Finding a birth certificate for your ancestor (post-1837)...

In 1837, the National Registration of births, marriages and deaths was introduced to England and Wales so "technically" if your ancestor was born, married or died after 1837 there should be a record to find for your ancestors...although some ancestors will always remain elusive.

There are numerous ways of finding records for your ancestors but I will focus this blog entry on the resources I regularly use for finding a birth certificate.

Finding a BIRTH certificate:
We are going to look for the birth entry of my great, great grandfather Frederick Sutcliffe.

Firstly we search for him in the censuses or talk to relatives to gain some basic information about his birth:

• born in the Barnsley area of West Yorkshire 
• aged 50 years old in 1911 (see below) so born approximately 1861

1911 census page of my great grandfather, Wilfred Sutcliffe with his parents and brother

Now we have gleamed these few vital facts we can go to the FreeBMD site and input this information to search a few years either side of the year of birth, using * as a wildcard just in case there are some spelling differences in the name.

FreeBMD site with the details of the search inserted

The results bring up many Fred or Frederick Sutcliffe or Sutcliff's births registered in the West Yorkshire area between the years of 1859 and 1863 but I am going to initially concentrate on those entries from the Barnsley district, which are:

• Frederick William SUTCLIFFE, Sept 1859, Volume 9c, Page 99
• Fred SUTCLIFFE, June 1860, Volume 9c, Page 121

Either of the above could be my ancestor, there are discrepancies with both names, one being Fred and the other being Frederick William. The latter entry is probably closest in age to the 1911 census form, but ages are often estimated on the censuses or were not accurately recorded.

The next step would be to order the certificates from the General Register Office (GRO) website, which cost £9.25 each and can take a few weeks to arrive through the post or you can pay £23.40 for PRIORITY in order to receive the certificate more quickly. (Due to the cost my preference would be to order one certificate at a time just in case the first one is the the one you want then you do not need to pay for two or do further research on the censuses to figure out which one is more likely to be your ancestor.)

To order a certificate you have to register with the site, have your credit card details to hand and would then need the following information from the FreeBMD search to order the certificate:

• Year birth registered 1860
• Surname at birth SUTCLIFFE
• Forename(s) Fred
• Quarter registered June
• District name BARNSLEY
• Volume number 9c
• Page number 121

A few weeks later a copy of the certificate will arrive through your door...

Official copy of the Birth Certificate of Fred Sutcliffe

Ordering the certificate tells you much more information about him and his parents. It gives the exact place of birth and his mother's maiden name, which can help your research go back much further.

NB It is unusual to find a person in the censuses listed as Frederick, registered at birth as just Fred. Usually it would be the other way around, they would be registered as Frederick but always known as Fred so listed as Fred on the censuses. This example just shows how names can vary in your searches and so to be open minded and knowledgable about nicknames and how names can be shortened.

Another NB After 1911 the mother's maiden name is listed in the register so it is much easier to pinpoint the correct birth if there are a few to choose from and you know the mother's maiden name. You could do a search only using the father's and mother's surnames using the registration county or district you know they resided in to find all the children to a specific set of parents without using the child's name.

Problems you may have in finding your ancestors:

• name misspelt or variations of spellings
• transcription errors
• registered under a name which the person was not called regularly....nicknames or middle names were used as a first name
• mixed up first names and surnames or middle and first names/surnames
• the birth, marriage or death was not registered

Useful websites: Ancestry - Birth, Death & Marriages, FindMyPast - Birth, Deaths & Marriages, The Genealogist, FreeBMD, GenesReunited - Birth, Marriage & Deaths...and many more.

Copyright © 2013 Ruth Hogan

Visit graveyards in your ancestors locality...

Ripley village church nr Harrogate in North Yorkshire

I love church graveyards.

You may think me quite strange but they're often so beautiful and peaceful and are a great place to sit and meditate for ten minutes or a few hours.

Church graveyards are adorned with carved headstones, flowers and often have large yew trees casting shadows over the stones. The stone church buildings are also usually beautifully decorated with gargoyles and stained glass windows.

I like wandering through churchyards looking at the information of the people who lived there before us. Who they were, what they did, how old were they when they died, who did they leave behind them...?

A large Yew tree in Ripley Churchyard

You can often pick out the richer members of the community with their large carved headstones or monuments, unless of course they're buried in a tomb inside the building.

From wandering through the graveyards you can figure out the common surnames within the community, or the families that have remained in the same place for many generations. You can find out information about the locality, was it agricultural, or whether there was a certain industry that took prominence?

The gravestones can tell you a lot about the people buried beneath them, such as:

• how much money they had...is there a headstone? is it big or is it small?
• their dates of death or burial
• who they are buried with which can shed light on their closer family members
• their dates of birth
• how the individual died
• who they left behind
• how old they were when they died
• their occupation
• what sort of person they were

Old photo of my ancestors grave (circa 1897)

Finding the final resting place of your forebearers can give you a real tingle down your spine. I often stand and reflect for a few minutes, imagining the other family relatives stood around this grave side at the time of the burial and also later to lay flowers on significant anniversaries.

