A practical guide to researching your family tree
Ever looked at one of those old family photos and thought 'Hmm..I wonder who that is?' Researching your family history is one of the most fun and rewarding projects you will ever undertake but the task can be daunting and a little overwhelming especially if you only have limited information to start with. This is a beginners guide to explain the sources available to you and how to use them. You do not need fancy software but if you do store your records on a pc be sure to make a paper copy of of all your notes and documents. The main records you will need to become familiar with are BMD (Births,Marriages,Deaths) Indexes and Registers, Census Records and Parish Records as these will form the most accurate documentation of your research.
Getting Started
Even if you have some information it is worth verifying what you already know as it is good practice at searching records. Start by finding yourself on a BMD Index. Many websites offer searches of these indexes free but I find the Ancestry.co.uk website to be the most user friendly. When you have found your yourself make sure it is you by checking the district and the mothers maiden name. When you are satisfied you have the right entry copy the page no. and the vol no. as these form the basis of the GRO (General Register Office) Index Ref. Without supplying these numbers it will cost you more to order your certificate. When you have copied down all the information go to the GRO (General Register Office) Website www.gro.gov.uk. Other companies offer certificate ordering services but will charge you extra for searching the same BMD indexes and ordering from the same GRO so you may as well save money and do it yourself. You will have to fill in a certificate order form and provide you the index reference numbers. If you already have a coy of your full birth certificate you can still practise searching the free indexes. Your full Birth certificate will yield the following important information. Your Father and Mothers full name and where they were born. These will be the next people to search the BMD indexes for. Search for each of their births by name and location and try to narrow their births down to an approximate year. Most websites give you an option of searching with a radius of +/- 1,2,5,10 or 20 years so don't worry to much if you don't know the exact year and repeat the process of searching the indexes until you find them and copying down the GRO index numbers. Once you have their birth certificates you will have each of their parents names (your grandparents) and so on.etc.
For Comments and Questions Regarding the contents of this website and Enquiries on Research Services available please feel free to contact me using this form. I specialize in Genealogy for UK based enquiries but will offer advice to other enquiries
wherever I can.
