Genealogy Chat

Thanks again to both Christine and Merry

Opinions vary - largely based on experience, of course. Some of the offices are very quick, very helpful, and some absolutely not. (Worth a look for those threads on that topic, I think.) The certs from GRO are usually photocopies of the GRO register entries. That means that the transcription was done at the time, rather than recently, but it's still a transcription. Many of the local ROs send typed or modern-script transcriptions. I have seen it suggested that they'll send you photocopy-style certs if you ask. This is an extract from the welcome-page of the UKBMD site I mentioned: <<Quarterly, the original indexes were re-transcribed and then re-indexed by the central government and these indexes have been made available as the GRO indexes, many of which are available for viewing at web sites listed under the National button. (e.g. FreeBMD) However, the simple act of making this secondary GRO copy has introduced many errors and omissions in the national indexes - so the recommendation is to always look for an original data first, i.e. the local indexes.>> There's also a link there to an article on the topic. Christine PS - I have used both. Local offices tend to give more personal service; GRO online is pretty efficient - unless there's been a genealogy series on TV recently, and the surge in interest always slows them down terribly!

So which is best local RO or GRO?

Here's an illustration of the problem, but using Mary Ann... Yorkshire Birth indexes for the years: 1855 Surname Forename(s) Sub-District Registers At Reference PAWSON Mary A Morley Leeds MOR/7/228 PAWSON Mary Ann Leeds West Leeds WEST/44/40 There aren't any other Mary A PAWSONs born since 1852 or up to 1860 (or not transcribed on the site, anyway) but both the ones that are, are in the same likely year! Christine

Hi This is the website: http://www.yorkshirebmd.org.uk (one of a whole lot listed on http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/) The ref acts as a link to an application form. The different counties vary as to whether or not you can apply online or have to use the post or phone - and whether they can take credit cards or only cheques. The fees are the same as for GRO - i.e £7 if you quote the relevant ref (GRO refs don't apply for local ones and vice versa). Some local offices are extremely helpful - there are a couple of threads about which local offices do/don't help genealogy applications. If you have a look on the site yourself, you'll see that there are screeds of LISTERs in Leeds area - but the names/DoBs in combination mean that the ones I spotted are very likely to be yours. The tricky bit would be to identify which others might also be yours without having to shell out for all the certs to find out! Christine

Christine - Are the Lister in Leeds the ones I mention or by you saying there are millions do you its guesswork?

Thanks for that Christine, can you make the requests online for YorkBMD? And do you know the cost?

Here are some Leeds births (of the millions!) Yorkshire Birth indexes for the years: 1877 LISTER Frances L Leeds North Leeds NORT/139/231 Yorkshire Birth indexes for the years: 1878 LISTER Frederick R Leeds North Leeds NORT/144/39 Even just picking out the Leeds North births would give you too many for just random cert-buying! Christine

There are a whole lot of Sculcoates births which may or may not be your lot... Surname Forename(s) Sub-District Registers At Reference Yorkshire Birth indexes for the years: 1838 LISTER Mary A East Sculcoates Hull EAS/1/3 Yorkshire Birth indexes for the years: 1843 **LISTER Thomas G East Sculcoates Hull EAS/5/104 Yorkshire Birth indexes for the years: 1844 LISTER Leonard East Sculcoates Hull EAS/5/327 Yorkshire Birth indexes for the years: 1846 **LISTER Isabel East Sculcoates Hull EAS/7/336 Yorkshire Birth indexes for the years: 1848 LISTER Frank East Sculcoates Hull EAS/8/473 LISTER Sarah J East Sculcoates Hull EAS/8/368 Yorkshire Birth indexes for the years: 1850 LISTER James R East Sculcoates Hull EAS/10/297 **LISTER John C East Sculcoates Hull EAS/10/128 Yorkshire Birth indexes for the years: 1852 **LISTER Ann J East Sculcoates Hull EAS/12/375 LISTER William East Sculcoates Hull EAS/12/253 and so on... including: Yorkshire Birth indexes for the years: 1857 **LISTER George T East Sculcoates Hull EAS/16/272 Christine

