www.findbirthparent.co.uk
There are not many places where you get the chance to hear positive things about birthfathers. They, by far, have the worst reputation in the world of adoptions. Many people have given these men titles such as sperm donor, alleged or assumed father, run away dad, and of coarse, dead beat dad.
I, as a woman and a birthmother, do not feel that I have any right to write a provocative or note worthy article about birthfathers. Much less, something that would encourage them to stand up for themselves, while at the same time urging professionals (and the community at large) to give them the respect and understanding that they ultimately deserve. How could I know the essence of these men, the horror that they have gone through, the pain that they may bear? I can’t, but I also couldn’t find anyone else who could, or had the courage to write about it. With that said, the following is what I have learned about the complex realities of birthfathers.
From what I have seen of the birthfathers that stay involved in their adoption plans, they are an incredibly courageous group of men! It seems they are initially somewhat shy to the situation, and keep at what they feel is a safe distance. But all the same, they are a group of extremely proud fathers. I am speaking mostly right now of birthfathers who are in open and semi-open adoptions. They regularly keep contact with their children, and happily pass on the updates of their own lives. I have seen smiling faces on both sides of these complex relationships.True, these birthfathers have also expressed their frustrations. The fact that the woman gets to make all the decisions is very discouraging and a huge loss of control.
The fact that they feel powerless in general, in this woman dominated adoption world, keeps them from advocating for themselves! And, for certain, at some point, they were filled with rage and incredulous pain that they must “give away” their child. No doubt that this is a spontaneous reoccurring emotion that they must deal with from time to time. All these frustrations are understandable and poof of their manhood, fatherhood, and pure humanity in general! What a testimony to their acceptance of their responsibilities! All these emotions show the deep attachment that these men hold to their children, and their role as Father. It is in dealing with these feelings and those of letting a child go, that men become ambivalent, and further misunderstood by the rest of us.And to those who have walked away you ask? Yes, I am proud of these men who have stayed around, but in no way do I blame those who have not. Those who have come back in sorrow years later, to reclaim their “fatherhood” - the responsibilities they long to fill as a birthfather. To put it most simply, and quite bluntly, if I could have ran . . . I would have.I suppose it’s a sort of double edged sword. For birthmothers, adoptive parents, adoption professionals, and all those outraged at the flying feet of birthfathers – what else can we do but call them the endless list of names we have made up? What else can we do but create the enormously bad rap list we automatically attach to the title “birthfather”? So let me say again, as a birthmother, I would’ve given anything to have had freedom from my belly . . . and ran! Ran far away from it all.
I do not blame any man who takes advantage of that freedom, and walks or runs away. I do not think of them any less of a father. (At this moment I’m sure I have a few colleagues who are grunting and disgusted at that statement, but it is true.) But there is a catch. I do not blame any man who walks away; I just blame those who do not find their way back.It is true that men have the luxury to physically walk away from something like an unplanned pregnancy; however, it is also true that they can not mentally walk away. The emotions, the memories, these things will always remain. So, although a man's feet have added some distance to the situation, in the gut of it all, there will remain sleepless nights. I know there are thousands of you out there that know exactly what I’m talking about. And it is these men who eventually find a way out of the ambivalence of it all.
They begin the search; they return to the dreaded agency where it all began; they reclaim their Fatherhood.To these men, and all the birthfathers who have found the courage to accept their role, I would like to say thank you. Thank you for staying around; thank you for coming back. You help to shape the realistic, complex role a birthfather plays. I hope to hear more from all of you in the future. I hope to hear more of you setting the rest of us straight! I hope you find the strength to chisel down the enormous wall of misunderstanding, which stands too high in the adoption community. I hope you find a way to build deeper bonds with your birth children. Most of all, I hope you are able to find a sense of peace on Father’s Day – knowing the true virtue you hold as a birthfather.
Happy Father’s Day to you all.
www.findbirthparent.co.uk
Tuesday 12 May 2009
Birth Parents - Life After Your Child is adopted
www.adoptionsearchuk.co.uk
Life after your birth child is adopted
Immediately after a placement the grief can be unbearable. You often go over and over your choice and may wonder if you did the right thing. You may cry every day for the next few weeks, and not a moment goes by when you don’t think about your baby. For birthmothers, you often physically ache for the loss of a “part” of yourself. All of this is perfectly normal, and it’s your bodies way of grieving. A few months may go by and you realize that a day actually went by when you didn’t think about your baby. Shock at the notion you could possibly forget your baby sets in, and you go through another cycle of crying everyday. These types of ups and downs are also normal during this period. It will be hard for you to get used to the fact that you had a child, you chose adoption, and you are no longer with your child. In essence, it will be hard for you to get used to your place as a birthparent.
Some time between the baby’s first and second year of life, birthparents begin to really move on; they find a new place in their life, either with work or school, or maybe even family. This is usually very healthy, but begins to bring about a new set of grief. What exactly are you? What does birthparent really mean? How will being a birthparent affect your life? These questions come about due to your relationship with your child and perhaps their family, due to your relationship with your own family, and due to relationships with the outside world, like school and work. How should people refer to you? How much do you share? Are you really a Mother or Father? For birthparents in an open relationship the issues may go deeper: what should your child call you? How often should you have contact? How can you continue contact when it feels like the grief starts all over again after each visit?!
The most difficult part about being a birthparent is finding what fits best for you and your situation. We all get the awkward questions, and for as much as the ignorance of this world may annoy us, we can all come up with pretty good answers, or come-backs. We re-educate people. Explain that we had a child and chose adoption. We explain that we are a birthparent. But it’s up to you to decide what that means. Birthparent for some people may end at the “birth” part of it, and for others it may just begin with birth, and be reaffirmed with life. Some of you may choose to call yourself a mother or father, and some of you may decide that isn’t right for you. You have to allow yourself room to grow within the title, or place, you allow yourself to be.
Throughout all of this, life will go on and situations will change. Your child will grow. You will grow. Perhaps you will graduate from school, land a new job, parent children, or move away. At each of these points, your role as a birthparent will have to shift and adjust to incorporate the new person you have become. Perhaps the right thing for you is to come up with a yearly tradition: a special day to remember your place as a birthparent. To revisit the love you have for your child. Perhaps you will keep a journal or a scrapbook. It is important to remember that your grief will not end after a certain amount of time. Facing the grief head on, and finding an appropriate way to channel that energy is difficult. But only you can know yourself. Know which holidays are particularly hard for you. Find someone to confide in on those days, and allow yourself to grieve.
For birthparents in an open adoption, I would like to offer this support. Part of your responsibilities as a birthparent, and being in an open relationship, is to be open with your child’s parents. In an open adoption, the relationship has to initially be with the parents. This is not always easy. During visits or phone calls you may be thinking to yourself that you would do something different, or that they are parenting differently than you had expected. These types of feelings are normal. You are watching your child grow-up outside of your care, and you will often revisit the fact that you are not parenting. At moments like these it is important to remember the reason you chose adoption, and allow yourself to perhaps overemphasize the opportunities your child has gained from this adoption.
It is very important to find a common ground (easily the love for your child) with the adoptive parents. This will allow your child to grow-up with a respect for you, and the relationship you share with their family. When your child is older they will see how much their parent’s value your relationship, and they will want to be a part of that relationship. After all, once the child is old enough, the openness will be up to them. It’s important the relationship have roots within the family, and with the parents.
It’s ok to let the parents know how you are feeling. Ask them what they were thinking or expecting your place/role to be. In return, you should let them know what you dreamed your role to be. The start of this conversation can be difficult, and it may be appropriate to get a mediator from an agency to facilitate. The most important thing in an open adoption is just for you to be there and be available. It may be difficult at times, but if you always remain available, it will work. In open adoption, being “open” with everyone is the best call. As difficult as it may be, try to be honest about your emotions if you are having a difficult time with openness. You shouldn’t expect too much from yourself, and when visits are difficult, its best that you talk through it with the parents. At best, it will provoke conversation, and hopefully it will be something that the whole family can grow through, together.
Whether you are in an open or closed adoption, as a birthparent you will learn quickly just what they mean when they say “adoption is forever.” Your place as a birthparent is forever and although moving on isn’t easy, and does not happen over night, the grief does not last forever. Moving on means new experiences and new paths of life. It also means revisiting our grief sometimes, but it’s through this grief we will continue to grow, and as we grow, we will find new joys.
www.adoptionsearchuk.co.uk
Life after your birth child is adopted
Immediately after a placement the grief can be unbearable. You often go over and over your choice and may wonder if you did the right thing. You may cry every day for the next few weeks, and not a moment goes by when you don’t think about your baby. For birthmothers, you often physically ache for the loss of a “part” of yourself. All of this is perfectly normal, and it’s your bodies way of grieving. A few months may go by and you realize that a day actually went by when you didn’t think about your baby. Shock at the notion you could possibly forget your baby sets in, and you go through another cycle of crying everyday. These types of ups and downs are also normal during this period. It will be hard for you to get used to the fact that you had a child, you chose adoption, and you are no longer with your child. In essence, it will be hard for you to get used to your place as a birthparent.
Some time between the baby’s first and second year of life, birthparents begin to really move on; they find a new place in their life, either with work or school, or maybe even family. This is usually very healthy, but begins to bring about a new set of grief. What exactly are you? What does birthparent really mean? How will being a birthparent affect your life? These questions come about due to your relationship with your child and perhaps their family, due to your relationship with your own family, and due to relationships with the outside world, like school and work. How should people refer to you? How much do you share? Are you really a Mother or Father? For birthparents in an open relationship the issues may go deeper: what should your child call you? How often should you have contact? How can you continue contact when it feels like the grief starts all over again after each visit?!
The most difficult part about being a birthparent is finding what fits best for you and your situation. We all get the awkward questions, and for as much as the ignorance of this world may annoy us, we can all come up with pretty good answers, or come-backs. We re-educate people. Explain that we had a child and chose adoption. We explain that we are a birthparent. But it’s up to you to decide what that means. Birthparent for some people may end at the “birth” part of it, and for others it may just begin with birth, and be reaffirmed with life. Some of you may choose to call yourself a mother or father, and some of you may decide that isn’t right for you. You have to allow yourself room to grow within the title, or place, you allow yourself to be.
Throughout all of this, life will go on and situations will change. Your child will grow. You will grow. Perhaps you will graduate from school, land a new job, parent children, or move away. At each of these points, your role as a birthparent will have to shift and adjust to incorporate the new person you have become. Perhaps the right thing for you is to come up with a yearly tradition: a special day to remember your place as a birthparent. To revisit the love you have for your child. Perhaps you will keep a journal or a scrapbook. It is important to remember that your grief will not end after a certain amount of time. Facing the grief head on, and finding an appropriate way to channel that energy is difficult. But only you can know yourself. Know which holidays are particularly hard for you. Find someone to confide in on those days, and allow yourself to grieve.
For birthparents in an open adoption, I would like to offer this support. Part of your responsibilities as a birthparent, and being in an open relationship, is to be open with your child’s parents. In an open adoption, the relationship has to initially be with the parents. This is not always easy. During visits or phone calls you may be thinking to yourself that you would do something different, or that they are parenting differently than you had expected. These types of feelings are normal. You are watching your child grow-up outside of your care, and you will often revisit the fact that you are not parenting. At moments like these it is important to remember the reason you chose adoption, and allow yourself to perhaps overemphasize the opportunities your child has gained from this adoption.
It is very important to find a common ground (easily the love for your child) with the adoptive parents. This will allow your child to grow-up with a respect for you, and the relationship you share with their family. When your child is older they will see how much their parent’s value your relationship, and they will want to be a part of that relationship. After all, once the child is old enough, the openness will be up to them. It’s important the relationship have roots within the family, and with the parents.
It’s ok to let the parents know how you are feeling. Ask them what they were thinking or expecting your place/role to be. In return, you should let them know what you dreamed your role to be. The start of this conversation can be difficult, and it may be appropriate to get a mediator from an agency to facilitate. The most important thing in an open adoption is just for you to be there and be available. It may be difficult at times, but if you always remain available, it will work. In open adoption, being “open” with everyone is the best call. As difficult as it may be, try to be honest about your emotions if you are having a difficult time with openness. You shouldn’t expect too much from yourself, and when visits are difficult, its best that you talk through it with the parents. At best, it will provoke conversation, and hopefully it will be something that the whole family can grow through, together.
Whether you are in an open or closed adoption, as a birthparent you will learn quickly just what they mean when they say “adoption is forever.” Your place as a birthparent is forever and although moving on isn’t easy, and does not happen over night, the grief does not last forever. Moving on means new experiences and new paths of life. It also means revisiting our grief sometimes, but it’s through this grief we will continue to grow, and as we grow, we will find new joys.
www.adoptionsearchuk.co.uk
Monday 11 May 2009
What is a Birth Parent ?
www.birthparent.co.uk
What is a birthparent? A birthparent is a mother or father who makes an adoption plan to have their child raised by another family. Birthparents legally terminate their parental rights to the child in order to place them for adoption. This plan can be chosen for a number of reasons (it can also happen involuntarily, when a child is removed from the home, however this website focuses mainly on birthmothers who freely chose to place their children), yet the decision is almost always made with the best interests of the child in mind.
Depending on the circumstances of the adoption, a birthparent may remain in contact with her child and the adoptive family through letters, visits, or sometimes not at all. Birthparents are very important people, even if they are not able to stay in touch with their child. Birthparents share their genes and heritage with their children. They are the bearers of life, and to some adoptive couples, the bearers of miracles!
Why create a forum? We recognize that there are not always community supports available to birthparents after their children have been placed for adoption. Being around others who have shared your unique experience can help you feel less alone. Members of this forum can offer valuable suggestions as to how they have handled the difficult days in their lives, as well as provide a sympathetic ear when unexpected situations arise. This site is designed as a safe, anonymous place for birthparents to share their thoughts, feelings and stories, so please feel free to read, respond, and share your story in this community by emailing feedback@birthparent.co.uk
www.birthparent.co.uk
www.findbirthparent.co.uk
When all is said and done, at the completion of an adoption there is usually a very sad and lonely birthmother struggling to reestablish her life. Whether you were a birthmom in a closed adoption (desperately trying to hide your pregnancy from everyone), or a birthmom in an open adoption (with adoptive parents celebrating each pregnancy milestone with you), you attached to the child growing inside of you. When a person has to let go of that kind of love, it's hard to get back on your feet again. Sometimes it's hard to find your place in the world; where do you fit?How have we faired after our life altering decision to become birthmother's? Some have coped better than others. Studies on the well being of birthmothers are few and far between.
Not many people have had the desire or the means to do an accurate study of women who have placed their children for adoption. However, when we look at society, we can make a few general observations about birthmothers and their place in adoption.
People do not know what a birthmother is unless they are involved in adoption. I think this one is turning around the fastest, but it's amazing how many people I talk to who have no idea what a birthmother is! They know that there are women who "give away" their babies, but they never knew there was a name for them! This is a form of oppression: nameless, faceless. We must have the courage to educate those who are uninformed to stop this oppression.
You do not hear about birthmothers in your community.
There is still a negative connotation to "giving up" your baby for adoption. People do not talk about "those women" unless they are directly related to them. If you do hear of a birthmother in your community it is because there is one very brave, courageous woman who refused to be ashamed of her place in her child's life, and has educated those in her community about the realities of adoption.
Birthmothers are often overlooked when people think about adoption. How many of you have had the following experience. Someone comments on an adopted child, and how wonderful adoption is. You say "oh, really . . . adoption is great, isn't it," they enthusiastically reply, "oh, were you adopted?" And if you had enough courage that day, replied, "No, I'm a birthmother," - how red did their face get! Although, in the past few years (as I have educated the people around me), I have seen it get better; but people still want to leave the birthmother out of the equation, like the baby just magically (and unemotionally) appeared.
Everybody knows a "girl like that." Even though they feel uncomfortable talking about it, once you get someone alone, they start talking about a girl they knew. They either knew someone in high school, or had an aunt that was sent away, or maybe they had a girlfriend who was parenting at the age of 16. Once people start talking about it, they feel that they in some way can relate to you. This is such a wonderful opportunity for birthmothers. If we can get people to relate to our situation, we can find a way to diminish all the stereotypes that still exist.
