Genealogy Chat

Hello, I am new to this game - apologies if you get asked this question all the time. I have done several searches using the BMD system on here and the people I am seeking are not listed. Is that because not all the birth's are fully listed yet? Or some other reason? Should I be searching by contacting the local offices instead? Thank you for your help. Best wishes, Sue

GR will shoot me for this but the BMD records can be viewed for free on Ancestry, you need not spend money on GR credits to get the reference numbers. Census records are also on Ancestry but you would need the full subscription to view the results (£70 per year but unlimited searches make it worth while). As for missing records not sure what you are struggling to find, the records should be pretty much complete but pre 1875 the legal requirement to register a birth was not tightly enforced and so there are some births which never made the GRO index.

GR don't actually hold any records in their database, they just redirect your search somewhere else - and skim off the top for the privilege. It would be the LAST resource I would use, not the first. You can search bmds on Ancestry for free. UKBMD also has a lot of free bmd records to search. And don't forget - the best free resource is the other members of this site - post a thread asking for a specific look-up and I am sure you will quickly get a result. Good luck! OC

Re Local Offices The register offices hold the original register of the bmd for their own area (ie Lincoln hold Lincoln records, Nottingham hold Nottingham records etc). Generally the office held register is not available to public viewing but with the number of internet sites available with bmd index it is not the hurdle it once used to be. If you go to www.ancestry*co*uk (replace* with the usual dots) register with the site you can search the bmd for free Also try this site (useful for pre 1910 events but the records are not complete) www.freebmd.org Another useful set of sites can be found at www.ukbmd.org Glen

A good free place to start record hunting is the IGI site familysearch.org which holds the 1881 census and a lot of transcribed parish records. Avoid the submitted entries as they can be quite fanciful at times. Familyhistoryonline which is not free but only costs about 10p a look up has the 1881 census free, the national burial index and bits of other census's and other bits and pieces. It is also worth looking for free BMD, freecen and free reg they are not complete but may well have what you need. You can join ancestry for a month for about £12.00 and have access to all the census images, 1841-1901 for England and Wales as well as a lot of other stuff. Anne

My word, you guys are incredible! Thank you so much for your help. Best wishes, Sue