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  • local register offices for certs

    I know this will have been said before but it is always worth repeating.

    Try to get your certificates from a local register office if you can, rather than the GRO,

    I went into my local register office yesterday to request the birth certificate for a GG GM of mine. I know her father's name so put it on the form. Whilst making small-talk I said "I hope she's mine" and the woman said

    Oh well, you've put the father's name there on the form - if it isn't that one we will ring you and you can have your cheque back.

    Great stuff! Hope to receive the cert in the next couple of days too.
    Rose

  • #2
    Rosie

    As I am such a skinflint, that is one of the reasons I always use the local RO.

    I only ever use the GRO when I am absolutely CERTAIN I have found the correct one and want it anyway, no matter what it says on it. This is because I am lazy and it is easy to do without getting off my bum.

    But anything a bit puzzling or vague, I use the local RO because they will give it personal service and go the extra mile (or more) for you without any extra charge.

    I also got a fantastic breakthrough contact via an idle chat with the local Registrar, who pointed me to an unpublished manuscript in the local library about my family. You don't get that from the GRO!

    I have even had them phone me and ask "Do you really want another copy of this MC - we sent you a copy three months ago" pmsl.

    OC

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    • #3
      wow OC. That is service above and beyond the call of duty!

      Of course, you don't even have to get off your bum. You can contact the RO and get them to post the form, fill it in and post it back with your cheque. Even doing this I bet it doesn't take much longer than going through the GRO.

      *makes note to go through ROs instead of GRO in future*
      Rose

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      • #4
        I've had excellent service from the Local ROs.

        I tend to use the UKBMD - Births, Marriages, Deaths Indexes & Census transcriptions for the UK, On-Line site to find them, instead of keeping all the addresses in my favourites - it means my list of links gets longer when there's a new site and I don't have to do anything to achieve the improvement!

        Genuki has the lists for all of them (even the ones which don't have online indexes), in case anyone isn't sure where they are - and (of course) the Wiki lists info like that by County.

        Christine
        Researching: BENNETT (Leics/Birmingham-ish) - incl. Leonard BENNETT in Detroit & Florida ; WARR/WOR, STRATFORD & GARDNER/GARNAR (Oxon); CHRISTMAS, RUSSELL, PAFOOT/PAFFORD (Hants); BIGWOOD, HAYLER/HAILOR (Sussex); LANCASTER (Beds, Berks, Wilts) - plus - COCKS (Spitalfields, Liverpool, Plymouth); RUSE/ROWSE, TREMEER, WADLIN(G)/WADLETON (Devonport, E Cornwall); GOULD (S Devon); CHAPMAN, HALL/HOLE, HORN (N Devon); BARRON, SCANTLEBURY (Mevagissey)...

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Christine in Herts View Post
          I've had excellent service from the Local ROs.

          I tend to use the UKBMD - Births, Marriages, Deaths Indexes & Census transcriptions for the UK, On-Line site to find them, instead of keeping all the addresses in my favourites - it means my list of links gets longer when there's a new site and I don't have to do anything to achieve the improvement!

          Genuki has the lists for all of them (even the ones which don't have online indexes), in case anyone isn't sure where they are - and (of course) the Wiki lists info like that by County.

          Christine
          I have found Cheshire BMD particularly good, Christine
          Joan died in July 2020.

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          • #6
            See my thread "How helpful is this?" to see my latest attempt to use local register office!
            ~ with love from Little Nell~
            Chowns, Dunt, Emms, Mealing, Purvey & Smoothy

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            • #7
              Nell

              Ah, but that was a London one! The London ones rarely dirty their hands with family history anyway, as they are TERRIBLY busy, don't you know. (Well, get some more staff, then)

              Give me the provinces where the quaint old fashioned staff actually take an interest in their jobs (mostly).

              Lancsbmd is my bible and I get cross if it isn't on there! Cheshire is nearly as good except they have lumped certain events into five year batches - blimmin annoyin.

              OC

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              • #8
                If you go in person to my nearest local one they pop downstairs and fetch it for you while you wait. If it doesn't have the right parents on etc they check a couple of years either side too and they don't charge a penny other than for any actual certificates.
                Chrissie passed away in January 2020.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Little Nell View Post
                  See my thread "How helpful is this?" to see my latest attempt to use local register office!
                  I have seen a number of remarks that the London ROs aren't enthusiastic (i.e. are absolutely not going to help with) genealogical enquiries.

                  On the other hand, there is this exception:Not exactly Central London - but London, all the same.

                  Christine
                  Researching: BENNETT (Leics/Birmingham-ish) - incl. Leonard BENNETT in Detroit & Florida ; WARR/WOR, STRATFORD & GARDNER/GARNAR (Oxon); CHRISTMAS, RUSSELL, PAFOOT/PAFFORD (Hants); BIGWOOD, HAYLER/HAILOR (Sussex); LANCASTER (Beds, Berks, Wilts) - plus - COCKS (Spitalfields, Liverpool, Plymouth); RUSE/ROWSE, TREMEER, WADLIN(G)/WADLETON (Devonport, E Cornwall); GOULD (S Devon); CHAPMAN, HALL/HOLE, HORN (N Devon); BARRON, SCANTLEBURY (Mevagissey)...

