Certificates from GRO

[br2az04]

I have been stuck until i receive my certificates. I am waiting on 14.

That will give me a grand total of 33. Only about 120 to go. This is going to be pretty expensive.

Has anyone got every certificate available for the respective family?

[Headbanger Veron]

No! I'd be bankrupt! I only buy a certificate when I absolutely have to, and I make as sure as I possibly can that I have the index reference correct first. You can often work quite a lot out by making educated guesses and studying census info before you shell out your £7, even if there are quite a number of records which could be yours.

You can also work out a lot of things by studying census info in cunjunction with BMD index info, and putting two and two together from any other free sources - you may find yourself lacking only the actual date of an event rather than any of the more vital info, so you don't then have to buy the certificate unless you really want it.

Veron 

[kerryb]

I agree with Veron, I too would be bankrupt if I bought every certificate I wanted.  I just buy the ones that will give me a further step in my research or a clue.

I had a really sad one this week, the death of Martha Hall aged 36 from Typhus fever a week before her last child was baptised.   I ordered to find out when she was born, I could not find a baptism for her, why? because I assumed she was the same age as her husband, she wasn't she was actually 16 years his junior.

Sometimes certs come in useful!

Kerry

[br2az04]

I have gone full out ordering the certs but as you both said it is very costly so i am probably going to cut back to maybe two a week.

I know they are not stictly needed all of the time but you can also find out interesting fact esspecially from the death certs. My Great Grandmother died from leukemia (even though on her headstone it said she died in her sleep)

I have gone back seven generations including myself. The last generation were all born in the very early 1800's. i cannot see me going back further than that as i am too lazy to search church records. If they are ever transcribed and put online i might.

[kerryb]

I've only been to local records office twice but I actually found it a lot of fun searching through parish registers, some of what is written is quite funny and it is quite exciting when you find what you are looking for.

As Jane Horrocks said on WDYTYA, I felt like Miss Marple!

Kerry

[Headbanger Veron]

Yes I agree with you Kerry, it's a real booster seeing the actual handwriting of your remote ancestor. I like playing detective too!

Veron

[MaryA]

If it's possible to search the Parish Registers even in more recent years when the GRO certificates are available, it has the added bonus of only costing 20p/30p for a photocopy and giving the same information as the certs.

Mary

[br2az04]

I know this probably sounds stupid but where would the records be kept for churches in St Pancras

[Shaztoni]

I only get the ones I need to get the next lead, usually a birth cert that will give me the mothers maiden name, one day when I have the funds though I would like to get them all but if I have two and a half certs for each ancestor and about 100 ancestors at £7 a pop that works out as £1750.

Sharon