Genealogy Chat

Could any one tell me what information I would find at the Family Records Office or the National Archives, Kew. Which one of these would be the most informative. Is it cheaper to get certificates in person, can you view original birth, marriage, death entries. I am taking a day off next week and want to make the most of my day. Any information would be great. Thanks. Jo xx

At the Family Records Office (Myddleton Street) on the ground floor you will find BMD indexes and you can order certs on the day and they will be posted to you, not sure if they are cheaper as i have always ordered of the net. There is also a little shop to buy books, journals etc. On the first floor they have all the census returns on micro film, depending on the year and county you get a Name index and a street index. on this floor there is also PCC wills before 1858 and an index for wills after this date. there is a death duty index too. there are some Non-Conformist registers. there are computers with access to the VRI, IGI and other indexes. it is very easy to spend the whole day there.

Thanks Kevin, I take it you have been to the Family Records Office? I was wondering if you can view the entries of birth etc without having to buy certificates. I have numerous family members which I have found but need to confirm mother/father details. If I ordered all the certificates I think I would bankrupt myself. lol

Unfortunatly no you cant see the certs. i have spent on certs over the last couple of months about £100 thats 14 certs. I have only bought the direct line certs. but you do need them to find out parents names. you cant rely on census returns. idid this early on before buying a birth cert for the person and it sent me down the wrong road and a completely different area of the country for a couple of weeks.

Kevin and Joanne, I agree that census returns are a supplement to certificates and you cant do without the info on bmd certs for the key palayers in your tree, but census returns are great to fill in the gaps, build up information on the whole family, find out what they did, and possibly find relations by marriage living at the same house or visiting. It is more econimical at 25p per copy for census returns and a pity it isnt possible to access the information on certs without buying them, at circa £24 per person it soon mounts up, so its best to get hold of as many of the more recent ones as possible from living relatives, who may still have those of say a mother or father or grandmother to get you started. Enjoy your visit to the FRD, the staff are a bit thin on the ground but really helpful, and sometimes other vistors are as well. There are lots of leaflets to help (take them away and read before next visit). National Archives at Kew are not for beginers, and an induction course (check the web or join one runs by one of the FHS if you are a member) would be the best bet rather than a cold call not knowing what you wanted. Best of luck, once you have started you wont want to stop (even given the cost of it all) Pam

Pamela, Thanks for your advice. It helps to have other peoples opinions on where is the best place to visit. Thanks again. Jo xx

The FRc is a great place. BMD certificates are £7 each - if you aren't sure you have the right person then you can add some checking information on the back and if this this the wrong person then you will have a refund (hope this makes sense). Do take as much information a s you can with you. After 1913 then the birth register shows maiden names of mother as well which is very helpful. Other wise it is very basic information in the registers - great to look at the registers when they were still using copperplate handwriting! Downstairs in the basement there is a colakroom where there are lockers where you can leave all your stuff. You need a one pound coin for the locker - and make sure you have a pocket for your locker key and money for photocopying (I didn't and it is a nightmare). Take a pencil and a notebook as they prefer you not to use biros amongst the documents. There are tables and chairs in the basement for you to take a sandwich etc and machines for hot drinks and choc snacks - need some change though.

Thanks Christine for the advice. Do you know if they let you take Laptop Computers in. I have all my info stored on my computer and it would be really helpful if I could take it. I will make sure I take plenty of change. I am really hoping the day will prove successful and next time hopefully I will be able to do some look ups for people that have been kind enough to help me.

Joanne, I (and others) forgot there are useful web sites which give introductions to FRC abd Nationa Archives with lkinks from GC site, click on resource centre on left, then go to useful links page. Pam

Thanks Pamela. I must admit I had forgotten to look there. Will see what information I can find. Jo

Joanne The guidance for users of the FRC says that portable computers and audio dictation are permitted in certain areas; please ask the staff. Gen enquiries Tel number is 020-8392-5300 and email address is enquiry(at )pro(.)gov(.)uk. The PRO details say that you can use personal computers and tape recorders in most of the Reading Rooms. On your first visit to the PRO you need to register and produce a formal document (driving licence or cheque card). I found the PRO more formal and preferred BMD lookups at the FRC as I preferred using the indexes rather than sitting at a micro fiche viewer. IN the past certificates from teh FRC have only taken about 4 days but there was some sort of hold up last month and my certificates took 2 weeks.