Birthmothers are making a difference in the world of adoption. Believe it or not, we can (and already do) make a difference. Since open adoptions have become more accepted and available to women, more birthmothers are finding the courage to speak out. Just being honest and open with friends and family about your adoption is making a difference. And many birthmoms find courage to write their stories. There are wonderful books out there written by birthmoms, for birthmoms. We want to support each other, and this is how we have done it. There are thousands of birthmoms who choose to express themselves through art. Paintings, drawings, sculpture, poetry, music, all of these have brought to life the story of a birthmother. The ways birthmothers have found to creatively express themselves are amazing! All of these things do make a difference in our society.
A birthmother doesn't need a study to tell her these things. We can look around and see them, feel them, in our everyday lives. Some days are harder than others; of course, Mother's Day is one of those days. Birthmother's Day was created to ease some of that pain. I'm not convinced that anything can really ease the pain, but it can be helpful in grieving positively. Perhaps, to you, Birthmother's Day serves as a day of remembrance. Maybe you take the time to go through your memorabilia. Maybe you play your favorite song that always made you think of your baby. Maybe you do all these things and allow yourself to cry - to love your baby and miss your baby. These are all very reasonable things to do, but you mustn't stop there. Let it be a day for you to celebrate your growth since you placed you child for adoption. Let it be a day you celebrate the opportunities you have allowed you child. Let it be a day you honor your responsibility as a birthparent, and the place you do, and continue to hold in your child's life.
There is no question that this may be a hard day for you, but hopefully it is days like this that continue to help us grow. Please be sure to surround yourself with support people - those who have seen you through your adoption days. If you are unable to find someone to connect with, please let our forum be a safe haven - we can lend our ears, and our hearts, and we can make it through, yet another hard day, together.
What is a birthparent? A birthparent is a mother or father who makes an adoption plan to have their child raised by another family. Birthparents legally terminate their parental rights to the child in order to place them for adoption. This plan can be chosen for a number of reasons (it can also happen involuntarily, when a child is removed from the home, however this website focuses mainly on birthmothers who freely chose to place their children), yet the decision is almost always made with the best interests of the child in mind.
Depending on the circumstances of the adoption, a birthparent may remain in contact with her child and the adoptive family through letters, visits, or sometimes not at all. Birthparents are very important people, even if they are not able to stay in touch with their child. Birthparents share their genes and heritage with their children. They are the bearers of life, and to some adoptive couples, the bearers of miracles!
Why create a forum? We recognize that there are not always community supports available to birthparents after their children have been placed for adoption. Being around others who have shared your unique experience can help you feel less alone. Members of this forum can offer valuable suggestions as to how they have handled the difficult days in their lives, as well as provide a sympathetic ear when unexpected situations arise. This site is designed as a safe, anonymous place for birthparents to share their thoughts, feelings and stories, so please feel free to read, respond, and share your story in this community by emailing feedback@birthparent.co.uk
www.birthparent.co.uk
www.findbirthparent.co.uk
When all is said and done, at the completion of an adoption there is usually a very sad and lonely birthmother struggling to reestablish her life. Whether you were a birthmom in a closed adoption (desperately trying to hide your pregnancy from everyone), or a birthmom in an open adoption (with adoptive parents celebrating each pregnancy milestone with you), you attached to the child growing inside of you. When a person has to let go of that kind of love, it's hard to get back on your feet again. Sometimes it's hard to find your place in the world; where do you fit?How have we faired after our life altering decision to become birthmother's? Some have coped better than others. Studies on the well being of birthmothers are few and far between.
Not many people have had the desire or the means to do an accurate study of women who have placed their children for adoption. However, when we look at society, we can make a few general observations about birthmothers and their place in adoption.
People do not know what a birthmother is unless they are involved in adoption. I think this one is turning around the fastest, but it's amazing how many people I talk to who have no idea what a birthmother is! They know that there are women who "give away" their babies, but they never knew there was a name for them! This is a form of oppression: nameless, faceless. We must have the courage to educate those who are uninformed to stop this oppression.
You do not hear about birthmothers in your community.
There is still a negative connotation to "giving up" your baby for adoption. People do not talk about "those women" unless they are directly related to them. If you do hear of a birthmother in your community it is because there is one very brave, courageous woman who refused to be ashamed of her place in her child's life, and has educated those in her community about the realities of adoption.
Birthmothers are often overlooked when people think about adoption. How many of you have had the following experience. Someone comments on an adopted child, and how wonderful adoption is. You say "oh, really . . . adoption is great, isn't it," they enthusiastically reply, "oh, were you adopted?" And if you had enough courage that day, replied, "No, I'm a birthmother," - how red did their face get! Although, in the past few years (as I have educated the people around me), I have seen it get better; but people still want to leave the birthmother out of the equation, like the baby just magically (and unemotionally) appeared.
Everybody knows a "girl like that." Even though they feel uncomfortable talking about it, once you get someone alone, they start talking about a girl they knew. They either knew someone in high school, or had an aunt that was sent away, or maybe they had a girlfriend who was parenting at the age of 16. Once people start talking about it, they feel that they in some way can relate to you. This is such a wonderful opportunity for birthmothers. If we can get people to relate to our situation, we can find a way to diminish all the stereotypes that still exist.
Birthmothers are making a difference in the world of adoption. Believe it or not, we can (and already do) make a difference. Since open adoptions have become more accepted and available to women, more birthmothers are finding the courage to speak out. Just being honest and open with friends and family about your adoption is making a difference. And many birthmoms find courage to write their stories. There are wonderful books out there written by birthmoms, for birthmoms. We want to support each other, and this is how we have done it. There are thousands of birthmoms who choose to express themselves through art. Paintings, drawings, sculpture, poetry, music, all of these have brought to life the story of a birthmother. The ways birthmothers have found to creatively express themselves are amazing! All of these things do make a difference in our society.
A birthmother doesn't need a study to tell her these things. We can look around and see them, feel them, in our everyday lives. Some days are harder than others; of course, Mother's Day is one of those days. Birthmother's Day was created to ease some of that pain. I'm not convinced that anything can really ease the pain, but it can be helpful in grieving positively. Perhaps, to you, Birthmother's Day serves as a day of remembrance. Maybe you take the time to go through your memorabilia. Maybe you play your favorite song that always made you think of your baby. Maybe you do all these things and allow yourself to cry - to love your baby and miss your baby. These are all very reasonable things to do, but you mustn't stop there. Let it be a day for you to celebrate your growth since you placed you child for adoption. Let it be a day you celebrate the opportunities you have allowed you child. Let it be a day you honor your responsibility as a birthparent, and the place you do, and continue to hold in your child's life.
There is no question that this may be a hard day for you, but hopefully it is days like this that continue to help us grow. Please be sure to surround yourself with support people - those who have seen you through your adoption days. If you are unable to find someone to connect with, please let our forum be a safe haven - we can lend our ears, and our hearts, and we can make it through, yet another hard day, together.
Thursday 30 April 2009
Tracing People USA
Prepared by http://www.peoplesearchamerica.co.uk/
Tracing People USA.
Tracing People in the U.SThe obvious solution is to employ a tracing agent http://www.peoplesearchamerica.co.uk/ although not all persons can afford to employ a tracing agent and the following is a general guide to thos who want to embark upon a DIY trace.
Tracing people in the United States can be a lengthy and time consuming process. Many records, such as those held by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, are protected by the Privacy Act and cannot be divulged to third parties. However, the Internet has made many other resources much more freely accessible.
For information relating specifically to locating military personnel in the U.S. see Tracing Former Military Personnel in the U.S.
Search Engines
Most of the major search engines offer some sort of people search facility. Among these are: All-in-One Search, Alta Vista and Yahoo!.
Telephone Listings
One of the quickest and easiest ways of establishing contact with an individual is via their telephone listing. Some public reference libraries now hold U.S. telephone directories on CD-ROM and there are many internet websites providing access to phone listings. A number of these are to be found on Yahoo! However, it is worth remembering that many private individuals in the U.S. choose to be ex-directory.
Telephone directories can also be used to access lists of particular types of companies or services. For example, it would be possible to obtain a list of detective agencies in a particular location.
Vital Records
There is no central repository of birth, death and marriage records in the United States. These records are filed at state level and, in some cases, at an even more local level. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has produced Where to Write for Vital Records, a useful guide to these sources. Ancestry.com's Social Security Death Index is generated from the U.S. Social Security Administration's Death Master File. It indexes the records of deceased persons who possessed Social Security numbers and whose death had been reported to the SSA. In most cases a report of death was made in connection with Social Security death benefits. Where available the complete record may be ordered on payment of a fee.
Humanitarian Organizations
The following organizations may be able to assist in cases of sufficiently compelling humanitarian need, and where the missing person is a close relative:
British Red Cross, Tracing and Messages Section. (This organization deals with inquiries from the people living in the United Kingdom. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies lists contact information and web addresses of societies worldwide.)
The Salvation Army's Family Tracing Service exists for the purpose of trying to restore (or to sustain) family relationships, by locating relatives who for whatever reason have become out of touch.
Adoptees' Liberty Movement operates a registry databank designed to match adopted children with their natural parents.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Through its Family History Resources the Church offers advice to those undertaking family history research. There are over 2,400 Family History Centers worldwide including quite a number in the U.K. Most are located in meetinghouses of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here you can find census returns, wills, church records, etc for most parts of the world. In addition, you can consult the International Genealogical Index (IGI) and the Ancestral File. The IGI is a worldwide index of approximately 187 million names of deceased persons. Searches can also be made on-line through the Familysearch.org website. The Index does not contain records of living persons. The Ancestral File contains genealogical data on millions of individuals from many countries, including information on names, dates and places of birth, marriage and death. Most of the information on the File concerns deceased persons. The File also contains names and addresses of persons who have submitted information, and this information is up-dated periodically.
Media Sources
It may be worthwhile contacting newspapers or local radio stations in the area where the missing person was last known to live. General information on obtaining or contacting U.S. Publications is available on the Ready Reference section of this website. Radio stations can be located via Radio-Locator (formerly the MIT List of Radio Stations on the Internet).
Tracing People USA.
Tracing People in the U.SThe obvious solution is to employ a tracing agent http://www.peoplesearchamerica.co.uk/ although not all persons can afford to employ a tracing agent and the following is a general guide to thos who want to embark upon a DIY trace.
Tracing people in the United States can be a lengthy and time consuming process. Many records, such as those held by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, are protected by the Privacy Act and cannot be divulged to third parties. However, the Internet has made many other resources much more freely accessible.
For information relating specifically to locating military personnel in the U.S. see Tracing Former Military Personnel in the U.S.
Search Engines
Most of the major search engines offer some sort of people search facility. Among these are: All-in-One Search, Alta Vista and Yahoo!.
Telephone Listings
One of the quickest and easiest ways of establishing contact with an individual is via their telephone listing. Some public reference libraries now hold U.S. telephone directories on CD-ROM and there are many internet websites providing access to phone listings. A number of these are to be found on Yahoo! However, it is worth remembering that many private individuals in the U.S. choose to be ex-directory.
Telephone directories can also be used to access lists of particular types of companies or services. For example, it would be possible to obtain a list of detective agencies in a particular location.
Vital Records
There is no central repository of birth, death and marriage records in the United States. These records are filed at state level and, in some cases, at an even more local level. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has produced Where to Write for Vital Records, a useful guide to these sources. Ancestry.com's Social Security Death Index is generated from the U.S. Social Security Administration's Death Master File. It indexes the records of deceased persons who possessed Social Security numbers and whose death had been reported to the SSA. In most cases a report of death was made in connection with Social Security death benefits. Where available the complete record may be ordered on payment of a fee.
Humanitarian Organizations
The following organizations may be able to assist in cases of sufficiently compelling humanitarian need, and where the missing person is a close relative:
British Red Cross, Tracing and Messages Section. (This organization deals with inquiries from the people living in the United Kingdom. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies lists contact information and web addresses of societies worldwide.)
The Salvation Army's Family Tracing Service exists for the purpose of trying to restore (or to sustain) family relationships, by locating relatives who for whatever reason have become out of touch.
Adoptees' Liberty Movement operates a registry databank designed to match adopted children with their natural parents.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Through its Family History Resources the Church offers advice to those undertaking family history research. There are over 2,400 Family History Centers worldwide including quite a number in the U.K. Most are located in meetinghouses of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here you can find census returns, wills, church records, etc for most parts of the world. In addition, you can consult the International Genealogical Index (IGI) and the Ancestral File. The IGI is a worldwide index of approximately 187 million names of deceased persons. Searches can also be made on-line through the Familysearch.org website. The Index does not contain records of living persons. The Ancestral File contains genealogical data on millions of individuals from many countries, including information on names, dates and places of birth, marriage and death. Most of the information on the File concerns deceased persons. The File also contains names and addresses of persons who have submitted information, and this information is up-dated periodically.
Media Sources
It may be worthwhile contacting newspapers or local radio stations in the area where the missing person was last known to live. General information on obtaining or contacting U.S. Publications is available on the Ready Reference section of this website. Radio stations can be located via Radio-Locator (formerly the MIT List of Radio Stations on the Internet).
Merchant Navy - Tracing
Research guide C1: The Merchant Navy: Tracing people: Crew lists, agreements and official logs
This guide gives details of crew agreements for British-registered merchant ships, crew lists or muster-rolls and official ships' logs.
They are of particular interest to genealogists and people tracing family history, and to anyone researching specific ships or seafaring generally.
Introduction
Crew lists
Crew lists, originally termed muster-rolls or muster-books, began in the 18th century and were initially kept in order to collect a levy from seamen's wages for a relief fund and as a record of the names, ratings, dates of entry and final discharge for all men serving on board a ship. The 1835 Merchant Shipping Act and its successors were intended to create central registers of all seamen who might be called on to support the Royal Navy in time of war.
This central registration stopped in 1857 and only began again in 1914 with the start of the First World War.
Crew agreements
Crew agreements, detailed contracts between a seaman and his employer, carried on beyond 1857, and provide greater information about the crew, apprentices, ships and voyages.
For ships engaged in the Home trade (operating in UK coastal waters, or from UK to North European and Baltic ports) records of agreements were submitted twice a year and usually include a list of all sailings and arrivals for the half-year.
Agreements for vessels in the foreign trade were submitted at the end of each voyage and do not include this information, just a general voyage description with dates.
Official logs
Official logs of British merchant ships also have some details of crew members but they are not, as many people assume, a daily diary of a ship's movements. They are more a 'parish register' for the ship, noting vital information about the crew and passengers, and only had to be kept only if there were relevant entries to record. These include new arrivals on board (such as births or the signing on of a new crew member); departures (death, disappearance, desertion, or signing off of a crew member at an intermediary port before the end of the voyage); marriages, illness, and any disciplinary action taken against a crew member.
The log will usually give the ship's position at the time of any birth or death, but may have no other reference to the ship's movements. Sailing and arrival dates are sometimes noted but were not required. The crew agreement, which provides at minimum the date and place of the beginning and end of the voyage, is often more informative in this respect.
Where to find records for...
1747–1860
All surviving muster rolls and crew agreements for British-registered merchant ships up to and including 1860 are held by The National Archives. Muster rolls exist for 1747–1851, but prior to 1800 only those for Dartmouth, Liverpool, Plymouth, Shields and Scarborough have survived. Crew Agreements are available from 1835.
Up to 1854 records are arranged by port and registry number; subsequently by ship's official number. These and other valuable sources are described in The National Archives' Merchant shipping: Crew Lists and Agreements, 1747–1860.
After 1860, crew agreements have been divided between a number of repositories.
1861–1938
A 10% specimen group of crew agreements for each year, taken at random (every tenth box of papers) together with those for famous vessels (with some exceptions, such as those for the Cutty Sark and Great Britain), is in The National Archives. The remaining 90% for 1861, 1862, and years ending in '5', are held by the National Maritime Museum. Anyone wishing to consult them should give at least two weeks advance notice, stating the name and official number of the vessel (see below) and the year in which the relevant voyage ended. For other years, some crew agreements were taken by local record offices. Information on holdings at The National Archives and local record offices are described in The National Archives' Merchant Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists after 1861.
