A birth certificate has 10 numbered columns for information, the unnumbered column on the left is a filing number. . A birth certificate is often the first document to launch you onto that journey into your family’s history. The document provides a birth date (column 1) and sometimes even a time. The timing on aContinue reading “To begin at the very beginning (a very good place to start)”
Category Archives: Family history
Great Aunt Fanny could tell you a tale or two about the olden days
Although family history is based on provable facts it does not mean you should ignore individual memories or family stories which have been handed down orally over generations. A senior member of a family, a grandparent born in the 1930s or 40s could give you a direct link to someone alive during the reign ofContinue reading “Great Aunt Fanny could tell you a tale or two about the olden days”
You can never have enough when it comes to a collection of books
I was checking my collection of books recently and realised the number does not seem to have gone up or down in recent years, and as life goes on I find books I want to read now but know I still have books to be read. I do make good use of local charity shopsContinue reading “You can never have enough when it comes to a collection of books”
A blog is not a one-way street – so why not let me hear your ideas
Hello readers everywhere, and it does appear I have readers not just all over the country, but around the world as well. I do intend to get at least one post up every day, even though I did fail yesterday but hopefully I can catch up with two today or tomorrow. As you know IContinue reading “A blog is not a one-way street – so why not let me hear your ideas”
Final form in a set which takes you from the cradle to the grave
The third, and final, certificate that applies to all people in the UK is the one issued after their death. The area above the main part of the certificate indicates the year of death, the registration district in which the death occurred, the sub-district and the county, in this case Norfolk. The main body ofContinue reading “Final form in a set which takes you from the cradle to the grave”
Getting hitched provides plenty of clues for a family historian
As I said earlier there are three main legal certificates which you will find useful when it comes to researching your family: birth certificate; marriage certificate; and death certificate. In my time as a young reporter we used to refer to births, marriages and deaths as: hatch, match, and despatch. We have covered the birthContinue reading “Getting hitched provides plenty of clues for a family historian”
The long and the short of it means baby gets the first certificate
One of the first certificates you are likely to use in the early days of your family history research is likely to be a birth certificate. You do, however, have to make sure you get the right one because there are two types, the long and the short. The short version is only used asContinue reading “The long and the short of it means baby gets the first certificate”
Six small steps to take you on the journey of a lifetime – or further
WHO AM I? A question many of us will have asked in our lifetime and we will have given ourselves many answers: son, father, socialist; mother, aunt, republican; daughter, teacher, royalist; grandfather, preacher, poet. There may be other roles we do not recognise ourselves playing. On the other hand we may know more about ourContinue reading “Six small steps to take you on the journey of a lifetime – or further”
Who needs Doctor Who’s Tardis when we can all travel in time?
I was watching a Brian Cox programme last night (the professor not the actor), he was talking about time travel and Doctor Who. It was fascinating, not that he was speaking about it becoming feasible any time in the near future, and he talked about travel and time; the bending of time and how timeContinue reading “Who needs Doctor Who’s Tardis when we can all travel in time?”
My final farewell to a wonderful grandfather
The news of my grandfather’s death was a shock but after 10 minutes sitting quietly in Tony’s office I had composed myself. He had given me that time to let it sink in before returning. I told him I needed to call my parents to find out the arrangements for the funeral and said IContinue reading “My final farewell to a wonderful grandfather”
Robin's Nest 