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Family history research

About civil certificates

To confirm your research you can obtain certified copies of register entries.

A birth certificate will show:

• the child's name
• date and place of birth
• the names of both parents, including the mother's maiden surname. Occassionally, a father's name may not be recorded).
• current records (from 1969) show the place of birth of both parents.

You can then try to trace the marriage certificate of the parents. This will show:

• their names
• the date and place of marriage
• where they lived at the time of their marriage
• their ages
• their occupations
• the names and occupations of both of their fathers.

A death certificate will show:

• the deceased's full name
• the place of death
• cause of death
• occupation
• address at the time of death
• name and address of the person registering
• current records (from 1969) show the maiden surnames of married women and the place of birth of the deceased.

All this information can be used to work back in time and trace earlier records.

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