Genealogy Chat

Can anyone give me some pointers on how to trace family AFTER 1901. I have just about sorted my family tree ( not including cats and dogs !!) for between 1780 and 1901, but ironically, there does'nt seem to be much info for more recent relatives. And unless you have living relatives that can possibly remember Aunts and Nephew's etc, basically your'e buggered, excuse the French !! Any help that doesnt involve a year off work, hiking around dreary council buildings, like Bill Oddie the other week would be much appreciated. Regard's Paul l.

Sorry Paul take lessons off of Bill Its the only way (and getting hold of all the Certs you can.)

Talk to whatever relatives you have. Are there any photographs, postcards, ephemera of any kind? Are there any stories of families moving to the other side of the country/abroad? Did anyone get killed in the war? Was anybody a lawyer, accountant etc? Did anyone go to university? Run a sweet shop? Large libraries may have the GRO indexes on fiche, which is cheaper to search than 1837 online. Yes, this does take time, but nobody said it would be easy. They often also have will indexes on fiche. These are brilliant. The earlier ones give date of death, address, names of executors, so you can recognise relatives. Trade directories, professional directories and lists of alumni can all reveal relatives. The recent electoral rolls are searchable and can pinpoint people if the surname is unusual. There is a small booklet, I think called "Making Contact with Living Relatives" available from the Federation of Family History Societies which suggests other sources.

If you have time & patience, FreeBMD does have records up to 1910 (in process of transcription). Some of the Local BMD sites also have more modern records. Or you can shell out and wade through 1837Online. Google might come up with something if you're lucky and put in the right combinations of search terms! Have a look at the list on ukbmd.org.uk Christine