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    OC/Christine

                    I'd always heard that London Reg Offices were unhelpful, which is why I was chuffed when it seemed Islington did want your queries.

                    Christine
                    If all my ancestors had been registered in your local register office I'd be laughing then!

                    I must point out that I have had prompt and efficient service from Richmond on Thames and Cambridge Register Offices.
                    ~ with love from Little Nell~
                    Chowns, Dunt, Emms, Mealing, Purvey & Smoothy

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                    • #11
                      I had that surprising experience with Downham Market RO... I rang up to point out that my name had been mistranscribed in the GRO main index. I was astonished to find that, not only was the Registrar willing to contact GRO , herself, to correct the error - but that she remembered my wedding*! :D

                      Christine

                      *more than 30 years ago
                      Researching: BENNETT (Leics/Birmingham-ish) - incl. Leonard BENNETT in Detroit & Florida ; WARR/WOR, STRATFORD & GARDNER/GARNAR (Oxon); CHRISTMAS, RUSSELL, PAFOOT/PAFFORD (Hants); BIGWOOD, HAYLER/HAILOR (Sussex); LANCASTER (Beds, Berks, Wilts) - plus - COCKS (Spitalfields, Liverpool, Plymouth); RUSE/ROWSE, TREMEER, WADLIN(G)/WADLETON (Devonport, E Cornwall); GOULD (S Devon); CHAPMAN, HALL/HOLE, HORN (N Devon); BARRON, SCANTLEBURY (Mevagissey)...

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                      • #12
                        I remember in the dim and distant past, going to the Register Office and being allowed to look through the books myself, while she pottered around doing something else.

                        This stopped abruptly when a complete Register was stolen from another office.

                        (Like to get my hands on that thief...ruined it for us all)

                        OC

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                        • #13
                          I generally use the GRO for ones I'm absolutely certain are correct, and local ROs for any involving Jones/Hughes!
                          Michael, aged 1/4 of a century

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                          • #14
                            I also use the local ROs, when ever I can. I find, Cheshire, Lancs,North Wales and Shropshire are all excellent for hubby's side. for mine I have used Lincs, Yorks & Medway. many will have a look for a cert, if you email them & will tell you whether or not they have got it. An excellent service.
                            Lynn

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                            • #15
                              I always use the local offices for certificates,and they are very prompt too

                              If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. ~Bob Hope

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                              • #16
                                I made my request on Monday, they do their searches Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. She said she'd ring me to pick it up but it came in the post this morning:D. Great service (I will forgive her for folding it :( but then again, I didn't ask her NOT to)
                                Rose

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                                • #17
                                  Christine - Tower Hamlets have an excellent on-line queries service. Trouble is all the records aren't on it. Just sometimes I will e-mail them a query and they do look it up and answer. Not always though. I think it must depend who is monitoring the e-mails.
                                  Rita

                                  http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/.../User:Nappycat

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                                  • #18
                                    I agree with what's been said about the helpfulness of the LROs. And the return of cheques, if correct cert. not found. And I did get a reply back once explaining exactly why the death cert. I'd ordered was the wrong one - "did not have a maiden name ****, was not married to **** and was too old at 70". So I don't have to keep wondering why they decided it was the wrong 'Jane Bloggs'.

                                    I can't go in person - none of my rellies were considerate enough to come from 'round 'ere'! - so it's all done by letter and phone. I don't bother with the forms, just send a letter - that way, I can ask them for photocopies, or at least photocopies of the signatures. So nice to see g'g'father's signature.

                                    And it helps make sure the LROs stay open, and not all 'centralised' into London! ;)

                                    Bee.
                                    Bee~~~fuddled.

                                    Searching for BANKS, MILLER, MOULTON from Lancs and Cheshire; COX from Staffordshire and Birmingham;
                                    COX, HALL, LAMBDEN, WYNN, from Hants and Berks; SYMES (my mystery g'father!) from anywhere near Bournemouth.

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                                    • #19
                                      Last year I got some of my local certs from the local office, and got a sound telling off from the Registrar for using the GRO.
                                      I've often used the Yorkshire bmd site for certs from Hull & Leeds - quick response, rarely the right certs though.

                                      Another time, I had the choice of 3 John Brown births registered at Cockermouth in 1838, so contacted Whitehaven for help with the right cert, as I knew the father. They couldn't help me as their copies of the registers had been stolen - they reckoned back in the 1850s. But the GRO were very helpful with this one.
                                      Helen

                                      http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/...enSmithToo-296

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                                      • #20
                                        I had to go to Newcastle-upon-Tyne RO for a particular birth cert. There were no less than three births in the same quarter of 1838 with the right name (not a particularly common one at that). I doctored the print-out of the online form to show what I was looking for and the correct cert. appeared a few days later. A written-out one so presumably the register was a bit fragile.

                                        I also had a useful exchange of emails with Tower Hamlets RO about a birth circa 1890 where the name was amended after registration (column 10). I was trying to discover who had made the request but unfortunately the RO is not obliged to keep a record.
                                        Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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