Genealogy Chat

Living abroad, I usually order my certs online from the GRO, as the local register office(which covers 95% of my fanily) doesn't accept payment by credit card. However have just aquired one from a different LRO and find this to be what looks like a copy of an original cert i.e. The writing is by different hands. The Gro certs look as if they may be copies of copies, the handwriting being the same throughout. Anyone know antyhing about this?

basman

Even an 'original' cert is a copy...............

All certs are copies of certified entries in the Register.

Enriched
thanks for the reply, I realise that they're all copies, but from the LRO they seemed to be a copy of original whereas from the GRO they seem to be copied of copies----if you get my drift. The one from the LRO showing a copy of my ancestors handwriting whilst the ones from the GRO are all the same handwriting. Jist wondered if all certs from LRO's showed this drfference.

basman

Forty years ago, it didn't matter much who you got it from. Either way, you'ld get a transcription of their record. Now, if you're getting an image of the register they're holding, then the local RO holds the original with the informants signature, and the GRO holds a copy of that register, and the GRO signatures are those of the copyist.

Not all LROs give you an image of the original holding. Many still give transcribed ones in present day writing, as they do not have the facility to scan the original.

Thanks everyone for your replies..

Joan would love to get to parish records, but a bit difficult living in the continent. Find Lancs OPC a great site though :-)

basman

Basman - living on the continent doesn't necessarily mean you can't get to see parish rocords. You must be at least 5 times closer to the county records office than I am.
I recently put a post on "Tips Board: IGI search/Baptism areas" describing how you might be able to do this without excessive hassle. Check it out.

http://www.genesreunited.co.za/boards.asp?wci=thread&tk=1119652

basman

I have quite a few certs that have been, in this day, handwritten, when I queried it I was advised that it was because the original was too badly faded to copy.

Kim

I have a facimile of my original birth certificate which was obtained from the GRO. I was born West Ham district in 1964 and I got the fullcert a couple of years ago. I know it is a scan of the original, I'd recognise my Dad's writing anywhere.

Janet - it's evident to me that you wouldn't recognize your dad's writing anywhere - besides which, the only place it might appear is the signature, which you'll notice is in the same hand as the rest of the cert.