Genealogy Chat

I seem to remember a tip concerning FreeBMD in which someone said that if you if you found your relatives birth you could type in vol and page number of registration plus their surname and provided they stayed in the same district you would get their siblings. I have just done this with Thomas Glover Simpson 1c /563. Can then I assume that the one person I had come up Emily Sarah Simpson 1872 is his sister. UPDATE: They were brother and sister. It was the breakthrough I had been looking for. I found them together on the 1881 census with their mother. With help from Lucy she gave me a Fathers name in the 1891 census (where he was in 1881 is still a mystery) From there I went on family search and have gone back another 2 generations thanks to Jan's IGI batch search tips. What a team effort. Think I will have a lie down now!!!!

You're a Genius!! I think?? I've just tested this by checking the refs of 3 relatives, Gt Gt Grandfather and his brother and sister. Gt Gt G'father was born in 1901, his sister in 1899 and the eldest brother was born around 1895 and was illegitimate and has the mothers surname. They all had the same volume and page number, so I did a search on that and it did list all the dates and those 3 children. Apparently, my Gt Gt G'father did have other siblings and the list went upto 1907 but unfortunately no surnames matched up. Would be interested to know about this, as there are others with the same surname born around that time, I have found on freebmd and always thought could be siblings, but when I did THIS search, they didn't come up. Very interesting, but I'm still not sure what the answer is!! Sarah

I dont think this does work. I just tried it, George Scott volume 4a page 170. None of his siblings come up, and a couple of them I would definately know as I found them on 1937online. Maybe this is not concrete or maybe it just didnt work for me as not all of his siblings has been added yet.

Try it leaving the page number off and just putting in the surname, district and volume. Zoe

I have been trying to match Thomas up on the 1881 Census, but having no parents or other clues apart from his age he could have been one of many. By using the above means I have found an Emily Sarah 1872 and Thomas 1968 living with their mother. I am pretty sure it is him. But just maybe I will have to send off for his birth cerificate before I add them to my tree.

Dunno if I've done it right but I tried it and it came back with that person and one of her cousins. So how exactly do you do it? Sue

Zoe, I left the page number off as you suggest and came back with 67 entries, and it's not a particularly common name! Sue

I'm about to send off for the five births I get up in this manner. i already know that four of them are brothers'sisters from the 1901 census but the stray is a 1905. Fortunately having an unusual surname I know shes mine somehow - but she does seem to have been born very late for my poor gg Gran who would have been 53 by then. I'll let you all know if it works out to be a good theory or it just happend to be coincidence. Zoe

Susan, ooops. Sorry. I guess maybe this theory hasn't proved to work. What a shame - how much easier would life have been. Zoe

Zoe If it is that unusual a surname and in same area , so you are sure she links in somehow - rather than a late birth for your gg gran , it is probably a daughter having an illegitimate child. As for the first poster I don't think you can necessarily assume brother and sister unless you find them on a census. They could just be cousins living in same area. Only way to be sure is to order birth certificates

Nina. Now I'm even MORE keen to get hold of the certs - I love a bit of family scandal ;o) Zoe

Nina, I have matched them on the 1881 census. Their mother is down as married. No sign of a husband. Could be working away of course, but as she is living on her own means I think they must be separated. Another mystery to sort out! Shirley.

Are you sure you aren't thinking of the IGI Batch numbers? If you find a Batch number reference on Family Search under the IGI listing for a birth which gives the parents names, and click on that, you then put just the surname, and the parents names in the appropriate boxes, and then all the siblings registered in the same district will appear by magic. I don't think the BMD theory works, because some time ago I did a search using just a surname, county and parish, and a long list of names appeared, definitely not all siblings. All the Vols were shown as 3b, except for one which was 14. The one on Vol 14 was brother to two others on Vol 3b. Jan.

Hi If you type the vol and area code that will turn up all the people with that surname in that area. Not necessarily siblings. The pages input by transcribers for FreeBMD are typed/scanned or fiched copies of the register. The names are in alphabetical order and the registers are in four quarters for each year. So the page number will change depending on the number of events for each name (clear as mud?). Mind you it's a good starting point to type in the vol no and see what you find esp if you're researching an uncommon name. The IGI (see Hugh Wallis's BRILLIANT site) will give you the names and parents of events in a particular church.This tails off during the late 19th c and not all parishes are on there. This is quite a good way of spotting relations but each one still needs to be confirmed especially since families seem to have a wonderful habit of calling their children the same names! Hope this helps A

Back again, it doesn't appear to work. I've been off doing tea and things. I tried it again after with another branch of the family where I know 4 children were born in the same district and it didn't bring the siblings up. Also checking my notes, they have different ref numbers too. But like most people are saying, if it is a reasonably rare name, then I suppose you would find a connection whether it be brother, sister or cousin whatever. Sorry but my balloons popped!!