If you don't specially want a legal marriage cert copy, but want exactly the same info and with original handwriting (and potentially significantly cheaper), have a look at Yorks BMD. The marriage info for Robert & Fanny tells you it was at All Saints Church - so you may be able to get a copy of the relevant Register page: Surname Forename(s) Surname Forename(s) Church / Register Office Registers At Reference Yorkshire Marriage indexes for the years: 1843 LISTER Robert CLARK Frances All Saints, Sculcoates Hull HAS/4/51 [I don't know whether this earlier one is relevant or not: Yorkshire Marriage indexes for the years: 1842 LISTER Robert GIBSON Ann Holy Trinity Hull HD/4/340] likewise: Yorkshire Marriage indexes for the years: 1876 LISTER John C PAWSON Mary A St Peter, Leeds Leeds CE46/87/28 So you might be able to get a copy Register page for that one, too. Christine

I had no idea, except that I'd heard of it! LOL I googled and found this on Genuki: http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/ERY/Hull/HullHistory/HullHistory11.html Merry

Forgive my ignorance what's the Lyceum Library?

Merry you are an absolute star!

marriage of Robert and Fanny: Marriages Mar 1843 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARCHER William Henry Sculcoates 22 294 >>>CLARK Frances Sculcoates 22 294 >>>LISTER Robert Sculcoates 22 294 PARKIN Mary Sculcoates 22 294 SMITH Elizabeth Sculcoates 22 294 SMITH William Sculcoates 22 294 WILKINSON William Sculcoates 22 294 Wiseman Elizabeth Sculcoates 22 294 Merry

Robert without his son in 1851: Charlotte Croasdale abt 1816 Grinsby, Lincolnshire, England Visitor Sculcoates Yorkshire Martha Crompton abt 1836 Hull, Yorkshire, England Servant Sculcoates Yorkshire Fanny Lister abt 1821 Winestead, Yorkshire, England Wife Sculcoates Yorkshire Isa Lee Lister abt 1847 Hull, Yorkshire, England Daughter Sculcoates Yorkshire Robert Lister abt 1801 Gunsby, Lincolnshire, England Head Sculcoates Yorkshire Thomas Lister abt 1844 Hull, Yorkshire, England Son Sculcoates Yorkshire Merry

1861 is better!! Anne J Lister abt 1853 Hull, Yorkshire, England Daughter Sculcoates St Paul Yorkshire George W Lister abt 1857 Hull, Yorkshire, England Son Sculcoates St Paul Yorkshire Isabel Lister abt 1846 Hull, Yorkshire, England Daughter Sculcoates St Paul Yorkshire John C Lister abt 1851 Hull, Yorkshire, England Son Sculcoates St Paul Yorkshire Robert Lister abt 1797 Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England Head Sculcoates St Paul Yorkshire Robert is a librarian in the Lyceum library! Merry

1851 census, not very helpful!! Mary Cooper abt 1812 Cottingham, Yorkshire, England Head Cottingham Yorkshire Fanny Jones abt 1839 Halifax, Yorkshire, England Visitor Cottingham Yorkshire John C Lister abt 1850 Hull, Yorkshire, England Visitor Cottingham Yorkshire Merry

Well I would think this is his birth reg on FreeBMD: Births Mar 1850 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lister John Clark Sculcoates 22 543 Merry

Has clarified a few things there Merry - didn't know the marriage details. I ahd a few scraps of paper with the details on from when a relative had started this a few years ago, and it said the info had come from a death cert. but no one seems to know where this is! It was John's birth and parents I was specifically after, but any help is good help. Thanks

Been a bit slow there.....just realised you gave his name at the start!! Sorry, got all wound up in the Frances thing......wasn't what you wanted at all, was it!! Merry