For information for anyone seeking BM&D certs in Dundee area, copy of article which appeared in Dundee Courier today, which you might find useful.
New system can key in to roots of family trees
By Brian Allison, local government reporter
RADICAL CHANGES to the system governing registration of births, deaths and marriages in Scotland are likely to increase the popularity of an already internationally used Dundee venture to help people to trace their family tree.
A new system of internet-based registration means that events registered in a local office are simultaneously recorded at New Register House in Edinburgh, ensuring a more secure, efficient and rapid transfer of information.
The system also provides a simpler and comprehensive means of storing and accessing the records of births, deaths and marriages in Scotland.
Digital Imaging of the Records of Scotland’s People (DIGROS) has involved scanning all birth, death and marriage records from 1855 and these are now available to registrars via a secure internet link.
Dundee’s city registrar Grant Law said the development had major implications for the service the department is able to offer.
“The Registrar’s Office in Dundee is now able to issue certificates of birth, death or marriage for any district in Scotland,” he said. “Prior to this new system certificates were only available from the local office where the event was registered or from the Registrar General in Edinburgh.
“All applications are now dealt with on a same-day basis at no extra charge, ensuring a faster and cheaper service for the citizens of Dundee.”
Mr Law outlined a further benefit of the DIGROS system in that it allows the registration staff to extend the genealogy service operated by the department.
“Members of the public in Dundee are able to commission a qualified registrar to conduct research into their family but, until recently, staff were restricted to research into families with a Dundee connection,” he said.
“The introduction of DIGROS has widened the scope of possible research and the registration staff are now able to compile family trees regardless of from where in Scotland the family hailed.”
Mr Law said the genealogy service had proved especially popular with descendents of Scottish families, particularly people now living in the United States, Canada and Australia.
“Many applicants have followed up the information received from this service by arranging to visit their ancestral home or for a family reunion.”
The service can be accessed online via the council’s website—www.dundeecity.gov.uk/registrars.
Happy hunting
Lesley