All those remaining (about 70% of the total) are now in the care of the Maritime History Research Collection, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3Y1, Canada. The Collection offers a research service and will provide copies of documents for a fee based on cost recovery. Crew agreements for foreign-going vessels were submitted to the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen at the end of the voyage (replacing the copy deposited with the port authorities before departure) and it is this date that determines the year in which an agreement is filed. Coasters and fishing vessels submitted crew agreements bi-annually.
1939–1950
All surviving agreements and crew lists with their logbooks are held by The National Archives, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU. Information on the holdings of The National Archives are decribed in The National Archives' Merchant Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists after 1861.
Tel: +44 (0)20 8876 3444
1951–1977
A 10% specimen group of crew agreements is in The National Archives; the remaining 90% for years ending in '5' have been deposited with the National Maritime Museum. The Museum has 90% of the crew agreements for 1955, 1965, 1975 and 1985, but it should be noted that they are filed in official order number not ship order. All remaining papers have been transferred to the Maritime History Archive in Canada (detailed above).
1978 onwards
The National Archives and the National Maritime Museum each hold 10% of crew agreements and lists of this period. The remaining, which dated to 1989, have been destroyed. All crew agreements and lists from 1999 are held by the Registry of Shipping and Seamen. Papers may be temporarily unavailable while in store or in transit.
Indexes
The Maritime History Archive in Canada has produced the Maritime History Archive Crew Lists Index (1863 - 1938) arranged by ship's official number. A similar index has been compiled to the papers held by local record offices and one is in preparation for The National Archives holdings. Copies of indexes produced by the Maritime History Archive and local record offices are in the National Maritime Museum's Library.
No indexes by ship's name or by names of crewmen have yet been compiled for the agreements held in the four main repositories, although some local record offices have indexes by ship's name to their holdings.
Official ship's number
This can be found by consulting the Mercantile Navy List or, after 1872/3, Lloyd's Register of Shipping. For muster rolls and agreements before 1854, the ship's port and registry number can be found through the indexes to ship registrations, 1786–1854, in The National Archives.
Official logs
British merchant ships were first required to keep an official log under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1850 and logs start to appear among official records from 1852 onwards. Many were later discarded, with only those recording a birth or death on board normally being retained. The survival rate is about 20%, except during the First and Second World Wars, for which all logs containing any entries were preserved.
Surviving logs are always to be found with the appropriate crew agreement, except between 1905–12 and 1914–18. For those years most are kept separately, at The National Archives, in class BT 165. The indexes to the Maritime History Archive's holdings of crew agreements indicate whether or not a log is available with the crew agreement. Copies of deck logs or journals survive only in rare instances and are not among official records.
The National Maritime Museum's manuscript collections include a few examples of logs and the Library has a copy of Log of Logs: a catalogue of logs, journals, shipboard diaries, letters and all forms of voyage narratives, 1788 to 1988, for Australia and New Zealand, and surrounding oceans (Museum library reference 930.253.4:656.61.09), by Ian Nicholson (Roebuck Society Publication no.41, Aranda, 1990), which may be useful for tracing others.
Next steps
Other guides in the series which may be useful for researching merchant ships' crews are:
Research guide C2: The Merchant Navy: Tracing people: Master mariners, mates and engineers
Research guide C4: The Merchant Navy: Sources for enquiries
Research guide C5: The Merchant Navy: Sources for ship histories
Research guide C6: The Merchant Navy: The Mercantile Navy List
Research guide C8: The Merchant Navy: Wrecks, losses and casualties
Research guide C9: The Merchant Navy: World War One
Research guide C10: The Merchant Navy: World War Two
Research guide C11: The Merchant Navy: The Handy Shipping Guide
Research guide C12: The Merchant Navy: Ship registration and Custom House records
Research guide E1: World War Two: Papers in the National Maritime Museum
Research guide E2: World War Two: The Dunkirk List
Research guide H3: Lloyd's: Lloyd's Captains' registers
Research guide H5: Lloyd's: Registers held at the National Maritime Museum
For general research help see:
Research guide A2: Principal records for maritime research at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records
This guide gives details of crew agreements for British-registered merchant ships, crew lists or muster-rolls and official ships' logs.
They are of particular interest to genealogists and people tracing family history, and to anyone researching specific ships or seafaring generally.
Introduction
Crew lists
Crew lists, originally termed muster-rolls or muster-books, began in the 18th century and were initially kept in order to collect a levy from seamen's wages for a relief fund and as a record of the names, ratings, dates of entry and final discharge for all men serving on board a ship. The 1835 Merchant Shipping Act and its successors were intended to create central registers of all seamen who might be called on to support the Royal Navy in time of war.
This central registration stopped in 1857 and only began again in 1914 with the start of the First World War.
Crew agreements
Crew agreements, detailed contracts between a seaman and his employer, carried on beyond 1857, and provide greater information about the crew, apprentices, ships and voyages.
For ships engaged in the Home trade (operating in UK coastal waters, or from UK to North European and Baltic ports) records of agreements were submitted twice a year and usually include a list of all sailings and arrivals for the half-year.
Agreements for vessels in the foreign trade were submitted at the end of each voyage and do not include this information, just a general voyage description with dates.
Official logs
Official logs of British merchant ships also have some details of crew members but they are not, as many people assume, a daily diary of a ship's movements. They are more a 'parish register' for the ship, noting vital information about the crew and passengers, and only had to be kept only if there were relevant entries to record. These include new arrivals on board (such as births or the signing on of a new crew member); departures (death, disappearance, desertion, or signing off of a crew member at an intermediary port before the end of the voyage); marriages, illness, and any disciplinary action taken against a crew member.
The log will usually give the ship's position at the time of any birth or death, but may have no other reference to the ship's movements. Sailing and arrival dates are sometimes noted but were not required. The crew agreement, which provides at minimum the date and place of the beginning and end of the voyage, is often more informative in this respect.
Where to find records for...
1747–1860
All surviving muster rolls and crew agreements for British-registered merchant ships up to and including 1860 are held by The National Archives. Muster rolls exist for 1747–1851, but prior to 1800 only those for Dartmouth, Liverpool, Plymouth, Shields and Scarborough have survived. Crew Agreements are available from 1835.
Up to 1854 records are arranged by port and registry number; subsequently by ship's official number. These and other valuable sources are described in The National Archives' Merchant shipping: Crew Lists and Agreements, 1747–1860.
After 1860, crew agreements have been divided between a number of repositories.
1861–1938
A 10% specimen group of crew agreements for each year, taken at random (every tenth box of papers) together with those for famous vessels (with some exceptions, such as those for the Cutty Sark and Great Britain), is in The National Archives. The remaining 90% for 1861, 1862, and years ending in '5', are held by the National Maritime Museum. Anyone wishing to consult them should give at least two weeks advance notice, stating the name and official number of the vessel (see below) and the year in which the relevant voyage ended. For other years, some crew agreements were taken by local record offices. Information on holdings at The National Archives and local record offices are described in The National Archives' Merchant Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists after 1861.
All those remaining (about 70% of the total) are now in the care of the Maritime History Research Collection, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3Y1, Canada. The Collection offers a research service and will provide copies of documents for a fee based on cost recovery. Crew agreements for foreign-going vessels were submitted to the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen at the end of the voyage (replacing the copy deposited with the port authorities before departure) and it is this date that determines the year in which an agreement is filed. Coasters and fishing vessels submitted crew agreements bi-annually.
1939–1950
All surviving agreements and crew lists with their logbooks are held by The National Archives, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU. Information on the holdings of The National Archives are decribed in The National Archives' Merchant Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists after 1861.
Tel: +44 (0)20 8876 3444
1951–1977
A 10% specimen group of crew agreements is in The National Archives; the remaining 90% for years ending in '5' have been deposited with the National Maritime Museum. The Museum has 90% of the crew agreements for 1955, 1965, 1975 and 1985, but it should be noted that they are filed in official order number not ship order. All remaining papers have been transferred to the Maritime History Archive in Canada (detailed above).
1978 onwards
The National Archives and the National Maritime Museum each hold 10% of crew agreements and lists of this period. The remaining, which dated to 1989, have been destroyed. All crew agreements and lists from 1999 are held by the Registry of Shipping and Seamen. Papers may be temporarily unavailable while in store or in transit.
Indexes
The Maritime History Archive in Canada has produced the Maritime History Archive Crew Lists Index (1863 - 1938) arranged by ship's official number. A similar index has been compiled to the papers held by local record offices and one is in preparation for The National Archives holdings. Copies of indexes produced by the Maritime History Archive and local record offices are in the National Maritime Museum's Library.
No indexes by ship's name or by names of crewmen have yet been compiled for the agreements held in the four main repositories, although some local record offices have indexes by ship's name to their holdings.
Official ship's number
This can be found by consulting the Mercantile Navy List or, after 1872/3, Lloyd's Register of Shipping. For muster rolls and agreements before 1854, the ship's port and registry number can be found through the indexes to ship registrations, 1786–1854, in The National Archives.
Official logs
British merchant ships were first required to keep an official log under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1850 and logs start to appear among official records from 1852 onwards. Many were later discarded, with only those recording a birth or death on board normally being retained. The survival rate is about 20%, except during the First and Second World Wars, for which all logs containing any entries were preserved.
Surviving logs are always to be found with the appropriate crew agreement, except between 1905–12 and 1914–18. For those years most are kept separately, at The National Archives, in class BT 165. The indexes to the Maritime History Archive's holdings of crew agreements indicate whether or not a log is available with the crew agreement. Copies of deck logs or journals survive only in rare instances and are not among official records.
The National Maritime Museum's manuscript collections include a few examples of logs and the Library has a copy of Log of Logs: a catalogue of logs, journals, shipboard diaries, letters and all forms of voyage narratives, 1788 to 1988, for Australia and New Zealand, and surrounding oceans (Museum library reference 930.253.4:656.61.09), by Ian Nicholson (Roebuck Society Publication no.41, Aranda, 1990), which may be useful for tracing others.
Next steps
Other guides in the series which may be useful for researching merchant ships' crews are:
Research guide C2: The Merchant Navy: Tracing people: Master mariners, mates and engineers
Research guide C4: The Merchant Navy: Sources for enquiries
Research guide C5: The Merchant Navy: Sources for ship histories
Research guide C6: The Merchant Navy: The Mercantile Navy List
Research guide C8: The Merchant Navy: Wrecks, losses and casualties
Research guide C9: The Merchant Navy: World War One
Research guide C10: The Merchant Navy: World War Two
Research guide C11: The Merchant Navy: The Handy Shipping Guide
Research guide C12: The Merchant Navy: Ship registration and Custom House records
Research guide E1: World War Two: Papers in the National Maritime Museum
Research guide E2: World War Two: The Dunkirk List
Research guide H3: Lloyd's: Lloyd's Captains' registers
Research guide H5: Lloyd's: Registers held at the National Maritime Museum
For general research help see:
Research guide A2: Principal records for maritime research at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records
The Royal Navy - Tracing People
Research guide B1: The Royal Navy: Tracing people
This guide explains where and how to access the service records of the Royal Navy (which are held primarily at The National Archives), and lists some of the books in the Museum's Caird Library which can be used to research people who have served in the Royal Navy and its history.
Official records
Most Admiralty records are deposited with The National Archives: Ruskin Avenue Kew Richmond Surrey TW9 4DU Tel: +44 (0)20 8876 3444
What you will find there:
Few centralised records of seamen were kept before 1857. In general you need to know the name of a serviceman’s ship in order to look him up. The muster roll or crew list should note where he was before and after his service in that ship, so you can track most people backwards and forwards from that point.
Records of Greenwich Seamen's Hospital and other hospitals; pensions and grants received; medals awarded, etc., up to the end of the 19th century.
Records of commissioned officers, warrant officers, tradesmen, etc, up to the end of the 19th century.
Lieutenant's logs
The lieutenant's logs were kept by the lieutenants of a ship in commission, recording details of weather, navigation and routine of the ship, as well as incidents that occurred during the commission. Printed formats appeared from about 1799, with the Admiralty laying down a standard form in October 1805 when the practice of starting the day's log at midnight to coincide with the civil calendar was begun (the nautical calendar had previously run from noon).
At the completion of each year, a lieutenant's log was required to be deposited in the Admiralty Office, where the chief clerk abstracted details of the voyage and, in return for a fee, sent the log to the Navy Office where a clerk in the off of the Clerk of the Acts made out a certificate entitling the Lieutenant to be paid. At the Navy Office individual logs were bound into volumes by ship name.
For a time in the 18th century the logs were collected by year as well as name, so logs of four or five ships (usually starting with the same letter) may be bound together. Any captain's logs that are bound with these logs are usually duplicates of those kept by The National Archives.
Books
Reference numbers given in italics refer to the Museum's Library and manuscripts catalogue.
Steel's Navy List - editions spanning 1787–1816. Incomplete run, but printed as frequently as monthly. Lists officers, ships and establishments including officers of Sea Fencibles before 1810. Miscellaneous intelligence reports, vessels captured, prize money awards.
Lean's Navy List - editions spanning 1878–1916. Information on officers alphabetically and by seniority, including short biographies of their service and decorations. Also lists of ships and establishments with serving officers.
Navy Lists - editions from 1814 to date. The amount of information shown in these lists changes with time but they record officers (retired and active) and ships, where ships were stationed, pay scales, uniform regulations, etc. They were published between one and several times a year at different periods. Copies are also held at the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth.
Charnock, J., Biographia Navalis (London: R Foulder, 1794-98). 92.355.33.094*
Marshall, J., Royal Naval Biography, 12 volumes (London: Longman, 1823–30). 92.355.33*
O'Byrne, W. R., A Naval Biographical Dictionary, 2 volumes, (London, J Murray, 1849). 92.355.33(42)*
Rodger, N. A. M., Naval Records for Genealogists (London: HMSO,1988). A guide to all classes of records and where to find them. 930.253.4:359
Syrett, David, ed., The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy, 1660–1815, (Aldershot: Scolar Press for Navy Records Society, 1994). This gives an alphabetical list of officers with known dates of promotion. An earlier facsimile copy (unpublished) of this work is available at the National Maritime Museum, annotated with the names of ships on which each officer is known to have served. 061.22NRS
* Many of the entries in these three sources have also been included in the British Biographical Index, edited by D Bank and A Esposito, published in microfiche with printed index by K G Saur, Sevenoaks, 1990.
Next steps
Other guides in the series which may be useful for researching the Royal Navy are:
Research guide B3: The Royal Navy: Sources for enquiries
For general research help see:
Research guide A2: Principal records for maritime research at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records
This guide explains where and how to access the service records of the Royal Navy (which are held primarily at The National Archives), and lists some of the books in the Museum's Caird Library which can be used to research people who have served in the Royal Navy and its history.
Official records
Most Admiralty records are deposited with The National Archives: Ruskin Avenue Kew Richmond Surrey TW9 4DU Tel: +44 (0)20 8876 3444
What you will find there:
Few centralised records of seamen were kept before 1857. In general you need to know the name of a serviceman’s ship in order to look him up. The muster roll or crew list should note where he was before and after his service in that ship, so you can track most people backwards and forwards from that point.
Records of Greenwich Seamen's Hospital and other hospitals; pensions and grants received; medals awarded, etc., up to the end of the 19th century.
Records of commissioned officers, warrant officers, tradesmen, etc, up to the end of the 19th century.
Lieutenant's logs
The lieutenant's logs were kept by the lieutenants of a ship in commission, recording details of weather, navigation and routine of the ship, as well as incidents that occurred during the commission. Printed formats appeared from about 1799, with the Admiralty laying down a standard form in October 1805 when the practice of starting the day's log at midnight to coincide with the civil calendar was begun (the nautical calendar had previously run from noon).
At the completion of each year, a lieutenant's log was required to be deposited in the Admiralty Office, where the chief clerk abstracted details of the voyage and, in return for a fee, sent the log to the Navy Office where a clerk in the off of the Clerk of the Acts made out a certificate entitling the Lieutenant to be paid. At the Navy Office individual logs were bound into volumes by ship name.
