Genealogy Chat

When you start researching your family history, you can't possibly get all the certificates you need at once, unless you've won the lottery! But it is worth keeping a list of the ones you might get one day, and then when your frenzy of certificate-ordering has died down, start ordering those not-so-important ones one or two at a time. I've just received the death certificate of a baby, which I assumed would tell me nothing new except what he died of, and it turned out the 'informant' on the cert was his great-aunt (giving her address), which solved a couple of mysteries! Now I have to decide which one to order next... Kate.

I have thirty two to get - but I just can't afford it at the moment! Maybe just three would suffice for now - my grandads birth, because I know nothing and a couple of marriages,- the rest will have to wait for now, but one day..... Lisa

Isn't it great when you get a bonus like that? Mopping up some boring deaths, where I already had burials and/or wills, I found: 1 probable suicide 1 heart attack at home, doctor called out 1 heart attack in a police court during a case for assault All reported at length in the newspapers. As these were all deaths in the 1800s, no trickle of rumours had survived.

I had a family that I could not find on the 1901 census but when I got the Birth cert for the baby it had an address which when I looked up found they were all living there under a completely different surname, obviously hiding from the Rent Man.

Have had so many various dates given by living members of the family that getting any certificates was necessary, as I can't really afford them at the moment I've been getting family members to photocopy the ones they do have and pass them on, at least I won't have to worry about them for a while.

Joanne Those certificates are worth more than a dozen from the GRO. Either they are the originals, so you can see registrar/vicar's handwriting. Or they were acquired for a purpose, and that's important too. I'm trying not to envy you as I only have a handful of original certificates.

I have made the decision to only get the certificates for my direct ancestors, but there is a mystery or something interesting, or clarification needed on anyone else. - Look at me making excuses to buy more! I have been lucky enough to find some of my distant relatives on here, and we have swapped certificates so building them up that way too. It would be nice to have them all, but at the moment with them being either £7 or £11, its just not feasible. I read that there are plans to digitise ceritificates for the internet, so hopefully will make them more accessible. Its nice to have the documents to be able to pass on one day too. Such a hard decision what to and not to order. Think its all down to the ancestor / relative and if their is any intrigue.

Its a great shame that these things arentgiven to you til often after a death. I wish years ago I had checked out all the old biscuit tins kept in my elderly rellies cupboards. We tend to forget that nowdays we get tons of correspondence and try to bin as much as possible. Back in those days letters and pieces of written information were pretty rare in their lives and were kept. Going through a biscuit tin we found in the attic after my dear dad died in October I found his RAF release papers after the war with so many glowing reports on him plus even a little school report given to him as a reference for his very first job when he was only about 13 in 1927. It was a lovely report and so, so much like the dad I knew. One line stood out for me, 'Richard is a great sportsman and he takes his laudable attitude of fair and enthusiastic sportsmanship into his every day conduct'. Isnt that lovely.

Ooh, how lovely Heather!! Good old dad, eh? I have lots of original certs from my hoarding ancestors.....(jealous??!!!) Inc from my Quaker ancestors. Quakers first made birth certs in the late 1600's and I have one original from 1794 and several between 1820 and 1830....also some marriage certs inc two from early 1800's - they measure about 1x2 feet and have the sigs of EVERYONE who attended the wedding! Merry

Yes Merry, we are jealous. Gawd, every one at the wedding, what a coup that would be.

Yes Merry, definately jelous!! although I did manage to find who went to my grt grt grandads wedding after finding a newspaper clipping in my Gran's papers. Unlike the newspapers today it told me what the bride was wearing and all that attended. I also found one for his funeral- which told me what people had written on the flowers, and what the coffin looked like.- Who's jelous now!! :o)

OMG - how exciting - no wonder your name is Merry LOL. Those are truly things to treasure... I only have a few original certs - some were passed through the family on deaths, others were given to me by rellies before they died etc. Not sure how you all organise your Certificate Orders List - but I have set up a table done in Word with various columns and headings going across the top of: Name/Quarter/Year/District/Vol/Page/Ordered on/Received I do about 2 or 3 pages of blank rows for BIRTHS for each family suname I'm researching, the same for DEATHS and MARRIAGES. So, each family surname has a section made up of all three cert types. Then, whenever I am researching their BMDs online and find one, I add it into the table in the right place...and whenever I can afford to buy one, I just look on the list, choose the one I want to get, write in the date I ordered it and then tick it off once it's received. I have already ordered approx 200 certs since I started almost 2 years ago - and my Table of Certs to Order is still running at 15 pages long!!! It's a good way to keep organised, though. Leah

I wouldn't dare count mine!! Might have to go and lie down!! Merry

My gawd Leah, thats a bit organised isnt it. Like Merry, Im frightened to count them, they probably add up to a decent holiday in Barbados

LOL - I know...it's shocking when you realise just how much you've spent on certs. I was going mad to begin with - ordering £100 - £150 worth every month!! Have eased off a bit now - and limiting myself to 2 or 3 a month because I used up a lot of my savings! I kept consoling myself with the fact that I didn't smoke, drink or gamble so this was my little 'treat' LOL. Leah