The Lemon Fool

Does anyone know if there is a free resource available to search for births, deaths and marriages in the UK. I was given a DNA testing kit for Christmas and the results have come back besides providing near matches, the site provides a facility to plot the family tree which is actually very good, but family memory and records do not stretch back that far.

The problem is that their research facilities cost quite a bit and I would rather do it for free (obviously). Any pointers would be appreciated (I have trawled to Government sites but always seem to hit a dead end).

https://www.freebmd.org.uk/

"FreeBMD is an ongoing project, the aim of which is to transcribe the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, and to provide free Internet access to the transcribed records. It is a part of the Free UK Genealogy family, which also includes FreeCEN (Census data) and FreeREG (Parish Registers). To search the records that have so far been transcribed by FreeBMD click on the Search button below.
The recording of births, marriages and deaths was started in 1837 and is one of the most significant resources for genealogical research. The transcribing of the records is carried out by teams of dedicated volunteers and contains index information for the period 1837-1992"

EssDeeAitch wrote: (I have trawled to Government sites but always seem to hit a dead end).

Merely for starters, https://www.gov.uk/research-family-history leads one to https://www.freebmd.org.uk/ for initial research purposes.

I've recently found two sets of family trees via https://www.geni.com/.

A good read of the History board will provide plenty more pointers, such as here viewtopic.php?p=227363#p227363.

This Topic would probably be better suited there.

EssDeeAitch wrote:Does anyone know if there is a free resource available to search for births, deaths and marriages in the UK. I was given a DNA testing kit for Christmas and the results have come back besides providing near matches, the site provides a facility to plot the family tree which is actually very good, but family memory and records do not stretch back that far.

The problem is that their research facilities cost quite a bit and I would rather do it for free (obviously). Any pointers would be appreciated (I have trawled to Government sites but always seem to hit a dead end).

For England births and deaths (pre-1911) use the GRO site. Slightly clunky search but it returns more accurate and complete information than any other site.

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/cert ... search.asp


GS

Snorvey wrote:If it's in Scotland, then...:

https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/

...is a superb resource.

Indeed, very useful; the Scottish records, in the main, give far more detail than the English ones, but unfortunately are not free, which the OP wanted.

Some English counties have their own records which can contain a little more detail than freebmd.

Eg http://www.staffordshirebmd.org.uk

And for christenings, marriages and burials, there is limited (but improving) coverage here:

https://www.freereg.org.uk

These offer the possibility of going back before 1837 when compulsory registration started.

Snorvey wrote:

staffordian wrote:

Snorvey wrote:If it's in Scotland, then...:

https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/

...is a superb resource.

Indeed, very useful; the Scottish records, in the main, give far more detail than the English ones, but unfortunately are not free, which the OP wanted.

Sure, but the cost is fairly minimal for searches - and the facility is really rather good. Even ordering duplicate certificates was cheap (and quick) compared to some of the stories I've heard from across the border.

I actually think it's better value than the English system.

Once you've bought the credits you can actually get to see (and download) the original entries without the need to buy certificates. Whilst access to the English indexes is free via freebmd etc, the cost and inconvenience of ordering the certificates, which is the only way of accessing the information, is greater and more troublesome than up north.