For a time in the 18th century the logs were collected by year as well as name, so logs of four or five ships (usually starting with the same letter) may be bound together. Any captain's logs that are bound with these logs are usually duplicates of those kept by The National Archives.
Books
Reference numbers given in italics refer to the Museum's Library and manuscripts catalogue.
Steel's Navy List - editions spanning 1787–1816. Incomplete run, but printed as frequently as monthly. Lists officers, ships and establishments including officers of Sea Fencibles before 1810. Miscellaneous intelligence reports, vessels captured, prize money awards.
Lean's Navy List - editions spanning 1878–1916. Information on officers alphabetically and by seniority, including short biographies of their service and decorations. Also lists of ships and establishments with serving officers.
Navy Lists - editions from 1814 to date. The amount of information shown in these lists changes with time but they record officers (retired and active) and ships, where ships were stationed, pay scales, uniform regulations, etc. They were published between one and several times a year at different periods. Copies are also held at the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth.
Charnock, J., Biographia Navalis (London: R Foulder, 1794-98). 92.355.33.094*
Marshall, J., Royal Naval Biography, 12 volumes (London: Longman, 1823–30). 92.355.33*
O'Byrne, W. R., A Naval Biographical Dictionary, 2 volumes, (London, J Murray, 1849). 92.355.33(42)*
Rodger, N. A. M., Naval Records for Genealogists (London: HMSO,1988). A guide to all classes of records and where to find them. 930.253.4:359
Syrett, David, ed., The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy, 1660–1815, (Aldershot: Scolar Press for Navy Records Society, 1994). This gives an alphabetical list of officers with known dates of promotion. An earlier facsimile copy (unpublished) of this work is available at the National Maritime Museum, annotated with the names of ships on which each officer is known to have served. 061.22NRS
* Many of the entries in these three sources have also been included in the British Biographical Index, edited by D Bank and A Esposito, published in microfiche with printed index by K G Saur, Sevenoaks, 1990.
Next steps
Other guides in the series which may be useful for researching the Royal Navy are:
Research guide B3: The Royal Navy: Sources for enquiries
For general research help see:
Research guide A2: Principal records for maritime research at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records
Adopted Simple Background
Adopted Persons - Simple Background Guide
As a legal process began in England and Wales on 1 January 1927. Anyone ‘adopted’ before that date was really fostered, and what follows does not apply to them. Tracing the birth parents of a fostered child, especially if there was a change of surname, is a time consuming, difficult and specialist exercise.The 1976 Adoption Act gave adopted adults in England and Wales a right to access their adoption records. This article explains the process for those adopted before the 12 November 1975. Those adopted after this date should seek advice from their local Social Services adoption team.Following the making of an adoption order all adopted children are given a new birth certificate in their adopted name. It is therefore possible that you may not know your original birth name or indeed the name of your birth parents. However, the General Register Office in Southport holds full records. They will be able to connect the information, which will help you to obtain a copy of your original birth certificate. If you want to gain access to your records so that you can find out more about your history they should be your first point of contact.When contacting them, you should ask for an application form and the leaflet ‘Access to Birth records: Information for Adopted People Living in the UK’ (ACR 100). The form will ask where you would like to receive counselling. Counselling is a compulsory part of the process if you were adopted before November 1975. Most people opt to go to their local Social Services office.
The GRO will send details to the place where you have asked to be seen and will tell you to contact them to make an appointment. This process can take some time so do not expect to be seeing someone the week after sending off the application form.All Social Services departments have workers who specialise in adoption and it is one of these people that you will eventually see. They will help you consider how you will deal with the information, how birth family members may feel if you decide to trace them and the impact that such action may have on you and your family.Before 1975 most birth mothers were told that their children would never be able to trace them. Some kept the adoption secret and may not have even told their new partner or other family members. This does not mean they forgot, far from it, but it was a part of their past that they kept to themselves. Anyone who wishes to trace birth family members must understand how potentially devastating this could be and any approach must be made in a sensitive way. Many birth mothers are thrilled to be traced, but some are not.
The worker who offers the counselling may also be able to offer a mediation service if you do manage to trace anyone. They will not usually be able to undertake the tracing, as it can be very time consuming. However, there are organisations that will help with this for a fee. One such reputable organisation is NORCAP, who offer help to all adults involved in adoption.
At your first meeting with the social worker it is unlikely that you will be given all the information. The point of the first meeting is to look at the issues and to provide you with the form to enable you to apply for your original birth certificate. Some people already know their birth name and have been able to obtain their original birth certificate without going through this process. Thats fine, but what they will not have had is the additional information sent by the GRO, which may include details of people who have put their names on the Adoption Contact Register.
Most importantly the GRO also sends a form to the counsellor to enable the court records to be checked so that the name of the adoption agency is disclosed. This in turn will allow the counsellor to ask for access to your original records. A long-winded system — yes, but one that safeguards all involved and maintains confidentiality.One difficulty that many people encounter is that their adoption was not arranged by an adoption agency. Before 1976 this was quite legal and many people became involved in arranging adoptions including doctors, the clergy and in one case I was involved with, a hairdresser! In such private adoptions there is often little or no paperwork and your trail could end there. This is both sad and frustrating and can mean that you will never find out any more. The way the legislation is framed enables adopted people to have access to identifying information, which, in turn allows them to trace relatives in the birth family if they wish. It does not allow for birth relatives to have the same sort of identifying information.
As I have already mentioned, birth mothers, particularly, do not forget, and for some this loss is something they have never come to terms with. Sometimes birth mothers make contact with the placing adoption agency to see if they can trace their child. Agencies might write to the last known address of the adoptive family or offer to keep a letter on the child’s file in case they ever ask for more information. Even if they can be given no positive information all birth relatives will be offered some support. In the past the majority of girls whose babies were placed for adoption went to live in Mother and Baby Homes, often a long way from their own homes, family and friends. Most of these homes have long since closed and many have been pulled down to make way for new developments. People who were born in such homes often return to the area seeking to locate their roots and are disappointed to find that the building has been demolished.
If you are adopted and thinking about starting this process then remember always to go at your pace. Do not let anyone else rush you, you must feel comfortable at each stage before embarking on the next. This is an emotional process, and you should not underestimate the impact not only on yourself, but also on those around you. Such a process can affect your relationships with those closest to you, particularly your partner and your parents. If you want any advice before starting this process do ring your local Social Services department or contact us if you feel we can be of help.
Birth Parent Trace Service Suite 113 , 111 Picadilly , Manchester , M12 HX Tel 0844 88 42 831
NORCAP112 Church RoadWheatleyOxfordshireOX33 1LUTele: 01865 875000
The General Register Office - Adoptions SectionSmedley HydroTrafalgar RoadBirkdaleSouthport PR8 2HH
As a legal process began in England and Wales on 1 January 1927. Anyone ‘adopted’ before that date was really fostered, and what follows does not apply to them. Tracing the birth parents of a fostered child, especially if there was a change of surname, is a time consuming, difficult and specialist exercise.The 1976 Adoption Act gave adopted adults in England and Wales a right to access their adoption records. This article explains the process for those adopted before the 12 November 1975. Those adopted after this date should seek advice from their local Social Services adoption team.Following the making of an adoption order all adopted children are given a new birth certificate in their adopted name. It is therefore possible that you may not know your original birth name or indeed the name of your birth parents. However, the General Register Office in Southport holds full records. They will be able to connect the information, which will help you to obtain a copy of your original birth certificate. If you want to gain access to your records so that you can find out more about your history they should be your first point of contact.When contacting them, you should ask for an application form and the leaflet ‘Access to Birth records: Information for Adopted People Living in the UK’ (ACR 100). The form will ask where you would like to receive counselling. Counselling is a compulsory part of the process if you were adopted before November 1975. Most people opt to go to their local Social Services office.
The GRO will send details to the place where you have asked to be seen and will tell you to contact them to make an appointment. This process can take some time so do not expect to be seeing someone the week after sending off the application form.All Social Services departments have workers who specialise in adoption and it is one of these people that you will eventually see. They will help you consider how you will deal with the information, how birth family members may feel if you decide to trace them and the impact that such action may have on you and your family.Before 1975 most birth mothers were told that their children would never be able to trace them. Some kept the adoption secret and may not have even told their new partner or other family members. This does not mean they forgot, far from it, but it was a part of their past that they kept to themselves. Anyone who wishes to trace birth family members must understand how potentially devastating this could be and any approach must be made in a sensitive way. Many birth mothers are thrilled to be traced, but some are not.
The worker who offers the counselling may also be able to offer a mediation service if you do manage to trace anyone. They will not usually be able to undertake the tracing, as it can be very time consuming. However, there are organisations that will help with this for a fee. One such reputable organisation is NORCAP, who offer help to all adults involved in adoption.
At your first meeting with the social worker it is unlikely that you will be given all the information. The point of the first meeting is to look at the issues and to provide you with the form to enable you to apply for your original birth certificate. Some people already know their birth name and have been able to obtain their original birth certificate without going through this process. Thats fine, but what they will not have had is the additional information sent by the GRO, which may include details of people who have put their names on the Adoption Contact Register.
Most importantly the GRO also sends a form to the counsellor to enable the court records to be checked so that the name of the adoption agency is disclosed. This in turn will allow the counsellor to ask for access to your original records. A long-winded system — yes, but one that safeguards all involved and maintains confidentiality.One difficulty that many people encounter is that their adoption was not arranged by an adoption agency. Before 1976 this was quite legal and many people became involved in arranging adoptions including doctors, the clergy and in one case I was involved with, a hairdresser! In such private adoptions there is often little or no paperwork and your trail could end there. This is both sad and frustrating and can mean that you will never find out any more. The way the legislation is framed enables adopted people to have access to identifying information, which, in turn allows them to trace relatives in the birth family if they wish. It does not allow for birth relatives to have the same sort of identifying information.
As I have already mentioned, birth mothers, particularly, do not forget, and for some this loss is something they have never come to terms with. Sometimes birth mothers make contact with the placing adoption agency to see if they can trace their child. Agencies might write to the last known address of the adoptive family or offer to keep a letter on the child’s file in case they ever ask for more information. Even if they can be given no positive information all birth relatives will be offered some support. In the past the majority of girls whose babies were placed for adoption went to live in Mother and Baby Homes, often a long way from their own homes, family and friends. Most of these homes have long since closed and many have been pulled down to make way for new developments. People who were born in such homes often return to the area seeking to locate their roots and are disappointed to find that the building has been demolished.
If you are adopted and thinking about starting this process then remember always to go at your pace. Do not let anyone else rush you, you must feel comfortable at each stage before embarking on the next. This is an emotional process, and you should not underestimate the impact not only on yourself, but also on those around you. Such a process can affect your relationships with those closest to you, particularly your partner and your parents. If you want any advice before starting this process do ring your local Social Services department or contact us if you feel we can be of help.
Birth Parent Trace Service Suite 113 , 111 Picadilly , Manchester , M12 HX Tel 0844 88 42 831
NORCAP112 Church RoadWheatleyOxfordshireOX33 1LUTele: 01865 875000
The General Register Office - Adoptions SectionSmedley HydroTrafalgar RoadBirkdaleSouthport PR8 2HH
Private Detectives - What Do They Investigate ?
Tracing - Private Detectives and Tracing Agents
What do private detectives do ?
Tracing covers locating missing persons: old friends, relatives, abducted children, natural parents, witnesses, probate beneficiaries, business associates, debtors ...
You may be involved in tracing livestock: pets, farm animals ...
Tracing also covers finding assets: vehicles, boats, property, equipment, tools, stock, raw materials ...
Status enquiries
Status investigations are undertaken to establish the financial / debt / asset situation of a debtor, before deciding on further action ...
Due diligence
Due diligence reviews for business clients includes checking business credentials, credit rating, personal background reviews, pre-employment screening, verifying qualifications ...
Background checks
Background checks for private clients includes establishing the background / financial situation / activities of new associates. Instructions include pre-marital or pre-relationship lifestyle checks, checks on new friends of family members, nanny checks before employment ...
Process Serving
The service of documents as prescribed under the Civil Procedure Rules, ensuring the correct person is served at the right address.
A statement of service or affidavit is prepared as required ...
Recovery
Recovery includes debt collection, the repossession of property and assets, and collection of credit cards ...
Surveillance
Covert surveillance is used in many circumstances to gather evidence. Situations include insurance claims investigations, suspected theft and fraud by customers and staff, checks on nannies and domestic staff, suspected infidelity of a partner, peace of mind enquiries of new friends of your children ...
Statement taking
Attend on the behalf of a solicitor or client to take a statement. Locations include accident location, private home, police station and HM Prison ...
Accident investigations
Attend at the scene of an incident or accident and prepare a location plan and photographs to illustrate the events that took place ...
Property checks
Locality checks for people and businesses moving to a new area ...
Specialist services
Provide specialist services such as polygraph lie testing, computer forensic examination, fraud investigations, DNA paternity testing, semen detection ...
What do private detectives do ?
Tracing covers locating missing persons: old friends, relatives, abducted children, natural parents, witnesses, probate beneficiaries, business associates, debtors ...
You may be involved in tracing livestock: pets, farm animals ...
Tracing also covers finding assets: vehicles, boats, property, equipment, tools, stock, raw materials ...
Status enquiries
Status investigations are undertaken to establish the financial / debt / asset situation of a debtor, before deciding on further action ...
Due diligence
Due diligence reviews for business clients includes checking business credentials, credit rating, personal background reviews, pre-employment screening, verifying qualifications ...
Background checks
Background checks for private clients includes establishing the background / financial situation / activities of new associates. Instructions include pre-marital or pre-relationship lifestyle checks, checks on new friends of family members, nanny checks before employment ...
Process Serving
The service of documents as prescribed under the Civil Procedure Rules, ensuring the correct person is served at the right address.
A statement of service or affidavit is prepared as required ...
Recovery
Recovery includes debt collection, the repossession of property and assets, and collection of credit cards ...
Surveillance
Covert surveillance is used in many circumstances to gather evidence. Situations include insurance claims investigations, suspected theft and fraud by customers and staff, checks on nannies and domestic staff, suspected infidelity of a partner, peace of mind enquiries of new friends of your children ...
Statement taking
Attend on the behalf of a solicitor or client to take a statement. Locations include accident location, private home, police station and HM Prison ...
Accident investigations
Attend at the scene of an incident or accident and prepare a location plan and photographs to illustrate the events that took place ...
Property checks
Locality checks for people and businesses moving to a new area ...
Specialist services
Provide specialist services such as polygraph lie testing, computer forensic examination, fraud investigations, DNA paternity testing, semen detection ...
Sunday 19 April 2009
Some Key Facts About An Adoption
Key Facts about Adoption
1 in 4 people in the UK have an adoption connection – adoption is part of the fabric of modern family life
There were approximately 65,000 children in care in England and Wales at the end of March 2005 of which around only 40% will return home
It is estimated that just 1% of children in care go on to university - a statistic that has huge knock on effects for society as a whole
People who have been in care are 66 times more likely to have their own children taken into care
Only 4,000 children were adopted during the year ending March 2005 just 210 of these children were under age one
The average age at which children are adopted is four years and two months
The Adoption and Children Act 2002 (enforced December 2005) was the first piece of adoption legislation in over a quarter of a century. The Act gave unmarried and same sex couples the right to jointly adopt
The Act also gave birth relatives the right to request that their local authority or relevant adoption society make contact with their birth children, provided they are over 18 and are happy to be contacted
1 in 4 people in the UK have an adoption connection – adoption is part of the fabric of modern family life
There were approximately 65,000 children in care in England and Wales at the end of March 2005 of which around only 40% will return home
It is estimated that just 1% of children in care go on to university - a statistic that has huge knock on effects for society as a whole
People who have been in care are 66 times more likely to have their own children taken into care
Only 4,000 children were adopted during the year ending March 2005 just 210 of these children were under age one
The average age at which children are adopted is four years and two months
The Adoption and Children Act 2002 (enforced December 2005) was the first piece of adoption legislation in over a quarter of a century. The Act gave unmarried and same sex couples the right to jointly adopt
The Act also gave birth relatives the right to request that their local authority or relevant adoption society make contact with their birth children, provided they are over 18 and are happy to be contacted
Does A Birth Father Have Any Rights - Adotion
Judgment November 23, 2007
There was no duty on a local authority to make inquiries of a child’s extended family or father about the possibility of their providing long-term care where mother wished to place the child for adoption.
