Getting started
4. Using birth, marriage and death records
The best way to begin to build your family tree is to work backwards. Start by using our birth, marriage and death records. Every birth, marriage and death registered in England and Wales since 1837 (up to 2006) can be found in the official GRO indexes on findmypast.co.uk.
The 1837-1984 indexes are arranged alphabetically by surname, and within surname alphabetically by forename. Years are divided into quarters:
- January, February, March
- April, May, June
- July, August, September
- October, November, December
A quarter refers to when an event was registered, which, due to inevitable delays in registration, isn’t necessarily when it occurred. The birth of a person born at the end of March, for example, is likely to be registered in the April-June quarter.
Before 1984, the birth, marriage and death registrations were recorded in registry books. These have not yet been transcribed, but findmypast.co.uk offers indexed scans of each of the pages. When you search the pre-1984 BMDs you’ll be shown pages for the period you’ve requested that may contain the name you’re looking for, but this is not guaranteed. You’ll need to check each image in turn to find the correct birth, marriage or death.
When searching the 1984-2006 birth, marriage and death records – which were recorded within a computer database – extra detail, such as a middle name, registration district and mother’s maiden name, can be added to narrow down your results. Certificates cannot be viewed online, but the indexes will give you all the information you need to obtain them.
Viewing a person's birth entry provides two vital research clues. Firstly, you will discover where they were born. Also, if they were born after 1911, you will find their mother's maiden name, which is essential for tracing her birth and marriage. The registration district most likely pinpoints where the family were living, and may help you locate other ancestors who lived in the same area.
Using a mother's maiden name you can search the marriage records to find the union that led to the birth record you started with. From 1912 the spouse's name is included in the marriage indexes and helps you ensure you have found the correct pair. Likewise, you can search for a marriage for the ancestor whose birth you've traced. If you do find their marriage you can begin to search for children (often referred to as 'issue'), using the spouse's name to approach the birth indexes.
Tip:
It is best to start your search in the period in which the event is statistically most likely to have occurred. If you fail to find the event then you should extend your search by several years either side. For marriages, a search from age 16 to 28 is a good starting point.
Finding a person's birth and marriage also makes it easier to find their death: you now know their approximate age and the area in which they are likely to have lived. If you're uncertain when they died, or indeed whether they have died, a search from age 60-80 in the death records is the best place to start.
From 1866, the age at death is included in the death indexes, and from 1969 an exact date of birth. This extra detail is invaluable when searching speculatively, or if you are researching a common name.
Tip:
To ensure you don't repeat searches, always make a note of the years and quarters you have searched.
With careful, patient searching of these indexes you will be able to extend your family tree and discover dates and places.
Search the birth, marriage and death records now
