Civil Registration

Official registration of births, deaths and marriages, has been compulsory in most of Europe and the U.S. since the mid 1800's.

In theory, and often also in practice, it is easy to trace families back to these dates of compulsory registration. This must not however be taken for granted since those 'Skeletons’ known to exist in most family cupboards can often lead the researcher off on a false trail, or perhaps worse still, not come to light first, here is where a little detective work comes to the rescue.

The astute researcher might uncover various information the less seasoned historian might instead have dismissed or perhaps not considered at all. Birth certificates for instance are dated on the day registration takes place, which could obviously be days or weeks after the birth. When registration was made compulsory, a fine was introduced for registrations made more than 42 days after the birth, because of which parents late in registering adjusted the date of delivery to suit their own needs.

Given that not all people, even those responsible for completing official records, enjoyed the greatest degree of communicative skills, it was not unusual for parents to produce variations of their surname to the official recorder, or for the latter to hastily enter a name he 'thought' the respondent had uttered.

Among many inconsistencies that can make life anything but easy for the researcher, is the tendency for names to be reversed on entry to official records. John Henry, for instance might be entered with his surname first, therefore to all making him today's 'Henry John'. Some Christian names and surnames are still unlikely contenders for their alternatives, but it must not be assumed that this is always the case, and even the most unlikely of transpositions can find its unlikely counterparts mellowed with time. That 'Henry John' might for instance become today's 'Henry Johnston' a far more likely proposition.

Much useful information can be gained from birth certificates, which among other include the child's; name and date of birth, the mother's name, and maiden name, and usually the father's Christian name, address and occupation. After 1875, the father of an illegitimate child can only be named on the birth certificate with his consent. Other differences that might lead to red herrings, or indeed to camouflaging useful information, include such as the time of birth of a child, a fact not usually entered for other than to mark the debut of siblings multiple births. A fact that might go unnoticed because of the high infant mortality rate of years gone by, when short lives faded quickly into oblivion. Marriage certificates provide fewer details but might provide access to evasive information such as father's names and occupations, addresses at the date of marriage, professions, and so on. One of the so-called skeletons in most family cupboards is that of parents either not married until after the birth of one or more of their children, or else married in haste as an imminent birth approaches. However, it might upset many clients and their relatives to discover such information about their dear departed, even people still living, it was not uncommon an event for couples several generations ago to wait until pregnancy, even birth, to decide to tie the knot.

Death certificates among other details will usually include age, occupation, location, date and cause of death.