The Court of Appeal so held in a reserved judgment in allowing an appeal brought by the mother against the decision of a county court judge on September 28, 2007 when he held that the local authority was under such a duty.
Once the judge had made his order, there was a misunderstanding as a result of which the local authority wrote to the mother’s parents seeking an interview but not giving the reason.
The parents discovered that the mother had given birth and contacted the local authority to offer to assist in resolving the situation. They had not, however, taken part in the proceedings.
Reporting restrictions were placed by the court preventing the publication of any infomation which could lead to the identity or location of the parties.
LADY JUSTICE ARDEN said that the mother wished to place her child for adoption at birth and did not want the local authority to make inquiries to see if any of the child’s birth family would be suitable carers. The mother did not tell her family or the father about her pregnancy or the birth. The liaison with the father was a one-night stand.
Before the Adoption and Children Act 2002 Act, the courts had made it clear that, while in general terms the views of a father of a newborn child should be obtained before the child was placed for adoption, they did not require the consent of the father to be obtained where the mother and father had only had a fleeting relationship. The question was whether the 2002 Act had changed that position, as the judge held in the court below.
The question in the present case was one of statutory interpretation. It was necessary to go back to section 1 and particularly subsection 2 which made the child’s welfare the paramount consideration. The result was that section 1 was child-centred, and not mother-centred.
In this particular case, section 1(4)(c) and 1(4)(f) were particularly important. They were not in the Adoption Act 1976 and were therefore new. Subsection (4)(c) explicated the extended meaning of the child’s welfare, and required the court to look at the likely effect on the child throughout the child’s life of having ceased to be a member of the original family and having become a member of his or her adoptive family.
When a decision needed to be made about the long-term care of a child, whom the mother wished to be adopted, there was no duty of an absolute kind to make inquiries. There was only a duty to make inquiries, if it was in the interests of the child to do so.
The immediate question with which the guardian and the local authority were concerned was who would look after the child on a long-term basis. The inquiries had to be focused on that result.
The court was a public authority for the purpose of section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 and it would be unlawful for it to act in a manner which was incompatible with the rights conferred by the European Convention on Human Rights.
In the present case, the father did not have a right to respect for his family life with the child because he had no family life with the child. He had never lived with the mother or expressed any commitment to the child. He could not have done so because he did not know of the child’s existence.
It was not a violation of a Convention right to deprive him of the possibility of obtaining a right to respect for family life with the child. The father therefore had no Convention right and accordingly it was unnecessary to ask whether article 8.2 applied.
The grandparents did have such a right, but they would be able to obtain the information by making their own application under the Children Act 1989.
The local authority submitted that the ordinary rule should be that the near family and father should be identified and informed unless the court was satisfied that such inquiries would be inappropriate.
Her Ladyship did not consider that the court should require a preference to be given as a matter of policy to the natural family of a child. Section 1 did not impose any such policy. Rather, it required the interests of the child to be considered. Lord Justice Thorpe and Lord Justice Lawrence Collins delivered concurring judgments.
There was no duty on a local authority to make inquiries of a child’s extended family or father about the possibility of their providing long-term care where mother wished to place the child for adoption.
The Court of Appeal so held in a reserved judgment in allowing an appeal brought by the mother against the decision of a county court judge on September 28, 2007 when he held that the local authority was under such a duty.
Once the judge had made his order, there was a misunderstanding as a result of which the local authority wrote to the mother’s parents seeking an interview but not giving the reason.
The parents discovered that the mother had given birth and contacted the local authority to offer to assist in resolving the situation. They had not, however, taken part in the proceedings.
Reporting restrictions were placed by the court preventing the publication of any infomation which could lead to the identity or location of the parties.
LADY JUSTICE ARDEN said that the mother wished to place her child for adoption at birth and did not want the local authority to make inquiries to see if any of the child’s birth family would be suitable carers. The mother did not tell her family or the father about her pregnancy or the birth. The liaison with the father was a one-night stand.
Before the Adoption and Children Act 2002 Act, the courts had made it clear that, while in general terms the views of a father of a newborn child should be obtained before the child was placed for adoption, they did not require the consent of the father to be obtained where the mother and father had only had a fleeting relationship. The question was whether the 2002 Act had changed that position, as the judge held in the court below.
The question in the present case was one of statutory interpretation. It was necessary to go back to section 1 and particularly subsection 2 which made the child’s welfare the paramount consideration. The result was that section 1 was child-centred, and not mother-centred.
In this particular case, section 1(4)(c) and 1(4)(f) were particularly important. They were not in the Adoption Act 1976 and were therefore new. Subsection (4)(c) explicated the extended meaning of the child’s welfare, and required the court to look at the likely effect on the child throughout the child’s life of having ceased to be a member of the original family and having become a member of his or her adoptive family.
When a decision needed to be made about the long-term care of a child, whom the mother wished to be adopted, there was no duty of an absolute kind to make inquiries. There was only a duty to make inquiries, if it was in the interests of the child to do so.
The immediate question with which the guardian and the local authority were concerned was who would look after the child on a long-term basis. The inquiries had to be focused on that result.
The court was a public authority for the purpose of section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 and it would be unlawful for it to act in a manner which was incompatible with the rights conferred by the European Convention on Human Rights.
In the present case, the father did not have a right to respect for his family life with the child because he had no family life with the child. He had never lived with the mother or expressed any commitment to the child. He could not have done so because he did not know of the child’s existence.
It was not a violation of a Convention right to deprive him of the possibility of obtaining a right to respect for family life with the child. The father therefore had no Convention right and accordingly it was unnecessary to ask whether article 8.2 applied.
The grandparents did have such a right, but they would be able to obtain the information by making their own application under the Children Act 1989.
The local authority submitted that the ordinary rule should be that the near family and father should be identified and informed unless the court was satisfied that such inquiries would be inappropriate.
Her Ladyship did not consider that the court should require a preference to be given as a matter of policy to the natural family of a child. Section 1 did not impose any such policy. Rather, it required the interests of the child to be considered. Lord Justice Thorpe and Lord Justice Lawrence Collins delivered concurring judgments.
Friday 17 April 2009
Private Investigators
http://www.findpeople4u.co.uk/
http://www.trace4u.co.uk/
What is the actual difference between a private detective and a private investigator? We ask leading proffessionals at both http://www.trace4u.co.uk/ and the new leader on the block http://www.findpeople4u.co.uk/
In the private investigation industry there is no real distinction between the two terms and both are in general use. However, traditionally, the word 'detective' is normally associated with a person involved in the detection and investigation of crime, whereas, the word 'investigator' is a more general term given to a person involved in any other aspect of investigation.
Who does a private investigator work for?
Professional private investigators undertake all manner of investigations and their clientele can include:
Private individuals.
Commercial firms.
Private companies.
Solicitors involved with criminal, civil and matrimonial cases.
Public Bodies, such as Councils & Government Departments.
Insurance companies.
Banks.
And many more....
What does a private investigator actually do?
The working life of a private investigator can be very interesting and diverse with every day bringing new and different challenges. On any given day he/she may be involved in:
Surveillance - Observing and following persons in connection with matrimonial cases, false accident or sickness claims and allegations of general crime or industrial fraud.
Taking statements - From witnesses or suspects.
Criminal Defence - Instructed by a solicitor to; Investigate and substantiate an alibi, make general enquiries, prepare reports or take a statement.
General enquiries - Intelligence gathering on companies or individuals, financial status investigations and diverse information gathering.
Process serving - The delivery and serving of Court and legal papers on individuals and companies.
Repossessions - Acting as an agent for a company or solicitor to repossess property or vehicles.
Skip Tracing - Locating debtors, missing persons, relatives, absconders and lost friends or family.
'Locus in Quo' Enquiries (Latin for: 'the place in which' or scene of the event) - Preparing site plans, taking photographs, examining scenes and reporting on locations, particularly for road traffic accident investigations and crime defence scenes.
Test Purchasing - for businesses and retail outlets to ensure staff adherence to company policies and to prevent or detect internal pilfering and fraud.
And much, much more
One of the more common sources of work available to Private Investigators and Enquiry Agents are instructions either through another agency such as Legal Consultancy Services, or direct from a Solicitor to attend upon the Solicitor Client to proof them for a statement and carry out the requirements to set up funding for the claim, on behalf of the Solicitor.
After many years in practice, I have seen all sorts of instructions returned, some excellent, but just a few requiring a lot of revision and ultimately a second visit to my client. One must always appreciate that a litigation fee-earner can be running between 100 and 200 files, so having to revise and re-instruct can be costly in time and costs. In addition, law firms are very risk adverse, especially when it comes to the risk of a negligence claim by a disgruntled client.
Lets look at the legal basis that permits a Solicitor to delegate tasks to an Agent, as well as discussing the individual documents. This is not exhaustive, and instructions vary from firm to firm. This is simply a broad outline of the requirements and the reasoning behind the same as I see it, and should not be relied upon in any way (here speaks the Lawyer). In light of this, the place to seek clarification of your instructions, is from the solicitor providing the same, as only they know exactly what is required.
Firstly, there is a myth that the client can only speak to a solicitor in person in order to set up the funding required. This is wrong. In the TAG test cases that came before Chief Master Hurst, the senior costs judge in The Accident Group Test Cases: Sharratt –V- London Central Bus Co And Other Cases (2002), the court found that:
“[T]here can be delegation within the firm or recognised body. It must also follow that there can be delegation to a duly authorised agent. Questions may arise as to whether the agent is competent to carry out the required task, or indeed whether the task has actually been carried out competently. These however are questions of quality which are not for this judgment. As with internal delegation to an incompetent member of staff it is the legal representative who bears the consequences if the appointed agent does not carry out the task correctly. Incompetence by the delegate does not invalidate the delegation.”
This is an interesting case as it not only settled the right of the solicitor to delegate, but also pointed out that the solicitor is responsible for ensuring the agent is actually “up to the job”. Whilst this may generate a lot of requests for evidence of professional status and experience that may seem tiresome, it is clear that a solicitor would be foolish to instruct without taking reasonable steps to ensure the competence of an agent.
Turning now to some of the requests for information that are contained within a solicitor’s instructions.
Legal Expenses Insurance/Conditional Fee Agreement
The main type of funding agreement between solicitor and client is the Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA. This provides the retainer between client and solicitor, the agreement, which provides a means of the client paying, and the solicitor taking instructions. The request to check for pre-existing legal expenses insurance will certainly accompany a request to explain the funding documents required to enter into such an agreement.
This is vital if the solicitor is to avoid falling foul of the requirement to ensure that there are no other means of funding a case. Without getting into a detailed history of what a client must be told, it is far easier today to explain the CFA, commonly referred to as a “no-win-no-fee agreement”, than in the past.
The procedural requirements have been simplified and recent case law has shown that even if these are not adhered to (at least in fast-track RTA matters), the situation that could arise of no proper retainer being in place cannot in itself allow the unsuccessful defendant to avoid the costs in a claim. This was made clear in Nizami -v- Butt (2006) where at paragraph 26 of the judgment Simon J stated:
“In cases falling under CPR 45 Section II the receiving party does not have to demonstrate that there is a valid retainer between the solicitor and client merely that the conditions laid down under the Rules have been complied with.”
It is being argued now that the CPR themselves, and not the retainer between client and solicitor, are the basis for payment of costs and we await the appeals and voluminous satellite litigation that will follow this decision.
Statement
With regard to the statement, this unsurprisingly does not pose much of a problem for a professional group full of ex-police officers and military personnel. However, the requirements of the solicitor can be extensive and far beyond the bare bones of the accident circumstances.
The statement is now required not just to provide not only what happened, but also details about the physical and financial impact of the accident, personal data to allow matters to be registered with the Compensation Recovery Unit of the Department of Social Security, as well as capturing details of potential witnesses and if possible, as much additional information as is required.
In short, the statement should provide the fee-earner dealing with the matter with a one-stop document for all the information required to run a case.
Medical Authority
The solicitor will also need to be able to get access to the client’s medical notes and there are standard format documents informing the client of who will see their notes within the litigation process. This is an important step and a simple one-paragraph letter to a hospital, signed by the client, will generally not result in notes being released.
Attendance Note/Record of Time and Work
A fact you may not be aware of, is that the solicitor can claim for your time and not just your fee. This was confirmed in the matter of Stringer –v- Copley (2002) which can actually allow the solicitor to charge for the time you have spent on a matter, as if it were his own. This is so in matters where the CPR does not fix fees.
In light of this, it is good practice to ask if such a note is required, and also what format is required.
Finally, it is worthwhile remembering what the head of HR in a large international law firm told my fellow law students and me during a presentation about applying for jobs. The answer to the question about what a lawyer does in a firm is “they make money”.
http://www.trace4u.co.uk/
What is the actual difference between a private detective and a private investigator? We ask leading proffessionals at both http://www.trace4u.co.uk/ and the new leader on the block http://www.findpeople4u.co.uk/
In the private investigation industry there is no real distinction between the two terms and both are in general use. However, traditionally, the word 'detective' is normally associated with a person involved in the detection and investigation of crime, whereas, the word 'investigator' is a more general term given to a person involved in any other aspect of investigation.
Who does a private investigator work for?
Professional private investigators undertake all manner of investigations and their clientele can include:
Private individuals.
Commercial firms.
Private companies.
Solicitors involved with criminal, civil and matrimonial cases.
Public Bodies, such as Councils & Government Departments.
Insurance companies.
Banks.
And many more....
What does a private investigator actually do?
The working life of a private investigator can be very interesting and diverse with every day bringing new and different challenges. On any given day he/she may be involved in:
Surveillance - Observing and following persons in connection with matrimonial cases, false accident or sickness claims and allegations of general crime or industrial fraud.
Taking statements - From witnesses or suspects.
Criminal Defence - Instructed by a solicitor to; Investigate and substantiate an alibi, make general enquiries, prepare reports or take a statement.
General enquiries - Intelligence gathering on companies or individuals, financial status investigations and diverse information gathering.
Process serving - The delivery and serving of Court and legal papers on individuals and companies.
Repossessions - Acting as an agent for a company or solicitor to repossess property or vehicles.
Skip Tracing - Locating debtors, missing persons, relatives, absconders and lost friends or family.
'Locus in Quo' Enquiries (Latin for: 'the place in which' or scene of the event) - Preparing site plans, taking photographs, examining scenes and reporting on locations, particularly for road traffic accident investigations and crime defence scenes.
Test Purchasing - for businesses and retail outlets to ensure staff adherence to company policies and to prevent or detect internal pilfering and fraud.
And much, much more
One of the more common sources of work available to Private Investigators and Enquiry Agents are instructions either through another agency such as Legal Consultancy Services, or direct from a Solicitor to attend upon the Solicitor Client to proof them for a statement and carry out the requirements to set up funding for the claim, on behalf of the Solicitor.
After many years in practice, I have seen all sorts of instructions returned, some excellent, but just a few requiring a lot of revision and ultimately a second visit to my client. One must always appreciate that a litigation fee-earner can be running between 100 and 200 files, so having to revise and re-instruct can be costly in time and costs. In addition, law firms are very risk adverse, especially when it comes to the risk of a negligence claim by a disgruntled client.
Lets look at the legal basis that permits a Solicitor to delegate tasks to an Agent, as well as discussing the individual documents. This is not exhaustive, and instructions vary from firm to firm. This is simply a broad outline of the requirements and the reasoning behind the same as I see it, and should not be relied upon in any way (here speaks the Lawyer). In light of this, the place to seek clarification of your instructions, is from the solicitor providing the same, as only they know exactly what is required.
