Who Do You Think You Are? Encyclopedia of Genealogy: The definitive reference guide to tracing your family history

• Military indexes 1761–1924 regimental births

• Military indexes 1796–1880 chaplains’ returns of births, marriages and deaths

• Military indexes 1881–1955 army births, marriages and deaths

• Military indexes 1956–65 army, navy, RAF births and marriages

• War deaths 1899–1948

In addition, there are separate consular records for people who were baptized or married or whose death was recorded at a British embassy or consulate. These records are predominantly held at The National Archives in a variety of record series. For a full list of countries covered, and where the records are stored, you should consult The British Overseas: a guide to records of their births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials available in the United Kingdom (3rd edition, 1994) published by Guildhall Library. Further information is likely to be held in consular correspondence, which is also held at The National Archives in series FO 83 and FO 97, with an index available in document FO 802/239. Records of non-statutory registers, many of which relate to births overseas and on board ships, can be found in the collected archives of the Registrar General at The National Archives in series RG 32–36.

Civil Registration in Scotland

Scotland has its own civil registration process, and the records are known as Statutory Registers. Civil registration was begun slightly later than in England and Wales, in 1855, but the certificates are more detailed then their counterparts across the border. Indeed, the earliest ones in 1855 are particularly detailed, though the sheer amount of information requested proved very difficult to record and thereafter the list of questions was simplified somewhat.

Additionally, the civil registration records are held in the same place as the parish records, in the General Register Office of Scotland (GROS) in Edinburgh. It is therefore possible to conduct a large amount of your genealogical research in the same place, which can simplify things greatly. The GROS levies charges for anybody using their services. These charges vary depending on whether you wish to visit the office for one day, one week or annually. At time of going to print the daily rate is £17 and the weekly rate £65. It is also advisable to book an appointment before visiting as there are only a limited number of spaces and the office may be fully booked.

Another advantage that the Scottish records have is that the indexes are fully computerized, which means you can search for a specific entry by name across the entire period. The computer database contains summaries of microfiche registers that contain the entire entry, and this latter entry is the one required for ordering copies of the certificates at GROS.

Birth Certificates

Birth indexes include the mother’s maiden name from 1929 onwards. The certificates themselves are similar to the English and Welsh certificates in giving the full name, the child’s sex, when and where (including time) they were born, the father’s full name and occupation along with the mother’s name (and maiden name), and similar details are provided relating to the registration details. However, where Scottish birth certificates differ is that they provide the details (time and place) of the marriage of the parents, including any other married names. In 1855 the certificates also stated the birth details of the parents along with details of other siblings, but this was quickly deemed too much information and was not given from 1856 onwards. The years 1856 to 1860 do not give marriage details of the parents either.

Marriage Certificates

Indexes are arranged separately by bride and groom. However, from 1855 to 1863 and then from 1929 you can find entries for brides in both their maiden names and their married names. The certificates themselves also note where and when the marriage took place, the type of marriage ceremony, full names, ages, marital status and occupation of the bride and groom. The additional details peculiar to Scottish certificates are the occupation and maiden names of the mother of each party. In 1855 only the certificates also state where the bride and groom were born and any previous marriage (along with names of any other children from the previous marriage).

Death Certificates

The indexes for these certificates are arranged thus:

• Age at death is provided from 1866 onwards

• The maiden name of the deceased’s mother from 1974 onwards

• Deceased married women are indexed by their married and maiden name after 1858

The registers themselves detail the name, age, exact time and location of death, the person’s occupation and their marital status. Medical causes of death are also provided. Scottish certificates give the name of the deceased’s spouse from 1861 (and in 1855) and the names of the deceased’s parents (including the mother’s maiden name). The earliest certificates of 1855 state where the deceased was born and how long they lived there, along with the details of any children (their ages and if they were still alive). From 1855 to 1860 burial details of the deceased are also provided.

Other Hints

There is a central website – www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk – that allows you to search by name the statutory registers of births (1855–1906), marriages (1855–1931) and deaths (1855–1956), as well as the old parish registers (which are covered in Chapter 7 (#ub70b92e7-f549-5fe0-ae17-f472861d772c)). You can search and download images of these registers for this period without needing to travel to the GROS in Edinburgh, although the website does charge to access this information.

The Society of Genealogists holds copies of indexes for Scottish statutory registers for the years 1855 to 1920. You may also be able to find indexes at various local family history societies.

