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Step Three: Explore births, marriages and deaths
These documents are vital genealogical tools for discovering more about your ancestors' lives and extending your family tree.
Birth Certificates record the full name of the child, their sex, the date and place of birth and the father's occupation. Vitally, they also include the full names of both parents - including the mother's maiden name - allowing you to search for their marriage certificate and therefore extend your family tree back another generation.
Marriage Certificates list the name of the bride and groom, their ages, professions, residence and the date and place of their marriage. Current marital condition - bachelor, spinster, widow and so on - is also recorded, as well as the couples' ages.
Death Certificates feature the name, sex, and occupation of your ancestor, as well as the date, place and cause of their death.
To learn more about your forebears from any of these documents, you'll first need to search for them in birth, marriage and death indexes.
For England and Wales, these date back to the beginning of the system in 1837. Complete indexes are available for a fee at several major websites, including www.ancestry.co.uk and www.findmypast.co.uk, while partial lists can be explored for free at www.freebmd.org.uk. You can also browse through hard copies for free by visiting local and national record offices.
Once you've tracked down the reference for the correct document, the certificate can be ordered online (for England and Wales) at www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates for £9.25. Scottish certificates, meanwhile, often contain extra information and can be searched at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk or at ScotlandsPeople Centre in Edinburgh.
