Family Historical Searches
If you are just starting to research your family’s history you
might be wondering where to begin.
This section outlines the many ways you can get started in your
search, from how to obtain information from register entries of
births, stillbirths, deaths, marriages, and civil partnerships,
Census returns and Parish records to other useful contacts.
Births, deaths, and marriages only started being recorded by the
government in 1837 – this is known as Civil Registration. To trace
your family back to previous centuries you will need to look at
Parish Records and Census Returns.
How to trace your family tree
There are many ways you can get started searching your family
history. One of the best places to start is by asking older
relatives – Older generations of family are a great source of
information as are family records such as the family Bible,
photograph albums, diaries and relevant newspaper cuttings.
Birth Certificates
Birth certificates are a good place to begin searching your
family tree and if you only have limited information regarding your
parents, then you can begin with your own birth certificate.
Marriage Certificates
Marriage certificates can sometimes be even better as they often
show not only the couples’ names, but also the names of their
fathers and their professions.
What information is recorded on certificates?
All standard birth, death and marriage certificates (full copies
of a register entry) are an exact copy of the details recorded in
the register.
A Standard Birth Certificate should have the following details
recorded
- Date and place of birth
- Child’s full name and sex
- Names of both parents (if entered in the register)
- Parent’s address
- Maiden surname of child’s mother (if applicable)
A Marriage Certificate should have the following details
recorded
- Date and place of the marriage
- Full names of bride and groom
- Ages and occupations of the bride and groom
- The address of both parties at the time of the marriage
- The name, surname and occupation of both their fathers (if
entered in the register)
A Death Certificate should have the following details
recorded
- Date and place of death
- Maiden surname of a woman (if applicable)
- Either the age at time of death or date and place of birth
- Last occupation held and address of deceased (if a married or
widowed lady, her husband’s name and surname
- Name and surname of person who registered the death including
their relationship to the deceased
- Cause of death