Firstly, there is a myth that the client can only speak to a solicitor in person in order to set up the funding required. This is wrong. In the TAG test cases that came before Chief Master Hurst, the senior costs judge in The Accident Group Test Cases: Sharratt –V- London Central Bus Co And Other Cases (2002), the court found that:
“[T]here can be delegation within the firm or recognised body. It must also follow that there can be delegation to a duly authorised agent. Questions may arise as to whether the agent is competent to carry out the required task, or indeed whether the task has actually been carried out competently. These however are questions of quality which are not for this judgment. As with internal delegation to an incompetent member of staff it is the legal representative who bears the consequences if the appointed agent does not carry out the task correctly. Incompetence by the delegate does not invalidate the delegation.”
This is an interesting case as it not only settled the right of the solicitor to delegate, but also pointed out that the solicitor is responsible for ensuring the agent is actually “up to the job”. Whilst this may generate a lot of requests for evidence of professional status and experience that may seem tiresome, it is clear that a solicitor would be foolish to instruct without taking reasonable steps to ensure the competence of an agent.
Turning now to some of the requests for information that are contained within a solicitor’s instructions.
Legal Expenses Insurance/Conditional Fee Agreement
The main type of funding agreement between solicitor and client is the Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA. This provides the retainer between client and solicitor, the agreement, which provides a means of the client paying, and the solicitor taking instructions. The request to check for pre-existing legal expenses insurance will certainly accompany a request to explain the funding documents required to enter into such an agreement.
This is vital if the solicitor is to avoid falling foul of the requirement to ensure that there are no other means of funding a case. Without getting into a detailed history of what a client must be told, it is far easier today to explain the CFA, commonly referred to as a “no-win-no-fee agreement”, than in the past.
The procedural requirements have been simplified and recent case law has shown that even if these are not adhered to (at least in fast-track RTA matters), the situation that could arise of no proper retainer being in place cannot in itself allow the unsuccessful defendant to avoid the costs in a claim. This was made clear in Nizami -v- Butt (2006) where at paragraph 26 of the judgment Simon J stated:
“In cases falling under CPR 45 Section II the receiving party does not have to demonstrate that there is a valid retainer between the solicitor and client merely that the conditions laid down under the Rules have been complied with.”
It is being argued now that the CPR themselves, and not the retainer between client and solicitor, are the basis for payment of costs and we await the appeals and voluminous satellite litigation that will follow this decision.
Statement
With regard to the statement, this unsurprisingly does not pose much of a problem for a professional group full of ex-police officers and military personnel. However, the requirements of the solicitor can be extensive and far beyond the bare bones of the accident circumstances.
The statement is now required not just to provide not only what happened, but also details about the physical and financial impact of the accident, personal data to allow matters to be registered with the Compensation Recovery Unit of the Department of Social Security, as well as capturing details of potential witnesses and if possible, as much additional information as is required.
In short, the statement should provide the fee-earner dealing with the matter with a one-stop document for all the information required to run a case.
Medical Authority
The solicitor will also need to be able to get access to the client’s medical notes and there are standard format documents informing the client of who will see their notes within the litigation process. This is an important step and a simple one-paragraph letter to a hospital, signed by the client, will generally not result in notes being released.
Attendance Note/Record of Time and Work
A fact you may not be aware of, is that the solicitor can claim for your time and not just your fee. This was confirmed in the matter of Stringer –v- Copley (2002) which can actually allow the solicitor to charge for the time you have spent on a matter, as if it were his own. This is so in matters where the CPR does not fix fees.
In light of this, it is good practice to ask if such a note is required, and also what format is required.
Finally, it is worthwhile remembering what the head of HR in a large international law firm told my fellow law students and me during a presentation about applying for jobs. The answer to the question about what a lawyer does in a firm is “they make money”.
Tracing Old Soldiers
www.findpeople4u.co.uk
To trace a soldier you will need to know which unit he served with. If you have this information you will be able to find out when the unit went overseas and what campaigns the unit fought in.
Those units that only served in the United Kingdom for the duration of the war can be difficult to trace, as war diaries were only obliged to be kept by units that served overseas, and units that were on active service were inevitably better documented than those that remained at home. It was not unusual for men to serve in more than one unit – if that is the case, you need to know the relevant dates he was with each unit.
You may already know your relative’s unit, or you might have paperwork or information in your family that will uncover it. This information is crucial and you will need to find this out before you can proceed further. The easiest way is to obtain your relative’s personal service record, although not all records have survived.
Take a look at Army Service Records for more information on how to find your relative’s service record.
If you are tracing a relative who died, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's 'Debt of Honour Register' should be your starting point
To trace a soldier you will need to know which unit he served with. If you have this information you will be able to find out when the unit went overseas and what campaigns the unit fought in.
Those units that only served in the United Kingdom for the duration of the war can be difficult to trace, as war diaries were only obliged to be kept by units that served overseas, and units that were on active service were inevitably better documented than those that remained at home. It was not unusual for men to serve in more than one unit – if that is the case, you need to know the relevant dates he was with each unit.
You may already know your relative’s unit, or you might have paperwork or information in your family that will uncover it. This information is crucial and you will need to find this out before you can proceed further. The easiest way is to obtain your relative’s personal service record, although not all records have survived.
Take a look at Army Service Records for more information on how to find your relative’s service record.
If you are tracing a relative who died, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's 'Debt of Honour Register' should be your starting point
Monday 13 April 2009
Guide To Tracing People 01 04 2009 www.findpeople4u.co.uk
Guide to Tracing A Person 01 04 2009 www.findpeople4u.co.uk
We at FINDPEOPLE4U Ltd are private detectives, tracing agents, and probate researchers. We work to the highest professional standards and are proud of our success rates over 81 % 2008 and 2009. This guide is designed to give the public a brief background to successfully tracing a missing person.
Most people who instruct tracing agents like www.findpeople4u.co.uk have made their own basic enquiries into missing people normally by accessing on line research sites like 192 .com Trace smart or other similar companies. These companies are not able to facilitate a full trace action. It may be you have important information to pass onto them about a change in circumstances within the family or a forthcoming family event like a marriage or death. In these circumstances you cannot spend many hours or weeks waiting for information.
We complete over 50 % of our instructions within 8 hours of receiving an instruction. Online sites like 192 .com and Tracesmart.com allow you to search for a fee edited electoral rolls and other public records which in all probability the person you are searching for are unlikely to be recorded upon for a number of very obvious reasons. It is a fact that over 44% of the population are not recorded upon the 2009 edited edition of the electoral roll. You cannot expect to succeed in your search by merely trawling registers of births, deaths, marriages or telephone directories. That is a reality of life.
Obviously the best place to start with your own search is with the old known address for the missing person , you may if you are very lucky get a direct link from the old address to the new address or you may find a living family member who remains resident who may be prepared to supply current information. If that is not possible try identifying the missing persons DOB that will be useful if you have to carry out checks upon marriage records to identify a possible new name.
The general public are not normally aware that since 2002 the public have the right to Not be recorded upon the public version of the electoral roll; on-line sites are ONLY allowed by law to allow the public to access the restricted or edited electoral roll. That means for 2009 well over 44% of all public record searches will be returned negative. All those who have searched for missing friends or family members will understand that accessing free or pay per click on line search engines can only take their investigation so far. It is the skill and experience of the tracing agent armed with the most comprehensive personal information data bases that the general public do not have access to that succeed. That is a fact. It is like going to a local garage mechanic to have your hair cut! You just would not do it.
The best advice we could give you is to employ professionals to do the job, there are many professional tracing agents not only our company, in the long run it makes more sense than paying for credits on old and out dated on-line people search sites.
There are a number of things you can do to help an investigator locate your missing person Today! Think hard about the person you are considering tracing and record down onto paper everything you know about them, especially any previous addresses, other close family members or places of employment.
This process is especially important if you have not seen the missing person for many years. Start with:
1. Name
2. Age
3. Former address (That’s the most important bit)
4. Known family members
5. Occupation
A lot of valuable information can be obtained from Births Death and Marriage records
Birth Certificates and Records Guide
To be able to utilise the basic tools of a genealogist or tracing agent you should first accept some basic and obvious facts.
We are born, we live and then we die.
That might seem particularly gloomy, but along the way we leave traces or to use a tracing term we leave a “footprint” of ourselves. Those foot prints provide vital tracing clues and help to build a picture; not only of the person but of the life they led.
Their birth indexes are divided by year, and each year by quarters. Each quarter is then divided alphabetically by surname. So, if you know a person's full name and date of birth, in theory it should be easy to find in the index. However, it's worth remembering that, with six weeks allowable for registering the birth, it might not appear until the next quarter. With all the information from the register, you can order a copy of the certificate.
What a Birth Certificate Can Tell You
A birth certificate can impart quite a bit of information about an individual. It gives the names of both parents (at least where the father is named, which is not going to be the case every time). You'll always get at least the first forename of each parent in full - all forenames before 1865 - and their occupations. Additionally you find where the child was born, right down to the street address, and even the mother's maiden name. It makes for an excellent starting point.
Where a Birth Certificate Might not Help Your Research
If you're having problems locating the registration of someone's birth, there are a few factors that might be the cause:
The person might have changed their name (by deed poll, for instance) later in life. It's not common, but it does happen. The person may have been adopted.
There could be more than one person with the same name born within days of each other in the same district. The more information you can supply, such as exact date of birth or parents' names, the greater your chances of success.
The entry might be in a different district. Just because you were told (or believe) a person was born in a certain place, that's not necessarily true. Be willing to check the information for surrounding districts, too.
The birth might have been incorrectly indexed. Since clerks only wrote what they heard, a name could have been misspelt or a date of birth record incorrectly.
Marriage Records
A marriage record will reveal a wealth of information upon a missing person. It will detail and an address at the time of the marriage, the age at the time of marriage and also the new partners name. In the case of a female it will also detail the new known name i.e. the married husband & surname.
Death Records Guide
They say only two things in life are certain: death and taxes, and there are records of both. But to a genealogist, death is actually the least important part of the cycle. Once a person's been born and had children, their genealogical use is, to all intents and purposes, over. After all, you can trace your ancestors without knowing when they died, and a lot of family trees don't include the date of death.But death certificates definitely have their place in genealogy. The age at death can give a very close idea of birth date, and the home address can be used to locate the family on the census.
We understand only too well that tracing people can be very difficult for the public to achieve and are available to discuss your individual case and offer free advice on the best way to proceed, you can email a question question@findpeople4u.co.uk or request an experienced private detective telephone you to discuss your options all at no cost to you. Thank you for reading this quick guide
To commence your trace today please follow this link HERE to the submission page.
Find people4u Ltd
0844 88 42 831
We at FINDPEOPLE4U Ltd are private detectives, tracing agents, and probate researchers. We work to the highest professional standards and are proud of our success rates over 81 % 2008 and 2009. This guide is designed to give the public a brief background to successfully tracing a missing person.
Most people who instruct tracing agents like www.findpeople4u.co.uk have made their own basic enquiries into missing people normally by accessing on line research sites like 192 .com Trace smart or other similar companies. These companies are not able to facilitate a full trace action. It may be you have important information to pass onto them about a change in circumstances within the family or a forthcoming family event like a marriage or death. In these circumstances you cannot spend many hours or weeks waiting for information.
We complete over 50 % of our instructions within 8 hours of receiving an instruction. Online sites like 192 .com and Tracesmart.com allow you to search for a fee edited electoral rolls and other public records which in all probability the person you are searching for are unlikely to be recorded upon for a number of very obvious reasons. It is a fact that over 44% of the population are not recorded upon the 2009 edited edition of the electoral roll. You cannot expect to succeed in your search by merely trawling registers of births, deaths, marriages or telephone directories. That is a reality of life.
Obviously the best place to start with your own search is with the old known address for the missing person , you may if you are very lucky get a direct link from the old address to the new address or you may find a living family member who remains resident who may be prepared to supply current information. If that is not possible try identifying the missing persons DOB that will be useful if you have to carry out checks upon marriage records to identify a possible new name.
The general public are not normally aware that since 2002 the public have the right to Not be recorded upon the public version of the electoral roll; on-line sites are ONLY allowed by law to allow the public to access the restricted or edited electoral roll. That means for 2009 well over 44% of all public record searches will be returned negative. All those who have searched for missing friends or family members will understand that accessing free or pay per click on line search engines can only take their investigation so far. It is the skill and experience of the tracing agent armed with the most comprehensive personal information data bases that the general public do not have access to that succeed. That is a fact. It is like going to a local garage mechanic to have your hair cut! You just would not do it.
The best advice we could give you is to employ professionals to do the job, there are many professional tracing agents not only our company, in the long run it makes more sense than paying for credits on old and out dated on-line people search sites.
There are a number of things you can do to help an investigator locate your missing person Today! Think hard about the person you are considering tracing and record down onto paper everything you know about them, especially any previous addresses, other close family members or places of employment.
This process is especially important if you have not seen the missing person for many years. Start with:
1. Name
2. Age
3. Former address (That’s the most important bit)
4. Known family members
5. Occupation
A lot of valuable information can be obtained from Births Death and Marriage records
Birth Certificates and Records Guide
To be able to utilise the basic tools of a genealogist or tracing agent you should first accept some basic and obvious facts.
We are born, we live and then we die.
That might seem particularly gloomy, but along the way we leave traces or to use a tracing term we leave a “footprint” of ourselves. Those foot prints provide vital tracing clues and help to build a picture; not only of the person but of the life they led.
Their birth indexes are divided by year, and each year by quarters. Each quarter is then divided alphabetically by surname. So, if you know a person's full name and date of birth, in theory it should be easy to find in the index. However, it's worth remembering that, with six weeks allowable for registering the birth, it might not appear until the next quarter. With all the information from the register, you can order a copy of the certificate.
What a Birth Certificate Can Tell You
A birth certificate can impart quite a bit of information about an individual. It gives the names of both parents (at least where the father is named, which is not going to be the case every time). You'll always get at least the first forename of each parent in full - all forenames before 1865 - and their occupations. Additionally you find where the child was born, right down to the street address, and even the mother's maiden name. It makes for an excellent starting point.
Where a Birth Certificate Might not Help Your Research
If you're having problems locating the registration of someone's birth, there are a few factors that might be the cause:
The person might have changed their name (by deed poll, for instance) later in life. It's not common, but it does happen. The person may have been adopted.
There could be more than one person with the same name born within days of each other in the same district. The more information you can supply, such as exact date of birth or parents' names, the greater your chances of success.
The entry might be in a different district. Just because you were told (or believe) a person was born in a certain place, that's not necessarily true. Be willing to check the information for surrounding districts, too.
The birth might have been incorrectly indexed. Since clerks only wrote what they heard, a name could have been misspelt or a date of birth record incorrectly.
Marriage Records
A marriage record will reveal a wealth of information upon a missing person. It will detail and an address at the time of the marriage, the age at the time of marriage and also the new partners name. In the case of a female it will also detail the new known name i.e. the married husband & surname.
Death Records Guide
They say only two things in life are certain: death and taxes, and there are records of both. But to a genealogist, death is actually the least important part of the cycle. Once a person's been born and had children, their genealogical use is, to all intents and purposes, over. After all, you can trace your ancestors without knowing when they died, and a lot of family trees don't include the date of death.But death certificates definitely have their place in genealogy. The age at death can give a very close idea of birth date, and the home address can be used to locate the family on the census.
We understand only too well that tracing people can be very difficult for the public to achieve and are available to discuss your individual case and offer free advice on the best way to proceed, you can email a question question@findpeople4u.co.uk or request an experienced private detective telephone you to discuss your options all at no cost to you. Thank you for reading this quick guide
To commence your trace today please follow this link HERE to the submission page.
Find people4u Ltd
0844 88 42 831
Sunday 12 April 2009
Family Tree - Research
Family Tree - Research
Building A Family Tree Genealogical information abounds on the Web. What would have taken months of research and letter writing previously can now be accomplished within a few minutes. Even so, be prepared to wade through volumes of genealogical data in an effort to find one piece to your puzzle.Short Introduction A genealogy search marks the beginning of a private adventure into your own history. You'll find delightful surprises, family secrets and heartaches.The treasures you find will be enjoyed by generations who follow.In this guide we’ll talk to you about writing down everything you know aboutyour family history.
