Negotiating Births, Marriages and Deaths

Published on Tuesday 4 July 2006 12:49

From 1855 onwards, the Government undertook the registering, indexing and storage of all births, marriages and deaths in Scotland. The Registrar General looks after these at New Register House in Edinburgh and you can get to see them.

As ever, you must record the information you find.

Print data sheet

Print off our handy sheet and you can begin to get your ancestors in order. (The file can be opened with Acrobat Reader.)Print off a generous supply of these simple forms - they will speed up your note taking and make sure you don't miss out on a detail.

So what do you need to look for when you get one of those valuable documents in front of you, whether as a copy at home or on the screen at New Register House?

The birth certificate

Always check the name and details of parents to make sure you are looking at the birth of the right person. This is especially true for those of you with popular surnames!

Quick tip:

Always copy out the trade or profession of the father even when you think you already know it. There often interesting variations or extra information. "Copper engraver" on one certificate may become "Music Engraver" on another.• Note the date and place of birth. The address is particularly valuable to lead you to Census returns.

• Note the names of the parents – especially the maiden name of the mother if you do not already have this.

• The most useful jigsaw piece on the birth certificate is the date and place of the parents' marriage. Don't miss it, but don't place too much reliance on the date. Nineteenth century couples were not into Anniversary cards and flowers the way we are today.

Quick tip:

Look at the first column of the certificate. In 99 cases out of 100 it is empty. If there is a reference there it indicates an addition to the certificate, perhaps a paternity suit and juicy addition to your family history.

Have a look at the signature of the informant – it may give you a clue as to the literacy or otherwise of the individual.

The marriage certificate

As this refers to TWO people it is the most fruitful of all documents. Look out for:

• Date and place of the marriage and by which Church rites if any it was performed. The address is worth noting as marriages often took place at home as opposed to a church.

• Note the ages given – often unreliable to cover an age gap or suchlike. A useful, but not infallible pointer to birth dates.

• Name and occupation of husband and wife – alas, often you just get "Spinster" for the lady.

• Full details of parents – vital to take you onward to four people in the next generation.

Quick tip:

Don't neglect the last but one column – minister and witnesses – you might get a clue to some close relatives.

The death certificate

• Give thanks for Scottish thoroughness. South of the Border such certificates are miserly in details. In Scotland you get a lot for your efforts in tracking it down.

• Once again take a note of the profession of the deceased (or for women of the deceased's husband). There may be interesting variations.

• Even if the place of death is in a hospital or a public place the home address is given. Note it.

• Again you'll be given names of parents, especially useful when the person concerned didn't marry and you have no marriage certificate to chase up.

• Causes of death can sometimes be interesting, particularly when the person dies young.

• Don't miss that first column. Again usually blank, it may indicate the existence of a fatal death enquiry. The details will be on file at New Register House – and there may well be a report in The Scotsman.

Don't neglect the informant, as this can be useful in two ways.

• It will tell you how accurate the information is likely to be. A son should be more reliable than a lodging-house keeper.

• It may also open up other branches of the family, if say, a son-in-law, reports the death.

When in doubt make a note of everything. You may never know when you will need it.