Found under a Gooseberry Bush? Looking for missing births and baptisms Dr Janet Few
Aim To help you find the birth or baptism of your elusive ancestors
After 1837 Before 1837 Too many possibilities
After 1837 1st July 1837
After 1837 Birth Certificate
After 1837 Birth Certificate
After 1837 Birth Certificate
After 1837 Birth Certificate
After 1837 Birth Certificate
After 1837 Birth Certificate
After 1837 Birth Certificate
After 1837 Birth Certificate
Obtaining a Birth Certificate Family Possession Free You’ve got the right one Another Researcher Local Register Office Using the GRO Indexes General Register Office Local Register Office
Local Register Office Need to know where and roughly when event took place Internet search/telephone directory for address or ask own local register office £10 Can ask supplementary questions Don’t give too much information GRO reference numbers are meaningless Will be more ‘original’
General Register Office Use GRO indexes either to find location or date so can order via local registrar OR To order certificate directly from GRO www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/ Cheaper pdf copies for genealogical purposes £7
General Register Office www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/
General Register Office www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/ Maiden name of mother for all births Find short-lived siblings
General Register Office Name Year Quarter of registration N.B. 6 week delay Registration district Covers several parishes Unexpected names West Derby = Liverpool Volume Page Dec Q 1852 Torrington IX 104 March Q 1853 Bideford 5b 508
General Register Office Index
General Register Office Index Mother’s maiden name in index from Sept Q 1911
Finding a Reference Number Free BMD http://freebmd.rootsweb.com Free Near complete High level of accuracy Are images of actual indexes Allows most flexible searching
Free BMD
Free BMD Can use * (even for initial letter) or
Free BMD Only one initially Will automatically include 2 nd names and some alternatives
Free BMD Useless before Sept 1911 – use sparingly
Free BMD Don’t use for births
Free BMD Registration date Remember 6 week delay
Free BMD One or the other
Free BMD
Free BMD
Other Options for Indexes www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/ Free Complete www.findmypast.co.uk www.ancestry.co.uk www.thegenealogist.co.uk Subscription or pay per view Complete Indexing errors Try more than one
Other Options for Indexes Several counties and registration districts have complete free online indexes - see www.ukbmd.org.uk
Why Can’t I find Them? Spelling wrong Date wrong Place wrong Wrong forename Wrong surname Mis-indexed Mis-registered Not registered
Why Can’t I find Them? Spelling wrong Mis-heard or mis-read? Ask others to write the spoken surname Try accents! Note commonly confused capitals L S T Use wildcards
Why Can’t I find Them? Date wrong Widen date search Use as many other sources as possible to estimate date of birth Remember late registration
Estimating a Birth Date 27 when married 20 th Dec 1874 Born – 21st Dec 1846-20th Dec 1847 43 in 1891 census – 30 th March Born 31st March 1847-30th March 1848 73 when died – 15 th July 1921 Born 16th July 1847-15th July 1848 Born 16 th July 1847-20 th Dec 1847 Sep Q 1847 – Mar Q 1848
Why Can’t I find Them? Place wrong Check as many censuses birth places as possible Widen search Try home of mother Were they away from home? Were they overseas? GRO miscellaneous indexes for births at sea etc Changing county boundaries
Why Can’t I find Them? Wrong forename Look at other sources for clues Reverse forenames Consider nicknames Polly = Mary Ann Jenny = Jane Remember Male and Female registrations Search with surname only
Why Can’t I find Them? Wrong surname Look at other sources for clues Consider mother’s maiden name if known Search without a surname
Why Can’t I find Them? Mis-indexed Will depend on degree of error You are using an index of an index Try several indexes Try local registrar
Why Can’t I find Them? Mis-registered Will depend on degree of error Order from local registrar with supplementary information
Why Can’t I find Them? Not registered Try other sources
Other Sources Family information Census returns The wife of the head of the household is not necessarily the mother of his child Baptism Will Obituary Certificate of full sibling
Before 1837 Registers of Baptism May be a long time after the birth No standard information until 1813 Anglican or non-conformist?
Baptism Registers Pre 1813 No standard information 1813 onwards Anglican baptisms give date of baptism, name of child, names of parents (very rarely give mother’s maiden name), abode, father’s occupation Non-conformist baptisms often more detailed
1813-1837
1813-1837
1813-1837
1813-1837
1813-1837
1813-1837
Before 1813
Dade Registers for some Northern Counties 1777-1812 Date of Birth
Dade Registers for some Northern Counties 1777-1812 Position in Family
Dade Registers for some Northern Counties 1777-1812 Mother’s Maiden Name
Dade Registers for some Northern Counties 1777-1812 Parents’ Parishes of Origin
Finding a Baptism Record Always aim to have sight of the original entry be it a digital image, on film, or the actual register
Finding a Baptism Record In Family Records In the Church In the Local Record Office Online
Finding a Baptism Record In Family Records
Finding a Baptism Record In the Church Rare May Charge
Finding a Baptism Record In the Local Record Office Be aware of what survives for your area Phillimore’s Atlas and Index of Parish Registers www.genuki.org.uk Local Record Office website or catalogue Remember possibility of gaps in registers Commonwealth Gap 1645-1660
Finding a Baptism Record In the Local Record Office May need an appointment Will probably need to use microfilm or microfiche May need online index first to locate parish May use transcripts initially
Finding a Baptism Record Online https://familysearch.org Good but not complete coverage Free but contains errors Limited access to original records Subscription website Paid, incomplete coverage, errors
Finding a Baptism Record Online http://dustydocs.com/ Links to free websites for British parish registers www.genuki.org.uk Online Parish Clerks www.freereg.org.uk/ Specific County or parish sites http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/EssexAncesto rs.aspx
Family Search www.familysearch.org/search/ Less is more Change one element at a time Beware of errors Search for children of a couple Search by batch number http:www.genuki.org.uk/big/ FindingBatchNos.html
Non-conformist Registers Local Church or Chapel County Record Office The National Archives Made accessible online by www.thegenealogist.co.uk via www.bmdregisters.co.uk
Too Many Possibles Revisit other information Look for infant deaths Kill off later in life Look for them marrying the wrong person but be aware of second or bigamous marriages Trace all for possible link Other sources
I Still Can’t Find Them Revisit existing information Try other sources
Other Sources https://discovery.nationalarchives. gov.uk Wills Obituaries Memorial inscriptions Service records Leases Court records Apprenticeship indentures
I Still Can’t Find Them Hire an expert They may come to the same conclusions as you Trace another line while you wait for new developments
Thank You You have been listening to The History Interpreter www.historyinterpreter.wordpress.com @JanetFew
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