Civil Registration in Ireland

Although civil registration for Protestant marriages began from 1 April 1845, the comprehensive civil registration of births, marriages and deaths was introduced to Ireland later, on 1 January 1864, on a similar model to that of England and Wales. These events would be recorded locally at the district registrar’s office and then copies passed on to the General Register Office in Dublin. However, in 1922 the country was partitioned and divided into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Subsequently, civil registration was also divided between those two territories and a separate office was opened in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Republic of Ireland General Register Office

The General Register Office of Ireland (GROI) is located in Dublin and houses the national indexes along with microfilm copies of the originals for the entire country from 1 January 1864 until 31 December 1921. It also has the copies of all the early Protestant marriages, which were recorded from 1 April 1845. From 1 January 1922 the office records all events that occurred in the Republic of Ireland. You will be charged to search through the indexes and a further charge will be incurred for ordering any certified copies of the registers.

‘Comprehensive civil registration was only introduced in Ireland in 1864.’

Birth Indexes

The indexes are arranged alphabetically by the child’s surname and then forename. After 1902 the mother’s maiden name is included in the indexes. The actual date of birth of the child can be found in the indexes from 1903 to 1927.

Marriage Indexes

The indexes are arranged by name of both the bride and groom. The registers themselves contain the same information as to be found on the English and Welsh certificates.

Death Indexes

The age of the deceased is included in the indexes. There is no date of birth of the deceased in the modern registers. All other details tally with the information found on English and Welsh certificates.

General Register Office of Northern Ireland

Civil registration records are housed in the General Register Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI), Belfast, for all events in the six counties of Northern Ireland since 1922. The original registers for births and deaths from 1864 can also be found here.

Birth Indexes

Births are indexed in this office. From 1903 to 1921 the date of birth of the child is also provided. They are arranged in a similar manner to those for England and Wales.

Marriage Indexes

Marriages are only to be found from 1922 onwards. Prior to that, if you are searching for a marriage in the six counties you may be able to find it in the applicable district registrar’s office.

Death Indexes

You can find records covering the entire period since 1864, and they are arranged in a similar manner to those for England and Wales.

CHAPTER 6 (#ulink_ab675600-4949-5b56-ba36-82639a8afd63)

Census Returns (#ulink_ab675600-4949-5b56-ba36-82639a8afd63)

Along with civil registration certificates, census returns are the other vital genealogical source for tracing people in the nineteenth century. Since they cover an entire household at a time, they enable you to extend and broaden your family tree to include the extended family. This chapter will explain what census records are, what they contain, how to find them and extract their information, and various ways of using this data to start other lines of research.

Although there had been sporadic population surveys at various times in this country (such as the Domesday Book, commissioned in the late eleventh century by William the Conqueror), it was not until the introduction of the census in the early nineteenth century that collecting detailed information about the size and nature of the country’s population became a regular event. Censuses are of vital importance to a genealogist because they provide snapshots of entire families at a particular moment in time, linking relatives and different generations together in the same household as well as providing information about where they lived, their social status and their line of work.

The first census was conducted for England, Wales, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and Scotland in 1801 and there have been censuses conducted every 10 years since that date (except in 1941 due to the Second World War). Censuses started in Ireland a bit later, from 1821. The decision to collect the information followed much debate and controversy in Parliament, as many people feared the process could infringe individual freedoms and liberties. The surveys were not intended for family history purposes and their usefulness in this sphere was realized only later.

‘Censuses provide snapshots of entire families at a particular moment in time.’

The censuses for 1801 to 1831 were simple headcounts, which were used to produce accurate population figures and trends for the country. Indeed, the census for 1801 was primarily conducted in response to the threat of invasion during the Napoleonic Wars as an attempt by the government to ascertain how many potential soldiers would be available for conscription. Interestingly, however, the census returns for 1821 and 1831 for a very small minority of places contain more detailed information other than simple headcounts, with the names of the head of each household included, as happened in Hackney, London, for example. This was for no other reason than the enthusiasm of the people who went round collecting the information – little-known men such as Richard Stopher, who lived in the Suffolk village of Saxmundham most of his life and added notes to his census returns based on his local knowledge of the village’s occupants.

In 1840 the responsibility for collecting census information became part of the remit of the General Register Office (GRO) and subsequent censuses contain more details. From 1841 the censuses started listing the names of everyone in each household, and after 1851 even more detailed information was provided, including exact place of birth (providing researchers with the vital clue to trace these people further back in time). For reasons of privacy, censuses are not released into the public domain for 100 years. Hence, it is currently possible to view all returns only up until 1901.