Certificate advice - Sorted Thanks lovely peeps

[vinpip]

Hi
I just need a bit of advice  and your opinions please.

Being on a very limited budget, which certificate - Marriage or Birth - will help most in tracing a line backwards when very little info is known about a family?

I know the marriage and birth details of a couple but I do not know their parents, apart from their surname. I don't want to buy all 3 certificates and I do enjoy the search and elimination process.

What do you all do?

Thanks vinpip x

[josey]

I would say in the first instance & depending on circumstances, the marriage certificate is most useful - it should give both fathers' names & occupations + abode of both parties + witnesses who may be siblings. This can allow you to tackle the censuses.

However, depending on the date, the parish records may have been scanned by, say, ancestry & all those details are there & a certificate not be necessary to obtain those details. 

What's the date of the marriage & do you know where?

[vinpip]

The Marriage is 1948 in Birmingham.

Thanks for your advice and response

[josey]

OK, so too recent for parish records  . And perhaps too recent to be able to connect back to censuses; the couple were probably born in the mid 1920s. Also too recent [unless you know he/she/they are deceased] for you to mention their names here.

From what you say, there is no-one around/alive/willing who can be asked for further information? Have you tried a search of their names on this site/ancestry/google? Surprising what that can turn up.

[KGarrad]

Do you know when the couple were born?

A search on FreeBMD will show Mother's Maiden Name, if the birth is after 1911.
From that you search for a marriage with both surnames?

[dawnsh]

The Midlands Electoral Registers are online at Ancestry.

This could be useful if the bride and groom were over 21 at the time of the marriage.

[vinpip]

josey
It's difficult without census and parish records isn't it! I agree it's too recent to post details. I've looked up on anc. & FindMyPast but a bit ambiguous results. Thank you for your advice  and I think a marriage cert would be the way to go if I have to buy anything.

kGarrad
I do know their birth dates. Freebmd - yes I've just done it and come up trumps thank you I forget to look there as I have subs to anc & FindMyPast - it certainly is a lot clearer and simpler.

dawnsh
Thanks for that - I shall have a look there

Thank you all very much you are such a great help <3

[nanny jan]

Just in case you don't know......the cheapest place for certificates is GRO:

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/

£9.25 and arrive within 7-10 days.


Nanny Jan