You begin with yourself and work backward to your parents and their parents.Note: You don’t normally include your Aunts, Uncles, or Cousins in your family tree. Not everyone agrees with this. Some feel that to ignore your extended family is to miss out on great leads and a rich part of your heritage. I believe success comes from focus. Explore all leads and sources but don’t get confused by trying to include your extended family at this point. This is your tree.You’ll search for documents that can verify family stories - birth certificates,military records, wills, marriage licenses, and deeds.You can consider a family reunion or otherwise visit with relatives to obtain all the information you can. We’ll talk about a visit to your local council to learn about searching public records. We’ll address countless genealogy search web sites and look through their database for your family information.You can hire a professional genealogy search company to find missingancestors when your own leads are exhausted. But I know that after you’vegathered your initial information, you’ll focus on one ancestor at a time.You'll be more successful and get less discouraged if you research oneperson at a time.
Ready? OK, let’s get started.
Get Your Paperwork in Order. To start, have your family history information handy. It should be focused on you and work backward towardyour parents and then their parents. You can organize the most obviousfamily history information using a simple organizational chart format. Itshould start with you and branch backward including the names you know..Once you’ve interviewed yourself, it’s time to speak with your family.Speaking with Your Family. Family members remain one of the best beginning sources of knowledge in your genealogy search. However, likeany serious research effort, you should be organized before sitting down with your familyFor many, family interviews are the least expensive and most rewarding tool in any genealogy project.
The ten steps below when followed carefully, will make the most of your family interviews.
1. Write down all the names you know on both sides of your parents'families. Begin with your name and work backward to your parents and then their parents.
2. Find your birth certificate. This contains your parents' legal names and birth dates.Note: A good family tree will have an official document that verifies every name, birth date, date of marriage, and year of death. Start with yourself by making a copy of your own birth certificate. Ask your parents for theirs and get copies made.Your ultimate goal is to obtain these official records and have a physical copy on file for every name on your family tree.
3. Contact your parents, if possible, and solicit their help with names and dates. You'll likely find names of relatives you've never heard of but who were an integral part of your parents' early childhood experiences.
4. Check with your parents to see if they'll let you look through their family legal records (birth certificates, death certificates, military records). Make photocopies and return the originals to a safe place.
5. Go through old family photo albums. Look for writing on the backs and below the photos in the albums.
6. Look at framed photographs. Sometimes something such as an obituary notice is stored behind a photo in a picture frame.
7. Examine journals. Leaf through old books looking for notes written in them or papers placed between the pages. These are often found in old trunks in attics, but can even be found on everyday book shelves.
8. Look behind old mirrors and pull out dresser drawers and look for taped messages.
9. Visit or call your relatives. Tell them what you're doing and what you've discovered. In most cases, they'll be delighted to help with your search and want to add missing names and dates.
10. Solicit stories from relatives. You'll find lots of treasured tales this way. This information can be added to a "note" section about each ancestor.
These stories transform an ordinary genealogy into a piece of art. Family members are sometimes reluctant to provide information for whatever reason. Be prepared for this, and remember that the living is more important than the dead. Creating a Family tree can be all consuming - enjoy gaining knowledge of your origin.
Building A Family Tree Genealogical information abounds on the Web. What would have taken months of research and letter writing previously can now be accomplished within a few minutes. Even so, be prepared to wade through volumes of genealogical data in an effort to find one piece to your puzzle.Short Introduction A genealogy search marks the beginning of a private adventure into your own history. You'll find delightful surprises, family secrets and heartaches.The treasures you find will be enjoyed by generations who follow.In this guide we’ll talk to you about writing down everything you know aboutyour family history.
You begin with yourself and work backward to your parents and their parents.Note: You don’t normally include your Aunts, Uncles, or Cousins in your family tree. Not everyone agrees with this. Some feel that to ignore your extended family is to miss out on great leads and a rich part of your heritage. I believe success comes from focus. Explore all leads and sources but don’t get confused by trying to include your extended family at this point. This is your tree.You’ll search for documents that can verify family stories - birth certificates,military records, wills, marriage licenses, and deeds.You can consider a family reunion or otherwise visit with relatives to obtain all the information you can. We’ll talk about a visit to your local council to learn about searching public records. We’ll address countless genealogy search web sites and look through their database for your family information.You can hire a professional genealogy search company to find missingancestors when your own leads are exhausted. But I know that after you’vegathered your initial information, you’ll focus on one ancestor at a time.You'll be more successful and get less discouraged if you research oneperson at a time.
Ready? OK, let’s get started.
Get Your Paperwork in Order. To start, have your family history information handy. It should be focused on you and work backward towardyour parents and then their parents. You can organize the most obviousfamily history information using a simple organizational chart format. Itshould start with you and branch backward including the names you know..Once you’ve interviewed yourself, it’s time to speak with your family.Speaking with Your Family. Family members remain one of the best beginning sources of knowledge in your genealogy search. However, likeany serious research effort, you should be organized before sitting down with your familyFor many, family interviews are the least expensive and most rewarding tool in any genealogy project.
The ten steps below when followed carefully, will make the most of your family interviews.
1. Write down all the names you know on both sides of your parents'families. Begin with your name and work backward to your parents and then their parents.
2. Find your birth certificate. This contains your parents' legal names and birth dates.Note: A good family tree will have an official document that verifies every name, birth date, date of marriage, and year of death. Start with yourself by making a copy of your own birth certificate. Ask your parents for theirs and get copies made.Your ultimate goal is to obtain these official records and have a physical copy on file for every name on your family tree.
3. Contact your parents, if possible, and solicit their help with names and dates. You'll likely find names of relatives you've never heard of but who were an integral part of your parents' early childhood experiences.
4. Check with your parents to see if they'll let you look through their family legal records (birth certificates, death certificates, military records). Make photocopies and return the originals to a safe place.
5. Go through old family photo albums. Look for writing on the backs and below the photos in the albums.
6. Look at framed photographs. Sometimes something such as an obituary notice is stored behind a photo in a picture frame.
7. Examine journals. Leaf through old books looking for notes written in them or papers placed between the pages. These are often found in old trunks in attics, but can even be found on everyday book shelves.
8. Look behind old mirrors and pull out dresser drawers and look for taped messages.
9. Visit or call your relatives. Tell them what you're doing and what you've discovered. In most cases, they'll be delighted to help with your search and want to add missing names and dates.
10. Solicit stories from relatives. You'll find lots of treasured tales this way. This information can be added to a "note" section about each ancestor.
These stories transform an ordinary genealogy into a piece of art. Family members are sometimes reluctant to provide information for whatever reason. Be prepared for this, and remember that the living is more important than the dead. Creating a Family tree can be all consuming - enjoy gaining knowledge of your origin.
Birth Parent Search For Child Adopted
www.adoptionsearchuk.co.uk
Unfortunately, under British law, it appears to be illegal to try and make contact with an adopted child, at least until they turn 18.
Once your adopted child has turned 18, you should apply to the Adoption Registries, who can be contacted as follows:
Office of National StatisticsThe General Register OfficeAdoption Section, Contact RegisterSmedley HydroTrafalgar RoadBirkdaleSouthportPR8 2HHEnglandBirth LinkFamily Care21 Castle StreetEdinburghEH2 3DNScotlandThe Registrar GeneralOxford House49/55 Chichester StreetBelfastBT1 4HLNorthern IrelandClick here to visit the Northern Ireland WebsiteBe sure to mark your letter for the attention of the Adoption RegisterYou should also visit the UK Government's Adoption Registry website.Don't forget to register at:http://www.ukbirth-adoptionregister.comUK Family Records Centre - (0) 181 392 5300 - Web SiteUK Post Adoption CenterThe International Soundex Reunion Registry is the world's largest and most successful mutual consent registry and is a free service. Get your free registration form by sending a Self-addressed Stamped envelope to:- I.S.S.R. P.O. Box 2312Carson City, Nevada89702-2312.USATelephone (from UK): 00 1 (702) 882-
7755.Telephone (from US): 1 (702) 882-7755
For further advice and information, we suggest you contact:NORCAPNational Organisation for Couselling Adoptees and Parents112, Church Road WHEATLEY, Oxfordshire. United Kingdom. OX33 1LU Tel: 01865 875000Web SiteorBAAF - British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering200 Union StreetLondon UK SE1 0LX Once you have located the person you are looking for,please consider using an intermediary service to contact them
Unfortunately, under British law, it appears to be illegal to try and make contact with an adopted child, at least until they turn 18.
Once your adopted child has turned 18, you should apply to the Adoption Registries, who can be contacted as follows:
Office of National StatisticsThe General Register OfficeAdoption Section, Contact RegisterSmedley HydroTrafalgar RoadBirkdaleSouthportPR8 2HHEnglandBirth LinkFamily Care21 Castle StreetEdinburghEH2 3DNScotlandThe Registrar GeneralOxford House49/55 Chichester StreetBelfastBT1 4HLNorthern IrelandClick here to visit the Northern Ireland WebsiteBe sure to mark your letter for the attention of the Adoption RegisterYou should also visit the UK Government's Adoption Registry website.Don't forget to register at:http://www.ukbirth-adoptionregister.comUK Family Records Centre - (0) 181 392 5300 - Web SiteUK Post Adoption CenterThe International Soundex Reunion Registry is the world's largest and most successful mutual consent registry and is a free service. Get your free registration form by sending a Self-addressed Stamped envelope to:- I.S.S.R. P.O. Box 2312Carson City, Nevada89702-2312.USATelephone (from UK): 00 1 (702) 882-
7755.Telephone (from US): 1 (702) 882-7755
For further advice and information, we suggest you contact:NORCAPNational Organisation for Couselling Adoptees and Parents112, Church Road WHEATLEY, Oxfordshire. United Kingdom. OX33 1LU Tel: 01865 875000Web SiteorBAAF - British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering200 Union StreetLondon UK SE1 0LX Once you have located the person you are looking for,please consider using an intermediary service to contact them
Monday 30 March 2009
Adoption search UK
Adopted Person
Brief by www.adoptionsearchuk.co.uk
This brief outline is designed for persons looking to trace a birth parent without access to their original birth certificate. If you have access to this certificate and you want to trace your birth parent the information contained within the birth certificate will almost certainly be enough to complete a trace of your birth parent.
How do I find my original birth details?
If you were adopted through a court in England or Wales and are aged 18 years or over you can apply for a certificate of your original birth entry and try to seek out more information about your origins.
Adoptions
Access to Birth Records for adopted persons
Adopted before 1975
If you were adopted before 12 November 1975 and live in England or Wales
If you were adopted before 12 November 1975 and live overseas
1. If you were adopted before 12 November 1975 and live in England or Wales
You are required to attend an informal meeting with an approved adoption advisor for confidential guidance, either with your local Social Services, at the General Register Office or, under certain circumstances, at the agency that handled your adoption.
You can also choose to see an adoption worker at another local authority. The General Register Office will forward your original birth information to your chosen approved adoption advisor.
See the following links for more information on: how the meeting is arranged, and what information is provided at the meeting.
Why do I have to see an adoption advisor?Before 12 November 1975, many parents were led to believe that the adopted child would never be able to find out their original name or the names of their parents. These arrangements were made in good faith. However, changes in legislation allowed adopted people to discover their original details. It is important that adopted people understand what this might mean, not only for themselves but also for others.
2. If you were adopted before 12 November 1975 and live overseas
You are required to attend an informal meeting with an approved adoption advisor. It is possible for this to take place in the country where you are currently residing, as long as a suitable body or organisation is available.
If you were born in England or Wales but adopted in Scotland, Ireland or overseas you will need to contact the General Register Office for that country in order to access your birth records.
Adoptions
Access to Birth Records for adopted persons
Adopted after 1975
If you were adopted between 12 November 1975 and 30 December 2005, are 18 years old or over and live in England or Wales
If you were adopted between 12 November 1975 and 30 December 2005, are 18 years old or over and live overseas
1. If you were adopted between 12 November 1975 and 30 December 2005, are 18 years old or over and live in England or Wales
You have a choice whether you would like to see an approved adoption advisor or have the information sent to you direct. You may find it helpful to see an adoption advisor, as they may be able to offer practical advice and guidance as well as discussing any concerns or issues important to you.
What happens if I choose not to see an adoption advisor?The material sent to you is the same information as that given to adoption advisors for people adopted prior to 12 November 1975.
You will be sent information about your birth name, birth parent(s) name(s) and your district of birth with which to apply for a certified copy of your original birth entry.
If an adoption agency or local authority was involved in your adoption you will receive this information. If not, then you will receive details necessary to make an application to the court for the name of the adoption agency or local authority.
The pack will also include a covering letter detailing how and where to apply.
2. If you were adopted between 12 November 1975 and 30 December 2005, are 18 years old or over and live overseas
While you are not legally required to attend a meeting with an approved adoption advisor, you can opt to do this if you would like to. As long as a suitable body or organisation is available, the interview can take place in the country where you are currently residing.
Adopted Children Register
Introduction
The Adopted Children Register is a record of all adoptions granted by courts in England and Wales since 1927.
When a court issues an adoption order a new birth entry is made in the Adopted Children Register. This replaces the original birth entry. The order also instructs the General Register Office to ensure the original birth entry is marked ‘adopted’.
The entire process, which includes instructing the registrar who holds the original birth entry, may take up to six weeks. Once this process is completed adoptive parent(s) will receive a free short adoption certificate.
The Adopted Children Register is not open to public inspection or search.
Adopted Children Register The General Register Office maintains a record of adoptions made on the authority of courts in England and Wales in the Adopted Children Register. It is from this Register that adoption certificates are issued.
Overseas adoptions may, in some instances, be registered in the Adopted Children Register.
Certificates from the Adopted Children Register can be applied for online, by telephoning the General Register Office direct on 0845 603 7788. Once you have been supplied with that document tracing agents can commence the birth parent trace.
Access to Birth / Adoption Records At 18, an adopted person can apply for a certificate of their original birth registration, via the Access to Birth Records service at the General Register Office.
From 30 December 2005 changes to the law will enable birth relatives to also apply for access to an adopted person’s adoption registration. However Access to Adoption Records for birth relatives must be done via Intermediary Agencies.
Adoption Contact Register Adopted person(s) or birth relatives wishing to make contact with each other can register on the Adoption Contact Register.
Adoptions
Access to Adoption Records for birth relatives
Introduction
From 30 December 2005 a birth relative wishing to make contact with an adopted person can apply to an approved Intermediary Agency.
The Intermediary Agency will help facilitate contact between birth relatives and adopted people.
The Intermediary Agency can apply to the General Register Office for the name of the organisation involved in the adoption or if that is not available the name of the court granting the adoption.
In addition the Intermediary Agency can apply to the General Register Office for information from the Adoption Contact Register and post-adoptive information which will enable an application to be made for an adoption certificate.
All this information can be used by the Intermediary Agency to decide whether to proceed but this will be subject to the views of the adopted person.
Brief by www.adoptionsearchuk.co.uk
This brief outline is designed for persons looking to trace a birth parent without access to their original birth certificate. If you have access to this certificate and you want to trace your birth parent the information contained within the birth certificate will almost certainly be enough to complete a trace of your birth parent.
How do I find my original birth details?
If you were adopted through a court in England or Wales and are aged 18 years or over you can apply for a certificate of your original birth entry and try to seek out more information about your origins.
Adoptions
Access to Birth Records for adopted persons
Adopted before 1975
If you were adopted before 12 November 1975 and live in England or Wales
If you were adopted before 12 November 1975 and live overseas
1. If you were adopted before 12 November 1975 and live in England or Wales
You are required to attend an informal meeting with an approved adoption advisor for confidential guidance, either with your local Social Services, at the General Register Office or, under certain circumstances, at the agency that handled your adoption.
You can also choose to see an adoption worker at another local authority. The General Register Office will forward your original birth information to your chosen approved adoption advisor.
See the following links for more information on: how the meeting is arranged, and what information is provided at the meeting.
Why do I have to see an adoption advisor?Before 12 November 1975, many parents were led to believe that the adopted child would never be able to find out their original name or the names of their parents. These arrangements were made in good faith. However, changes in legislation allowed adopted people to discover their original details. It is important that adopted people understand what this might mean, not only for themselves but also for others.
