A step-by-step guide through your ancestry
Ordering Certificates
If you have searched a site such as FreeBMD and have located a GRO reference, you may order certificates from General Register Office, either through the website, or by post.
Birth certificate
A birth certificate will give you the names of the parents of a child. Mostly it will confirm what you already know, but sometimes it can take your family search in an entirely new direction.
Apart from establishing parents' names, the certificate contains other information useful for building your family tree:
- Full name of child.
- The Registration District.
- The names of both parents, as well as the maiden name of the mother.
- Profession of the father.
- Place of birth.
- Name and address of the informant (usually the mother or father).
Marriage certificate
Marriage certificates sometimes also provide additional names. As well as the date, place and Registration District, they contain the following information for each partner:
- Name and surname.
- Age.
- Marital status (condition).
- Profession.
- Address.
- Fathers' name and profession.
Often one or both of the witnesses are related to the bride or groom.
The ages of the parties can help you when searching indexes for birth certificates.
Death certificate
Similarly, ages on death certificates can help when trying to find birth records. Other information includes:
- Date.
- Name.
- Age at death.
- Occupation.
- Cause of death
- Name and address of informant.
One step at a time
HomeTalk to your family
Who else is looking for my family?
BMD Indexes
Census Records
Parish Registers
Certificates
Military Records
Wills and Probate Records
Irish Records
Passenger Lists
FREE local bmd, census,
parish registers and more
English Counties A - KEnglish Counties L - Z
Miscellaneous
A genealogical timeline200 years of the Census (pdf)
Who is my second cousin once removed?(pdf)
Genealogy Today
All Genealogy Sites Directory
Ancestor Search
