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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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What is a "Related Births" Index? |
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This is an index to the records of children born with a surname other than Gooderson (or one of its variants) but whose mother’s maiden surname was Gooderson (or a variant). Records of this type are known by some genealogists as "Married Out" birth records. |
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It should be noted that this index does NOT include records of children born with the surname Gooderson (or a variant), even if the mother’s maiden surname was Gooderson (or a variant). Such children are, of course, listed in the Gooderson Archive's ordinary births index. |
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What is the main purpose of these records? |
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These records can be invaluable in helping to establish the names of children born to a woman who married out of one of the Gooderson (or variant) families. |
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What sources were used to compile the Archive's Related Births Index database? |
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The database was compiled using extracts taken from the birth index books held by the General Register Office of England and Wales. |
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How many records does the database contain? |
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At the first count, on 8th April 2012, the database housed in excess of 300 sets of birth index entries for England and Wales. Although these mainly cover the years 1911 to 2005, there are a number of entries for the period 1837 to 1910. |
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Why do some of the search results feature clickable reference numbers? |
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Click-through links have been provided where entries in the General Register Office’s original index are either unclear or are unusual in some respect. Examples of the latter include cases in which multiple entries for the surname in question appear with the same (or consecutive) reference numbers on the same page of the original index, thus indicating the possibility of the birth of twins. |
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Does the database list births under the registration district in which the child was actually born or the registration district in which the parents live? |
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Births in England and Wales should, by law, always be registered at the register office that covers the district in which the child was born, irrespective of the home address of the parents. There are, however, a small number of instances of a child’s birth being registered by each of its parents in both registration districts simultaneously. Entries in the Archive's database simply reflect this when it occurs. |
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Why can’t I specify gender in my search? |
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Unfortunately, when Civil Registration in England and Wales began in 1837, it was not thought necessary by the authorities to include an indication of gender in the index produced by the G.R.O. Consequently it has not been possible for the Archive to include gender information in the database and so provide a gender search facility. |
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[N.B. By the year 1855, when Scottish Civil Registration commenced, many of the shortcomings of the English system had already become apparent and the Scottish G.R.O. birth index has included gender information from the outset.] |
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Can I add an entry for a person who has not been included in the database? |
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Yes, provided that you can supply supporting evidence. |
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Why are some parts of the index entries shown in italics in the database? |
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Italics have been used by the Archive to denote information that did not appear in the original G.R.O. index but which has been derived from other sources such as certified copies of birth certificates or entries in registers etc. |
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Is there any significance in the background colours of the database pages? |
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Yes, very much so! The background used throughout the Archive's births database pages is meant to represent the colour of all of the original G.R.O. birth index books, the birth certificate application forms and the actual birth certificates themselves, all of which are normally coloured or printed in red in order to aid identification. |
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What does the "Use fuzzy forename search" option do? |
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If a tick is placed in the "Use fuzzy forename search" box before a birth index search is initiated, the search results will not only include different spellings of the forename but also its common variants. (For example, a fuzzy search for the forename "Catherine" will find Catharine, Catherine, Cathrine, Cathy, Catrin, Kate, Katharine, Katherine and Kathryn.) |
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Why are some of the "Cert" entries not clickable in the "Holding" column on the results pages? |
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In those cases where the Archive holds a birth certificate of someone who has asked for the full details shown on that certificate to be withheld, the normal click-through link on the search results page has been disabled. However, in some circumstances, further details can be obtained by contacting the Archive's organiser. |
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