2. If you were adopted before 12 November 1975 and live overseas
You are required to attend an informal meeting with an approved adoption advisor. It is possible for this to take place in the country where you are currently residing, as long as a suitable body or organisation is available.
If you were born in England or Wales but adopted in Scotland, Ireland or overseas you will need to contact the General Register Office for that country in order to access your birth records.
Adoptions
Access to Birth Records for adopted persons
Adopted after 1975
If you were adopted between 12 November 1975 and 30 December 2005, are 18 years old or over and live in England or Wales
If you were adopted between 12 November 1975 and 30 December 2005, are 18 years old or over and live overseas
1. If you were adopted between 12 November 1975 and 30 December 2005, are 18 years old or over and live in England or Wales
You have a choice whether you would like to see an approved adoption advisor or have the information sent to you direct. You may find it helpful to see an adoption advisor, as they may be able to offer practical advice and guidance as well as discussing any concerns or issues important to you.
What happens if I choose not to see an adoption advisor?The material sent to you is the same information as that given to adoption advisors for people adopted prior to 12 November 1975.
You will be sent information about your birth name, birth parent(s) name(s) and your district of birth with which to apply for a certified copy of your original birth entry.
If an adoption agency or local authority was involved in your adoption you will receive this information. If not, then you will receive details necessary to make an application to the court for the name of the adoption agency or local authority.
The pack will also include a covering letter detailing how and where to apply.
2. If you were adopted between 12 November 1975 and 30 December 2005, are 18 years old or over and live overseas
While you are not legally required to attend a meeting with an approved adoption advisor, you can opt to do this if you would like to. As long as a suitable body or organisation is available, the interview can take place in the country where you are currently residing.
Adopted Children Register
Introduction
The Adopted Children Register is a record of all adoptions granted by courts in England and Wales since 1927.
When a court issues an adoption order a new birth entry is made in the Adopted Children Register. This replaces the original birth entry. The order also instructs the General Register Office to ensure the original birth entry is marked ‘adopted’.
The entire process, which includes instructing the registrar who holds the original birth entry, may take up to six weeks. Once this process is completed adoptive parent(s) will receive a free short adoption certificate.
The Adopted Children Register is not open to public inspection or search.
Adopted Children Register The General Register Office maintains a record of adoptions made on the authority of courts in England and Wales in the Adopted Children Register. It is from this Register that adoption certificates are issued.
Overseas adoptions may, in some instances, be registered in the Adopted Children Register.
Certificates from the Adopted Children Register can be applied for online, by telephoning the General Register Office direct on 0845 603 7788. Once you have been supplied with that document tracing agents can commence the birth parent trace.
Access to Birth / Adoption Records At 18, an adopted person can apply for a certificate of their original birth registration, via the Access to Birth Records service at the General Register Office.
From 30 December 2005 changes to the law will enable birth relatives to also apply for access to an adopted person’s adoption registration. However Access to Adoption Records for birth relatives must be done via Intermediary Agencies.
Adoption Contact Register Adopted person(s) or birth relatives wishing to make contact with each other can register on the Adoption Contact Register.
Adoptions
Access to Adoption Records for birth relatives
Introduction
From 30 December 2005 a birth relative wishing to make contact with an adopted person can apply to an approved Intermediary Agency.
The Intermediary Agency will help facilitate contact between birth relatives and adopted people.
The Intermediary Agency can apply to the General Register Office for the name of the organisation involved in the adoption or if that is not available the name of the court granting the adoption.
In addition the Intermediary Agency can apply to the General Register Office for information from the Adoption Contact Register and post-adoptive information which will enable an application to be made for an adoption certificate.
All this information can be used by the Intermediary Agency to decide whether to proceed but this will be subject to the views of the adopted person.
Sunday 29 March 2009
Known Family Name
Finding surnames
Short guide to searching or constructing a family tree using a known name as the primary source.
If you treat the indexes as you would a telephone directory, searching them should become intuitive in no time at all. They are arranged alphabetically from A-Z. However, some comment is needed in respect of certain types of surname.
"Unknowns"
In the case of births and deaths, surnames beginning with Z may well be followed by a short sequence of registrations where the surname was unknown.
Mc and Mac
The methodology used by the GRO when indexing Mac and Mc surnames changed over time. Before June quarter 1969 these are indexed separately. However, from June quarter 1969 these surnames are interfiled, so that when searching June 1969 to December 1983 you must remember that they are all indexed as MAC. For example, MacDonald & McDonald are both indexed under MAC.
O’ names
If the name you are researching is O’Reilly or O’Shea, you should be able to find entries quite simply in the O sequence as if the apostrophe in the surname were not there – so that, for example, O’Shea comes between Osgood and Osler.
Double-barrelled surnames
These should be indexed after the entries for the first component of the hyphenated name. For example, you should look for Harvey-Smith after the Harvey entries. It would be after, say, Harvey-Jones but before Harvey-Wood. However, if a registrar or indexer did not interpret Harvey-Smith as a surname, but Harvey as a middle name and Smith as the surname, then the entry could be under Smith. It is not at all unusual to find that an indexer has erred on the side of caution and where in doubt entered the registration under both names in the index.
De or Le or St or Van / Van Der or Von names
If your name is, say, De Burgh or Le Jeune or St John or Van Horne or Van der Zyden or Von Essen, you should be listed under the first component of your name as if there were no space between the two components. For instance, De Burgh should therefore be in the index between surnames such as Debney and Debus.
Nuns
The deaths of nuns are often entered not under their true given name but using the formula Sister Mary, Mother Maria and so on. These are then indexed under S for Sisters, M for Mothers etc. Sometimes, they appear to be entered under the forename, so that a Sister Cecilia might be indexed under Cecilia or under Sister.
Jewish and Eastern European names
Immigrants in, for example, the 1890s were unlikely to be literate in English and, of course, registrars in England & Wales were unlikely to be fluent in the native language of the immigrant, such as Yiddish, Polish or Russian. Russian, of course, uses a different alphabet and can be transliterated in different ways from the Cyrillic to the Roman alphabet used in English. Accordingly, you should be very cautious when looking for events under immigrant surnames and try to think of possible variants.
Umlauts
If you are researching a German name containing an umlaut, such as Müller, remember that you may need to check under Muller and Mueller.
Titled
Births of persons bearing hereditary titles should appear under the true given names but their deaths may well appear under their titles, while their marriages could be under either the true surname or the title, depending upon whether or not they have already assumed their title from the previous holder.
Royalty
Births of royalty will usually be registered under their surnames – such as Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Battenberg or Mountbatten, Windsor. For example, the 1926 birth of HM Queen was entered in the index as the name Elizabeth A M Windsor
Short guide to searching or constructing a family tree using a known name as the primary source.
If you treat the indexes as you would a telephone directory, searching them should become intuitive in no time at all. They are arranged alphabetically from A-Z. However, some comment is needed in respect of certain types of surname.
"Unknowns"
In the case of births and deaths, surnames beginning with Z may well be followed by a short sequence of registrations where the surname was unknown.
Mc and Mac
The methodology used by the GRO when indexing Mac and Mc surnames changed over time. Before June quarter 1969 these are indexed separately. However, from June quarter 1969 these surnames are interfiled, so that when searching June 1969 to December 1983 you must remember that they are all indexed as MAC. For example, MacDonald & McDonald are both indexed under MAC.
O’ names
If the name you are researching is O’Reilly or O’Shea, you should be able to find entries quite simply in the O sequence as if the apostrophe in the surname were not there – so that, for example, O’Shea comes between Osgood and Osler.
Double-barrelled surnames
These should be indexed after the entries for the first component of the hyphenated name. For example, you should look for Harvey-Smith after the Harvey entries. It would be after, say, Harvey-Jones but before Harvey-Wood. However, if a registrar or indexer did not interpret Harvey-Smith as a surname, but Harvey as a middle name and Smith as the surname, then the entry could be under Smith. It is not at all unusual to find that an indexer has erred on the side of caution and where in doubt entered the registration under both names in the index.
De or Le or St or Van / Van Der or Von names
If your name is, say, De Burgh or Le Jeune or St John or Van Horne or Van der Zyden or Von Essen, you should be listed under the first component of your name as if there were no space between the two components. For instance, De Burgh should therefore be in the index between surnames such as Debney and Debus.
Nuns
The deaths of nuns are often entered not under their true given name but using the formula Sister Mary, Mother Maria and so on. These are then indexed under S for Sisters, M for Mothers etc. Sometimes, they appear to be entered under the forename, so that a Sister Cecilia might be indexed under Cecilia or under Sister.
Jewish and Eastern European names
Immigrants in, for example, the 1890s were unlikely to be literate in English and, of course, registrars in England & Wales were unlikely to be fluent in the native language of the immigrant, such as Yiddish, Polish or Russian. Russian, of course, uses a different alphabet and can be transliterated in different ways from the Cyrillic to the Roman alphabet used in English. Accordingly, you should be very cautious when looking for events under immigrant surnames and try to think of possible variants.
Umlauts
If you are researching a German name containing an umlaut, such as Müller, remember that you may need to check under Muller and Mueller.
Titled
Births of persons bearing hereditary titles should appear under the true given names but their deaths may well appear under their titles, while their marriages could be under either the true surname or the title, depending upon whether or not they have already assumed their title from the previous holder.
Royalty
Births of royalty will usually be registered under their surnames – such as Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Battenberg or Mountbatten, Windsor. For example, the 1926 birth of HM Queen was entered in the index as the name Elizabeth A M Windsor
Deaths
Searching for a death
The churches in England & Wales have been recording baptisms, marriages and burials at parish level for centuries. However, the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths – in other words, record-keeping by the state – did not begin until July 1837. At that time, the legal jurisdiction of England & Wales was subdivided, for the purposes of registration, into administrative areas known as registration districts. Within each district a district registrar would be appointed to take responsibility for the recording of births, marriages and deaths within their district.
Four times a year, a copy of the district registers was made for the Registrar General, who ingathered all the registers for England & Wales and collated them into a single countrywide index, arranged alphabetically by surname (and then alphabetically by forename within each surname). The indexes to the registers are quarterly rather than annual in scope – the four quarters being known as March, June, September and December. Each of these covers the month itself and the two preceding months, as follows:
January, February, March registrations in the March quarter
April, May, June registrations in the June quarter
July, August, September registrations in the September quarter
October, November, December registrations in the December quarter
Note that the quarters contain the deaths registered within them, which is not necessarily the same as deaths which took place within them. The reason why this is so is that legally deaths are required to be registered within five days of the event but, again, sometimes are registered late. A coroner’s inquest, for example, might significantly delay the issuing of a death certificate.
This means that some deaths which took place during a month in one quarter will be registered in a month in the next quarter. Clearly, this is most common for deaths which took place within the last month of a quarter. So, for example, a death in December might be registered in January (or, indeed, in February) the following year, which means that it would be registered not in the December quarter but in the March quarter of the year following that in which it took place.
Normally, then, where you have an exact date of death, you will find the entry for the death you are looking for in the same or the next quarter, as follows:
January, February, March death in the March or June quarter
April, May, June deaths in the June or September quarter
July, August, September deaths in the September or December quarter
October, November, December deaths in the December or the following March quarter
Troubleshooting
As previously mentioned, deaths should be registered within five days. However, if the person died in uncertain circumstances, an inquest may be held and this could delay registration further. If you do not find the entry you are seeking in the same or the next quarter, therefore, it is sensible at least to check the two immediately following quarters, to cover the possibility of late registration.
Where in the country?
Deaths are registered within the district in which they occurred, which is not necessarily the same as where they habitually resided – for example, if a person dies at work, or while travelling or on business. It is also the case that a hospital to which a dying person is taken might be in a neighbouring registration district to the one in which they resided – this is particularly likely in densely-populated urban areas, where there can be several districts within a geographically small area.
Age adjustments
One does not register one’s own death! Therefore, one should view with caution details recorded upon it, as the reliability of these will depend of the level of knowledge of the person acting as informant at the death. Recorded ages at deaths are often found to be unreliable. From September quarter 1837 to December quarter 1865 no age was given at all in the death index; from March quarter 1866 to March quarter 1969 the age at death is shown in the index; and from June quarter 1969 to present, the exact date of birth is given (please see key dates ). If a recorded date of birth appears to be incorrect – in other words, you cannot find a corresponding entry in the birth index – it is more likely to be the year, rather than day or month, that is problematic (although all three may be incorrect). Finally, of course, the individual may have been economical with the truth about their age during their lifetime and the misrepresentation may be inadvertently carried over to the registration of their death.
Spelling variations
If you still have no success, you may wish to consider spelling variations, either those genuinely in use by the family, or those accidentally created by registrars or by those copying them or preparing the indexes.
www.deathrecordsuk.co.uk
Searching for a death
The churches in England & Wales have been recording baptisms, marriages and burials at parish level for centuries. However, the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths – in other words, record-keeping by the state – did not begin until July 1837. At that time, the legal jurisdiction of England & Wales was subdivided, for the purposes of registration, into administrative areas known as registration districts. Within each district a district registrar would be appointed to take responsibility for the recording of births, marriages and deaths within their district.
Four times a year, a copy of the district registers was made for the Registrar General, who ingathered all the registers for England & Wales and collated them into a single countrywide index, arranged alphabetically by surname (and then alphabetically by forename within each surname). The indexes to the registers are quarterly rather than annual in scope – the four quarters being known as March, June, September and December. Each of these covers the month itself and the two preceding months, as follows:
January, February, March registrations in the March quarter
April, May, June registrations in the June quarter
July, August, September registrations in the September quarter
October, November, December registrations in the December quarter
Note that the quarters contain the deaths registered within them, which is not necessarily the same as deaths which took place within them. The reason why this is so is that legally deaths are required to be registered within five days of the event but, again, sometimes are registered late. A coroner’s inquest, for example, might significantly delay the issuing of a death certificate.
This means that some deaths which took place during a month in one quarter will be registered in a month in the next quarter. Clearly, this is most common for deaths which took place within the last month of a quarter. So, for example, a death in December might be registered in January (or, indeed, in February) the following year, which means that it would be registered not in the December quarter but in the March quarter of the year following that in which it took place.
Normally, then, where you have an exact date of death, you will find the entry for the death you are looking for in the same or the next quarter, as follows:
January, February, March death in the March or June quarter
April, May, June deaths in the June or September quarter
July, August, September deaths in the September or December quarter
October, November, December deaths in the December or the following March quarter
Troubleshooting
As previously mentioned, deaths should be registered within five days. However, if the person died in uncertain circumstances, an inquest may be held and this could delay registration further. If you do not find the entry you are seeking in the same or the next quarter, therefore, it is sensible at least to check the two immediately following quarters, to cover the possibility of late registration.
Where in the country?
Deaths are registered within the district in which they occurred, which is not necessarily the same as where they habitually resided – for example, if a person dies at work, or while travelling or on business. It is also the case that a hospital to which a dying person is taken might be in a neighbouring registration district to the one in which they resided – this is particularly likely in densely-populated urban areas, where there can be several districts within a geographically small area.
Age adjustments
One does not register one’s own death! Therefore, one should view with caution details recorded upon it, as the reliability of these will depend of the level of knowledge of the person acting as informant at the death. Recorded ages at deaths are often found to be unreliable. From September quarter 1837 to December quarter 1865 no age was given at all in the death index; from March quarter 1866 to March quarter 1969 the age at death is shown in the index; and from June quarter 1969 to present, the exact date of birth is given (please see key dates ). If a recorded date of birth appears to be incorrect – in other words, you cannot find a corresponding entry in the birth index – it is more likely to be the year, rather than day or month, that is problematic (although all three may be incorrect). Finally, of course, the individual may have been economical with the truth about their age during their lifetime and the misrepresentation may be inadvertently carried over to the registration of their death.
Spelling variations
If you still have no success, you may wish to consider spelling variations, either those genuinely in use by the family, or those accidentally created by registrars or by those copying them or preparing the indexes.
www.deathrecordsuk.co.uk
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