Searching the new GRO indexes - share your tips!

[clairec666]

I'll start us off with a few tips:

1) Don't forget the death indexes! They go up to 1957, and show middle names in full. This might help you track down the death of a relative with an unusual middle name - for example, I've tracked down a Mary Angela who was previously indistinguishable from all the Mary Anns!

2) Deaths up to 1866 show the age at death. (A warning though, sometimes an age in months/weeks can appear to be in years - e.g. 14 months just appears as 14. I wonder if the GRO are working to correct this?)

3) Have a look for babies born in the second quarter of 1911 - they may have been born just after the census was taken, but previously the mother's maiden name was only recorded from the third quarter of 1911 onwards.

[Melbell]

Dear Clairec666

Thank you for tip 2.  I have a death for someone aged 11 and I'm pretty certain it should be 11 months.  There is no way of checking. I've sought extensively for the death of this child at a later age but there is nothing, so I hope GRO address this fault quickly.

Melbell

[josey]

There is no way of checking.

You may be able to find a burial....

Josey

[Melbell]

Dear Josey

Yes, sorry, badly worded by me!

Melbell

[coombs]

Another tip is do the 2 year either side search of your surnames of interest in the relevant districts they lived in. Such as any Walders born 1838-1842 in Cuckfield district, and look at the maiden names of the mothers. You may be able to find which children were born to which couples with the same surname using the maiden name and cross ref them with marriage records that you may have come across.

[Millmoor]

Being aware of any changes of name of the registration districts where your ancestors lived helps. For example for my ancestors who lived in Iveston, co. Durham at first after registration started it was in Durham and Lanchester District. It then became known as Durham District before becoming Lanchester District in its own right. Selecting Lanchester District does not produce any results for the period it was known as Durham District.

William

[PalmTree1]

My comment is also on the Registration Districts, the GRO spelling is not always as expected. I have a lot of people in the Newport Pagnell District but, despite the GRO proposing that spelling, some of the records can only be found by leaving off the last L! Another oddity are records being listed under a sub-district, some that I expected to find in Northampton District show up as Bugbrook and I would spell it Bugbrooke!

HTH
Paul

[Jomot]

Don't always rely on the 1911 for the correct number of children born to the marriage. 

I was always suspicious of a 7-year gap between two of my Great Uncles, even though the total number of children tallied with the census, but the new index appears to have confirmed my suspicions (MMN was quite unusual but I've ordered the PDF just to be 100%).

[Andrew Tarr]

My comment is also on the Registration Districts, the GRO spelling is not always as expected.

That isn't always a problem.  Asking for Gainsborough records will also retrieve those which come back labelled Gainsburgh - which I have never seen anywhere else ....