Find Ancestors

Hi, to anyone that can help me on this matter..
Basically ..I have joined a few geneology sites..( to obtain info.)..I am searching for my dad..All I have is his name...and managed to find a marriage to my mum on the Census .In Biggleswade..( I do not have his.D.O.B..)..All I get is the index..
How do I go about getting original certificates..?..Is it a case of actually going to the register office to ask for it..
?? They make it look so easy on the programme.."Who do you think you are"! :-D
many thanks

When you say you have found a marriage on the census do you actually mean the Civil Register?

You need the reference from the Civil Register to buy a certificate which you can do via the GRO cost £9 25 (NEVER pay more than this)


Have a look on here, it should tell you all you want to know

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/default.asp

@ belle...yes on the civil register..
thank you...will take a look ;-)

These are good to read and give you more information

http://www.dixons.clara.co.uk/Certificates/indexbd.htm

also

http://www.freebmd.org.uk/
click on the INFORMATION button and there is a lot of help on there

many thank yous..the first site is good to know..but Im having problems ascertaing the GRO reference they want..

Am looking at the other 2 sites now..x ;-)

what year are you looking for?

Find the marriage on here ..

http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl

the reference number needed to order certificates fro the General Reg Off is in blue

Suppose do a search at http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl
and find the marr, e.g.,

Marriages Mar 1912 (>99%)
Jones Eliza Smith Biggleswade 3b 449

I can then click on the page link "449" and see the other names on this page - this naturally includes the spouse (assuning correct indexing and transcription):

Marriages Mar 1912 (>99%)
Jones Eliza Smith Biggleswade 3b 449
Smith Arthur Jones Biggleswade 3b 449
Walters Linda Watts Biggleswade 3b 449
Walton Linda Watts Biggleswade 3b 449
Watts Edward W Walters Biggleswade 3b 449

[I can also click on the "Biggleswade" link, then the more info "here" link and see info abt Biggleswade Rego District, like a list of the villages etc in the district, plus:
BIGGLESWADE REGISTRATION DISTRICT
Sub-districts : Biggleswade, Potton, Stotfold.
Registers now held by : Central Bedfordshire.
I can click on the "Central Bedfordshire" link - they will sell me the m.cert.
http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/reg/regoff.html#317

However, I normally buy my certs from the GRO (cost=9.25 GBP incl postage)
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/

First time, I had to do a free rego with the site - now I can just log in and order using a credit card

They first ask me the year (I think the ref info changes in 1984), the type of cert (marr here), whether it's overseas (no here), and if I've got the GRO ref (yes here).
I then have to fill in the following form:

Particulars of the person whose certificate is required
Either the man's surname and forename or woman's surname and forename must be given.
Year marriage was registered 1912
Man's surname
Man's forenames
Woman's surname at marriage
Woman's forenames
Reference information from GRO Index
Year 1912
Quarter*
District name*
Volume Number*
Page Number*

Well, I've already gotten this from FreeBMD, so no worries - proceed to checkout.

[On a technical note, I can also order an m.cert from the church if it's in their current rego, but at even a couple of marrs per month, this won't last past 20y.]

Around 1980, the original records for St. Andrew Biggleswade were at the Bedfordshire Record Office. I expect they're still there along with a mess of other parish registers, so if you knew where they were wed, you could get a much cheaper copy of their m.cert. Technically, it would just be a copy of the register, not a certified true copy of that register, but it would have their original signatures on it, unlike the GRO copy. Course, the problem with this is you probably don't know exactly where they wed. [I knew for mine, but my wife didn't know exactly where her parents wed (but an older sibling did).]
This can be a big problem - take Wigan RD: they had 31 C of E churches and no jews or quakers - before 1898 these were the only churches authorized to keep regos. A non-conformist marr would need the registrar to attend to record the details in his register, along with all the rego office marrs. After 1898, non-conformists were authorized to keep official regos (but RCs only in the 1980s) - Wigan has regos from 52 such churches. Not all old non-conformist regos are in the county records office, although they will be in some archive somewhere.

sorry been away for few days so not managed to reply as such..

basically.................Am looking for my dad...who got married to my mother in 1968..( In Biggleswade, Bedfordshire...5 months before I was born..)..My mother has since passed away..( @ 60 4 yrs ago)..She never gave me any info on him...apart from name on birth cert..and fact I know he tried to look for me..
I thought if I got hold of marriage cert..it would give me some more details..
I do so appreciate all the advice that has been given here..
I feel...am in a quandry...and looked up all sorts...but as I have little info..(apart from a name..)... :-(

thank you all for your replies.it is so much appreciated..and such a valuable..resource for me to refer to...
I am very "green" regarding a lot of this..but have to start somewhere..
:-) hugs and tyx

If you buy the marriage certificate it should give your father's approximate age and also his father's name and occupation.

The GRO Reference is what you see on the index:-

The name
The year of the marriage
The quarter that the marriage took place (either March, June, September or December)
The District
The volume number
The page number.

This is what you need to order the certificate online. When the online form asks if the full GRO reference is known - make sure you tick the "yes" box.

Good luck.

Kath. x

1968 is possibly too recent for freebmd

As your mother is deceased, post the names on here and we'll find the info you need from Ancestry

BUT......you say you've found the marriage in a census

That's not actually correct. Censuses are not BMD records.

What info did you actually find regarding the marriage?

Is THIS it?

Name: Roger P Saunders
Spouse Surname: Males
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1968
Registration district: Biggleswade
Inferred County: Bedfordshire
Volume Number: 4a
Page Number: 235
Find Spouse: MAUREEN

Just go to the GRO site......

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/

............register your details, and order the cert as per Kathleen's advice, using the details from the index

The cert will tell you his declared age, and his occupation....his father's details (if he knew them) and the names of witnesses, which may prove helpful

Why does this now seem VERY familiar?

My guess is Reggie has a subscription to Ancestry - if you don't have something similar, then you have to use FreeBMD.
However, they don't have any quarters of anything completely transcribed post-1962, so, pre-1984, you go to FreeBMD's homepage and click on their "view images" link. It's a klunky interface, but it will eventually get you to the image of the printed GRO index, and you can see the details for yourself. You might have to try this for a couple of quarters (which is a definite pain) if you're unsure of their wedding anniversary, but you will eventually get there, and it's free.

His birth is easly found on freebmd in the same area as they married

Did your mum have a tree on here? if not someone called Maureen has him in her tree