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When you cannot find BMDs on the GRO Index..

BordesleyExile

BordesleyExile

master brummie
UKBMD has 2 advantages over GRO / FreeCen
1) Certificates for the same event can differ depending on whether they are supplied by the local office or the GRO, though I do not understand why. For this reason I order from the local archives / register office where possible.
2) If you cannot find on the GRO the relative you KNOW exists this site might just overcome the issue:
https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/index.php?form_action=local
Not all BMDs are yet transcribed onto UKBMD, but nevertheless I find the site very usefull.
 
Can you give an example of the difference?
I thought that all certificates wherever sourced had to be exact copies of the original.
I use the GRO Southport for ones away from Birmingham but use Birmingham register office for local ones.
 
I have 2 birth certificates dated 19.6.1885 for John Milner, one supplied by Birmingham & one by the GRO. The former is handritten whilst the last has partial typing. The handwriting on both is completely different. It looks as though one has been transcribed & it is this that gives me real cause for concern. I am aware there are errors in transcribing the GRO index & there is always the possibility that errors are made when the original certificate is copied ny hand in the days before photocopiers & presumably before carbon. For this reason I avoid ordering certs from the GRO if I can, but not all Registrar Offices / Archives have an online ordering facility & it is tempting to order online rather than type a letter, write a cheque, find a stamp & take a trip to the postbox.
I do appreciate the helpfull attitude of staff at local offices & the trouble they take to ensure that the cert is the correct one. I have had a couple of instances where I am advised if the husband / father's name does not match up.
Another merit of UKBMD is that it is possible to search for similar spellings, unlike of FreeBMD. Yesterday I found one of my "awkward squad" in this way.
 
According to John Yates at Birmingham RO they like to issue scanned copies of the original certificate with original signatures.

Mike
 
Shame that Birmingham Register Office have refused to take part in the UKBMD project.
It should be noted that some local offices did not record age at death in their own index so age is missing from UKBMD but in the GRO index

Mike


Mike
 
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