Help! I'm new!

[Guest]

Hi, i'm trying to find information about my natural grandparents (my mother was adopted at birth) I have located their birth indexes and probably the death index for my grandfather, but my grandmother may have married so i won't know her name. I've found a possible marriage entry, it's a long shot, so is it a matter of ordering the certificate in the hope that the D.O.B. will match? Her name was Catherine Mary Whitehead born Ulceby North Lincs oct-dec 1901 registered in Glanford Brigg - 7a - 672. Any help would be appreciated as to what i should be doing! Many thanks.

[Gwen@coggiecorner]

Welcome Steve to FTF we are all very friendly and helpful on here.
When you order the cert through the GRO you can add some checking points which they will check and if they do not match they will not send the cert you applied for and give you a partial refund. The cost as you probally know is £7.00 they will refuend you £4.00.

[Little Nell]

Hallo Steve and welcome to FTF!

Let's slow down. Your mother was adopted at birth, so how do you have the names of your natural birth grandparents? Do you have your mother's original birth certificate?

Assuming you do and you have the right names, bear in mind that your grandmother's birth date won't appear on her marriage cert, just her age at the time of the marriage. You could try looking for a death for Catherine Mary and the married surname because if she died after 1969 her birthdate will appear on the death cert.

Your grandfather's death cert should give his birthplace and dob if he died after 1969, which will help to find the right birth cert. The informant of his death and the addresses of the informant and where the death took place would also help.

Are you wanting to go back into the past, or to trace possible living descendants of your grandparents?

[Gwen@coggiecorner]

It might be best if you order Catherines birth cert first as this will give you her parents names. As marr/certs do not give dates of birth so when you apply for this as a checking point you can give the fathers name and if this does not match then you know you will have to look again.

[Little Nell]

There are 67 Whiteheads on 1901 census with Glanford as keyword. If you get Catherine's birth cert you can use the address to find her family.

[steve08]

Hi Little Nell and thanks for your help. Yes i do have my mothers birth certificate. To make things more complicated she was born in Belgium so it is in French! It gives the parents names, ages, places of birth and current residence. This is how i found the birth index. I would like to find when both granparents died but the moral issues of finding living relatives would need some consideration. My primary aim is to go backwards. Thanks!

Hallo Steve and welcome to FTF!

Let's slow down. Your mother was adopted at birth, so how do you have the names of your natural birth grandparents? Do you have your mother's original birth certificate?

Assuming you do and you have the right names, bear in mind that your grandmother's birth date won't appear on her marriage cert, just her age at the time of the marriage. You could try looking for a death for Catherine Mary and the married surname because if she died after 1969 her birthdate will appear on the death cert.

Your grandfather's death cert should give his birthplace and dob if he died after 1969, which will help to find the right birth cert. The informant of his death and the addresses of the informant and where the death took place would also help.

Are you wanting to go back into the past, or to trace possible living descendants of your grandparents?

[Little Nell]

Well, clearly Belgian birth certs are more informative.

OK, I'd suggest getting Catherine's birth cert first then. It will give you her father's name and occupation, so you should be able to find him in 1901 census and then go back from there. The father's name will also help in checking you found the right marriage.

[steve08]

Hi Gwen, Thanks for your help! I've ordered both my grandparents certificates. Unfortunately they won't show up on the 1901 census as i believe they were born after it was made. Hopefully the certificates will help with their parents names.

It might be best if you order Catherines birth cert first as this will give you her parents names. As marr/certs do not give dates of birth so when you apply for this as a checking point you can give the fathers name and if this does not match then you know you will have to look again.