With the Internet there is no "abroad" with the obvious exception of records that have not been placed on the Internet. With ancestry.com, FindMyPast, My Heritage and familysearch.org plus newpapers and magazines on the internet and postings by people everywhere most problems can be resolved. Take an example of mine I recently resolved. Rolf Creasy was born in Ceylon. His parents were known but they seemed not to have him baptized. Using the newly published 1939 Index (hopefully) of everyone alive in England I easily found his birth day, month and year. No indication he was born in Ceylon however. Then back to the Internet and Lady Creasy gave birth to a boy (no name as was the custom then) on that exact day, 1 October 1863. Lady Creasy was married to Sir Edward Creasy. Full address given for the birth as Icicle Lodge, Colpetty, Colombo, Ceylon.