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FINDING REORDS

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Autumnleaves

Autumnleaves Report 19 Oct 2013 19:50


Many thanks Shirley & mgnv

I have seen where our local childrens dept. had a fire and some people trying to find relatives asking in our local paper. Have also seen others on here saying records lost in a fire- began to wonder if it was just an excuse by overworked social service staff.
Have tried to help a local person whose mother had her file details and I understand social services are helping them- lets hope this a lucky case.
I amlucky enough to live near our local records office and county one too.

Just for interest, my hubby says he has read somewhere that a large amount of records were stored underground in the salt mines at
Winsford during the war.

Thanks again
Jean

mgnv

mgnv Report 19 Oct 2013 16:19

Fifty years ago, one could purchase records from the GRO in London, but for decades now, the GRO has been moved to Southport.

A copy of all BMD records is sent to the GRO. The original BMD registration is sent to the local district office. In the case of church marr registers, a copy is retained in the local district office, but the original church register is then deposited in some archive, usually the county records office.

This applies to all records. I think there are restrictions abt who can buy certs from the adoption and stillbirth registers, but everyone can buy any cert from the main BMD registers - the difficulty for adoptees is usually knowing the name their birth was recorded under, or enough details to recognize which John or Mary Smith is theirs.

Some local registers have been lost thru various causes, but not very many by fire.

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it Report 19 Oct 2013 16:11

The GRO is in Southport.

Adoption records aren't held at the GRO. They are usually with the adoption agency or Social Services for the area of the adoption

The original birth record will be with the GRO but over the years how adopted births records were accessed has altered

For instance a small s against the page nos will indicate an adoption and only a small cert would be issued which doesn't show any details of the parent/parents name .

Doesn't apply to all adoptions because how the records for are held have altered over the years

Autumnleaves

Autumnleaves Report 19 Oct 2013 15:33


I have seen where people can purchase birth certs etc from the GRO in London, which lead my thoughts to the following question.

When someone has been adopted do all their records go to the GRO also.

There has been so many incidents of people being told by their local office that their records were lost in a fire.

Would these records have been sent and accessable from the GRO

I am aware that many were lost in London due to bombing,but later births maybe there???
I cannot help feeling upset for these people when they have been told the records are lost- maybe the GRO is another cchancce for them??

Thank you in anticipation.