There are various ways of helping you find the graves of your family:

• Searching through old paperwork to find newspaper cuttings, burial records, photos etc
• Visiting the village graveyard
• Searching online for an image or inscription, DeceasedOnline is a good website for this
• The Church or authorities which run the Cemetery will have a map of all the grave plots if you want to find someone and there is no headstone

REMEMBER: Not all graves have a headstone.

One of the graves I have sought out was that of my great, great grandparents, John and Jane Davidson nee Redwood, who's story you can read about in Chapters 7 & 8 on the Davidson page of this blog.

Same grave as above approximately 110 years on (2011)

My father had come across the above old photo of a grave when searching through his grandfather's papers many years ago and after asking a few questions he established that it was at Hedon Road cemetery in Hull.

A few years ago my father and I returned to Hull for his aunt's funeral and decided to visit the cemetery to find this grave. Thankfully the original photo helped us search out the grave by its shape and size.

The trees surrounding it are now much larger and the stone a little greener than they were at the time of the original photo but the wording can still be read as clearly as 100 years ago. It is amazing how well it still stands especially as the cemetery took a direct hit in World War Two during the Hull Blitz.

Since I found this grave I have been able to take some other relatives to this site and show them the place where their ancestors also lie, one of the cousins wanted to clean up the stone work so perhaps next time I visit there will be another photo of a cleaned headstone.

We know that John's son, Edward was also buried at the same grave yard and we have the paperwork (see below) with the number of the burial plot on it but have never found a headstone for him. One day I intend on visiting the local burial board to see if they can help me find the location of his grave.

Document of the purchase of a burial plot at Hedon Rd Cemetery, Hull

To finish off I would like to leave you with this photo of a grave I saw at Ripley in North Yorkshire, as an example of how gravestones and their inscriptions do not always stand up to the elements for years to come...

A weathered gravestone

Have you any stories to share about graves you have found? Thanks for reading...

Copyright © 2013 Ruth Hogan

How are they related? Part 2

Ok the chart I posted in How Are They Related? was fairly confusing and possibly not even that helpful but I have since figured out a better way to explain how you are related to someone with the diagram below:

I hope that the diagram is self-explanatory but if you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear them.

Copyright © 2013 Ruth Hogan

Comparing the Subscription sites...

In my previous blog posts I have mentioned the BIG SUBSCRIPTION sites quite a lot, as they're a resource I use a lot.

The chart below is a year old now but it may still be useful to those of you who're considering what subscription to get or even what site to subscribe to.

My advise would be to have a look at what records you might use for your research or records that you may find helpful.  For example if you know you had ancestors who moved to the colonies you may want a subscription to include the passenger lists and overseas records, in which case the best one may be the Ancestry Worldwide.

Please remember to leave your comments and feedback on the blog and feel free to suggest ideas for blog posts. Is there anything you would like to see here? Thanks for reading :)

Copyright © 2013 Ruth Hogan

Search the censuses!

Searching the censuses is a vital tool for researching your 18th and 19th century ancestors. It aids us in following our ancestors regularly throughout their lives rather than just at births, marriages and deaths.

The censuses can tell us:

• where our ancestors lived - the county, city, town, village, road or street and sometimes the exact house our ancestors resided in
• their age on the census day which can later help to finding their birth records
• their occupation - sometimes even whether they were employed or an employer
• who they lived with - immediate and extended family, did they have servants, were they living in a house where they worked?
• their marital status
• the town, city or village where they were born

The first National Census was taken on the 10th March 1801 and has been repeated every ten years ever since, except in 1941 when Britain was at war.

The dates and information obtained by each census are described below:

From 1801 to 1831 the census only included the names of the heads of each household. Few of the records survive and even fewer are available to search online.
1801 - 10th March - First national census
1811 - 27th May
1821 - 28th May
1831 - 29th May

1841 - 6th June - The first useful census, as it names all individuals and not just the heads of the households. Seamen away at sea were still not enumerated.
They also now recorded:

• Addresses
• Genders
• Ages rounded to the nearest five years if you were aged over fifteen years old
• Occupation
• Whether the person was born in the same county that they were presently residing in.

1841 census returns for The Queen at Buckingham Palace

1851 - 30th March
Seamen were now enumerated on the census night, although they were enumerated seperately from the normal house dwelling individuals.
New questions that were asked:

• Exact place of birth
• If any individuals had disabilites such as deafness, blindness or dumb
• Relationship to the head of household

1851 Census returns for Charlotte Bronte

1861 - 7th April
1871 - 2nd April
1881 - 3rd April - can be searched for FREE at many websites (see below for more details).
The census questions did not change much for forty years, so the above censuses are all very similar to the 1851 census.

1891 - 5th April
In 1891:

• Employment status was added
• Language spoken outside England (Scotland & Wales) was added

1901 - 31st March

• The question how many rooms are occupied in the house, if less than five.

1901 census returns for Beatrix Potter

1911 - 2nd April
In 1911:

• Suffragettes refused to give their details
• Nationality was added
• The duration of a couple's marriage was recorded
• The number of children born within that marriage along with the number of children still living and how many had died.
• Each household page was personally signed by the head of the household.

