Genealogy Chat

Thanks Carol in Dulwich and Kate. I have made note of your info for further ref. and have already sent for death cert. I just wanted to see if my ggm stayed in the family home till her death and her cause of death. Regards Liz

Carol, very informative posting indeed, but I would just like to point out that the pre-1875 'missing' registrations are almost all births, as it would have been very difficult to avoid registering a marriage or a death! But quite a few marriages and deaths seem to have got 'lost' between the local register office and the GRO. Kate.

Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates These are incredibly useful! In England and Wales, all births, marriages and deaths since July 1837 should have been registered with a local Register Office. However, Civil Registration didn't become law until 1875, and before that many people didn't bother to register, so many births, marriages and deaths may have gone unrecorded. Typically a Birth Certificate will show: Name and date of birth Place of birth Father's name and occupation Mother's maiden name The family's usual address Probably the most useful piece of information in a Birth Certificate is the Mother's Maiden Name - from this you should be able to find a Marriage Certificate for the parents. Typically a Marriage Certificate will show: Name and ages of both Bride and Groom Date and place of marriage Occupation of both Bride and Groom Usual residence of both Bride and Groom Both fathers' names and occupations Witnesses to the marriage, often other family members With the marriage certificate, you will now know a little more about your family. Having fathers' names and occupations will be one of the most important clues in identifying your family on census returns; more about those further down this guide. Typically a Death Certificate will show: Name of deceased Date and place of death Occupation of deceased Usual residence of deceased Cause of death Name of the informant, often another family member Name of the doctor who certified the death Death certificates are slightly less important when tracing your family tree, although they can be useful in many ways. They can help to positively identify a relative, and can also give you more idea of conditions at the time your relative was alive. For instance, many children died in infancy in the 19th and early 20th centuries from diseases that are unheard of today. It's not unusual to find families with 10 or more children, with maybe just a few of them surviving to adulthood. Census Returns The census in England and Wales has been held every 10 years since 1801, however only the records from 1841 are of any use to a family historian as previous records contain no more than a headcount, with no names or any other information. If you've already done the basics outlined in Getting Started above, then it's quite possible you will be aware of some of your relatives who were alive in 1901. For this reason, it's best to consult the 1901 census first. If you start with say the 1881 census, then it's highly likely that you might not find the correct family and you could be wasting your time researching the wrong family. Just because they 'look' right, doesn't mean that they're yours! Remember.... start with what you know for sure, and work backwards in time. 1841 Census The information included in this census is very basic compared to later decades. It includes the name of the place and parish, the names of persons present in the household on census day, ages (the over 15 year olds ages were rounded down to the nearest 5 years), and birthplace (Y if born in the same county, or N if born elsewhere) 1851 - 1901 censuses There is much more useful information included in all these later censuses. Typically: Place and parish House names and/or street addresses Names and ages Relationship to the head of the household Profession, rank or occupation Birthplace, usually including the place and county, or country if born abroad Census returns also include details of any visitors or servants in the household on census night. This can often prove very informative, especially if another family member happened to be staying on census night. As in all records, spellings of surnames can vary wildly so some care is needed. Don't dismiss records out of hand if the spelling doesn't look right - in the early part of the 19th century, many people were illiterate and relied on the enumerator to enter their details. If the enumerator didn't understand a particular regional accent for instance, he may have entered the family's name in the way that he heard it. Often this could lead to a complete mis-spelling of a surname, but if you already have details of the family from birth, marriage and death certificates you should be able to sort out which is your family.

Thank you Victoria and Keith. I will probably send for it anyway as I want to know cause of death. In Aust the death cert also gives offsprings if known by the informant. Liz

Hi Liz, I actually have very few death certs as yet, but I have one from 1878 it gives year of death, entry number, when and where died, name and surname, sex, age, occupation, cause of death, sig, descrition and residence of informant, when registered and sig of registrar. For comparison, in 1985, registration district/sub district. Entry number, date and place of death, name and surname, sex, maiden surname of woman who has married, date and place of birth, occupation and usual address, name and surname of informant, qualification of informant and usual address, cause of death, certification by doctor, signature of informant, date of registration, signature of registrar. I know these details change, there is a thread here somewhere that will tell you a link to a site that explains all that is on all certs. Good luck Keith

You get - 1, When and where died, 2, name and surname, 3, sex, 4, age, 5, occupation, 6, cause of death, 7, signature, description and residence of informance, 8, when registered and 9, the signature of the registrar. Victoria

I am in Aust. and want to know if its worth sending for the death cert of my ggranm who died 1931in Hampshire. Someone told me that there is not as much info on them as Aust. I know exactly when she died as I have her memorial card. If anyone could advise me I'd appreciate it. Thank you Liz