Searching the new GRO indexes - share your tips!

[clairec666]

Not sure if this is the right spot, but I just found a grand uncle I didn't know about and the REALLY interesting thing is that he seems to have died before he was born!!!!

Alfred Henry Neighbour
Birth - Mar 1894 Vol 1b p401
Death - Dec 1893 Vol 1b p311

That's not uncommon, actually! If he died towards the end of March, say, his death might have been registered straight away but not his birth. I've found it a couple of times in my family, and my family tree software doesn't like it, and keeps flagging it up as an error.

One child is registered as being born in the second quarter (with first name and middle name), the only possible death record I've found is an unnamed male in the previous quarter (same district).

Another tip: if you have a married woman who dies young, don't discount births of children in the quarter after her death - she may have died in childbirth or soon after, and the child's birth wasn't registered until later.

[Nick_Ips]

I think Claire's suggestion is the most likely, but another possibility I usually check for is if the records are for two different children. I've come across instances where a child has died and the parents have given the same name(s) to the next child born - even if that birth happens very soon after the death of the first child.

It illustrates the importance of searching over a wider range (e.g. of years) to identify possible records, rather than searching for one record and being satisfied when you find it. In that respect the new GRO search is not quite as useful as FreeBMD 

[bradelkington]

sorry if abit off topic but anyone else experienced this.... I ordered four pdf certs weds morning last week 3 arrived Monday morning but they sent one of the certs twice ten minutes apart. still waiting on one of the certs hoping they haven't accidently sent the duplicate instead of the cert im still waiting on. I rang gro but she seemed unclear what I was trying to say

[Sloe Gin]

It illustrates the importance of searching over a wider range (e.g. of years) to identify possible records, rather than searching for one record and being satisfied when you find it. In that respect the new GRO search is not quite as useful as FreeBMD 

Yes, the five-year spread is the GRO norm, isn't it, where they will search for a record when you don't give them a reference number.  It would be good if they could give us a wider window for searching.

[clairec666]

When filling in First Forename and Second Forename options if you do not get the expected result try swapping the names over.
I.E. use the Second Forename as the First Forename and vice versa.

Also, sometimes a middle name was added later in life - for one of my relatives, he had gained a middle name by the time of his baptism, but it wasn't present on his birth certificate.

Also, babies who were registered without a first name at all. Be careful not to jump on the first record you find and assume it's the correct one. There could be another child born in the same district with the same first name, and your relative was registered as "unnamed".

It illustrates the importance of searching over a wider range (e.g. of years) to identify possible records, rather than searching for one record and being satisfied when you find it. In that respect the new GRO search is not quite as useful as FreeBMD 

On another thread, someone suggested that FreeBMD could become obsolete. One of its great strengths is that you can see births, marriages and deaths on the same page, across a large time span, and it's easy to match these events against each other.

[dawnsh]

I have read a lot about the records available to view from the GRO.
Can you please tell me the web site and also will I be able to see more than say on Ancestry or other sites.
Many thanks

the website is officially www.gro.gov.uk you need to register and sign in but there is no membership fee.

As these records are compiled from electronic records held by the GRO the age at death before 1866 is shown and birth entries before 1911 contain the mothers maiden name.

This is the first of a few topics here on this subject

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=758727.0

[Andrew Tarr]

Searching by MMN can be a bit hit-and-miss.  A side-branch of my tree includes a Ford who married a Nosworthy (yes, in Devon).  They had the regulation eleven children between 1835 and 1856.  Of the nine who were registered, three had their MMN entered (or at least indexed) as Norsworthy, Bosworthy and Noseworthy.  In the absence of a wildcard search one is forced to try something else.

[Deirdre784]

sorry if abit off topic but anyone else experienced this.... I ordered four pdf certs weds morning last week 3 arrived Monday morning but they sent one of the certs twice ten minutes apart. still waiting on one of the certs hoping they haven't accidently sent the duplicate instead of the cert im still waiting on. I rang gro but she seemed unclear what I was trying to say

I'm still waiting for a few from last Wednesday too. I rang them this morning and they are going to look into it for me. I'd ring them again and tell them which one you are missing.

[bradelkington]

i rang them yesterday too, they said they should be here in few days, I'm very disappointed how long weve had to wait for them, they are usually quicker by post. I wonder if they send them out on Saturdays, heres hoping to receiving them tomorrow, or will we have to wait till Monday now at least