1911 census for Winston Churchill's household

1921 - 19th June
Is not yet searchable online but is due to be released in 2022.

1931 - 26th April
Destroyed during WW2

1941 - None
No census was taken due to Britain being in the midst of WW2.
On 29th September 1939 a register for England and Wales was taken so National Identity cards could be issued. (1939 National Register)

1951 - 8th April
1961 - 23rd April
1971 - 25th April
1981 - 5th April
1991 - 21st April
2001 - 29th April
2011 - 27th March
These more recent censuses will not be available to search for quite some time yet, as these records are closed for 100 years.


How to use the censuses for FREE!

• Censuses can be searched FREE at FreeCen
• The 1881 census can be searched for FREE at FamilySearch and also at many of the big subscription sites (Ancestry, FindMyPast etc) although you may need to register with the sites.
• Many local libraries offer FREE access to the censuses from their computers, see Join Your Local Library....

What are the differences between the websites?

• At FindMyPast and TheGenealogist you can search the databases by address as well as name.
• Ancestry and TheGenealogist offers a keyword search, eg searching an occupation without having to use a name, or a place without a name
• FreeCen is free but unfortunately not all the parishes are transcribed yet.
• Cost as well is a big difference between the subscription sites, but depending on what other things you may want to search might help you choose which site to subscribe to. The different sites all offer more than just the censuses from parish records to wills or occupational records from different places around the country or World.

Common problems when searching the censuses:

• Spelling mistakes.
• Transcription errors.
• People gave mis-information to hide their age or marital statuses.
• Your ancestors may have been hiding their identity with a different name, age or place of birth.
• Giving maiden names instead of married names.
• Nicknames were given, some common nicknames are: Polly for Mary Ann, Bill for William, Sandy for Alexander, Harry for Henry, Hamish or Seamus can be written as James and many more...thats an idea for a future blog post so watch this space. :)

Please remember to FOLLOW ME, if you like what you're reading and want more advise about searching your family tree. I would also love to hear from you with your feedback and comments.

For more information about the different censuses take a look at the 1911 Census website.
Some of the information is from an article Your Family Tree magazine November 2012 issue.

Copyright © 2013 Ruth Hogan

How are they related?

When I am talking to people about my family tree, I get so confused about how different people are related. It confuses me enough how people are related to me, never mind how someone is related to another person!

I saw this and thought it is quite useful to use when trying to work out how people are related:

From FindMyPast's Facebook page 

Two quick examples:

1) What is the relationship between my first cousin's sons and myself?
Using the instructions:

1. Our common relative is my grandparents, but to them it would be their great-grandparents.
2. I am my grandparents, granddaughter so on the top row I find granddaughter/son (Column 3)
3. They are their great-grandparents, great grandsons so down the side I find great-grandson/daughter (Row 4).
4. Move across from Row 4 and down Column 3 until they cross, this box is my relationship with my cousins sons which is FIRST COUSIN ONCE REMOVED.

2) How is my father (a) related to MY great grandmother's brother's grandson (b)?

Using the instructions:

1. The common relative is (a)'s great grandparents and (b)'s great grandparents.
2. Find great-grandson on the top row (Column 4)
3. Find great-grandson on the left side (Row 4)
4. Move across Row 4 & Column 4 until they cross, this box is their relationship which is SECOND COUSIN. 

Copyright © 2013 Ruth Hogan

Subscribe to a Family History magazine...

I have subscriptions to both Your Family Tree and the BBC Who Do You Think You Are? magazines. I have bought other ones as well in the past but these are the two I find the most helpful and interesting. Sometimes if I see another Family History magazine in the shops with something interesting to my research on the front cover I will buy it, but the above magazines are definitely my favourites, both are really good magazines and I like them for different reasons.

A few months ago, I was reading my copy of the Your Family Tree magazine and there was a really interesting letter from someone who had been struggling to research their Royal Marines ancestors in the early 1800's to 1850's. The letter and the expert advise response gripped me, as I have also hit several brick walls in researching my great, great, great, great grandfather, John Davidson, who was in the Royal Marines. (See my Davidson Page, Chapter 1 for my information about John Davidson) The letter was asking similar questions I had and the expert advise in the response was spot on and has opened up some avenues for me to look into. The only problem is to see the records I need to get myself down to The National Archives in Kew, London, which I do intend on doing one day soon!

Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich c1900
(Image link: www.wikipedia.org, Author: Calsicol, 12 July 2005, accessed 15 Feb 2014)

My favourite parts of the magazines are:

• the letters
• the Q&A or Ask the Expert sections, where you can write in with your brick walls for expert advise - its surprising how often there is someone else out there asking the same questions as yourself
• the readers own interesting stories about their ancestors
• special articles, giving a minefield of tips to help your research and knowledge about general history - what was happening where in the world, what was life like for our ancestors

The most useful parts of the magazines are:

• News - especially about new records being released online
• County information - each month they focus on a county and if its a county of interest to me then its very valuable information
• Book, website, TV, software etc reviews
• The extra freebie downloads
• All the tips your pick up from reading the magazines

Copyright © 2013 Ruth Hogan