info!

Its also worth buying a book about researching your family tree - its ideal to keep as a handy reference to find out where to look next and where to find things etc.

These message boards are great for helping people out - and also www.rootschat.com

Good luck

x

Thank you, i have grandparents marriage cert, but it was hard to read so they are going to send another!
Its the 1911 ones i need really!
Its hard work this is and becoming a full time headache!!
Thanks again
Karen

Karen,

Have you got the names of the bride and groom from the marriage certificate and we will have a look for you.

Best Wishes

Jane

Yes it frederick charles westley married ivy jones, 1931,her fathers name is ernest, cant make out the middle name and freds father had exactley the same name as him, i think ive found ernests marriage, in 1911 to ethel page but dont know where to go from there or if it is them, seems the right time and place tho. I have no idea of fredericks mothers maiden name so i cant look that up.
Karen

To be sure of the correct marriage cert for Ernest you need to purchase Ivy's birth cert. This will give you both parents' names and you are more likely to find the correct marriage cert. You might otherwise end up following the wrong family.

Jill

Thank you,
Its expensive to find out where you come from these days isnt it!!!
Thank you Karen

How old were these people when they married? Where did the marriage take place?

OK....found the marriage reg'n..............

Frederick actually had a third initial...'M'

This looks like his birth.............same reg'n district as his marriage

Name: Frederick Charles M Westley
Year of Registration: 1909
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
District: West Ham
County: Essex, Greater London
Volume: 4a
Page: 241

This MIGHT be his parents' marriage.....but you do need certs to make sure..........

Name: Frederick Charles Westley
Year of Registration: 1906
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
District: Romford
County: Essex
Volume: 4a
Page: 967
Mary Ann Baynham

Possible sister for Fred..............

Daisy Westley 1914 Jan-Feb-Mar Baynham West Ham Essex, Greater London

God how did you find that out? I was coming up dead end on his his parents, thanks Reggie
Karen

WESTLEY Florence H Baynham West Ham.4a 477 2 1916

Another possible sibling?

Best Wishes

Jane

Thank you Jane, What can i do to find out if these are relatives?

The only way to be certain is to purchase certs..........if you get Fred's, you will have confirmation of mother's details......if she's the woman in the marriage reg'n above, the other births are almost certainly Fred's siblings.

Hi, i was adopted and this is my real family im researching, i started by going to somerset house in london
Karen

Thanks reggie, its certainly not a common name, Baynham!
Karen