Genealogy Forum UK

Hey, everyone!

I'm a first generation American, and I started researching my ancestry around 7 months ago in order to feel more connected to my heritages.

My dad was born in Birmingham, UK in the 50s and his family immigrated to Canada when he was around 3 years old. He died a decade ago, and the few relatives I knew from his side of the family all passed before then, so I initially only had my grandparent's names, approximate ages at death, and my dad's birthdate in Birmingham to go off of!

I've learned a ton about British Ancestry - particularly in the Midlands region - these recent months, and I've been pleasantly surprised at how far I've been able to go back on certain branches with documentary record proof online. Modern genealogy with the internet is truly incredible. (My one big complaint is that the GRO for marriage records does not allow purchasing digital images or even PDFs... it's going to be an expensive and long wait when I finally order the handful of marriage records I haven't been able to find online or confirm in other ways.)

For those curious, my mom was born in Québec, Canada, with her ancestors originating from France in the 1600s. Québec's genealogical records are a dream to navigate, but can appear intimidating to those who don't understand French. So for anyone who happens to have ancestors who migrated to Canada, and especially Québec, I'm happy to help in whatever way I can!

hi mari their are other sites you may be able to get marriage records from

Peter

Hi, Peter.

The reason I plan to get GRO certificates is that for 4 marriages in question, I don't have a visual image of the parish record as a "primary/secondary source" to confirm the information that I've found in Ancestry, FreeBMD, etc. that is text-only. I do have visual images of the civil marriage index pages, but that just confirms that two individuals by those names - who may or may not be my ancestors - got married in that quarter within that registration district.

I'm hoping that by obtaining copies of the GRO marriage records, they will let me confirm or find out the fathers of the brides and grooms (best case scenario).

For example, BathBMD.org.uk helped me to confirm that Henry BARTLETT and Mary Ann BUNTING married at some time in the Bath area in Q4 1843, but I can't find parish records or marriage banns (either via scanned image or typed-up PDF register) to find out who their fathers are or at least which parishes they said they lived in at the time of marriage.

MariRuss wrote: ↑Thu Apr 30, 2026 5:57 pm Hi, Peter.

The reason I plan to get GRO certificates is that for 4 marriages in question, I don't have a visual image of the parish record as a "primary/secondary source" to confirm the information that I've found in Ancestry, FreeBMD, etc. that is text-only. I do have visual images of the civil marriage index pages, but that just confirms that two individuals by those names - who may or may not be my ancestors - got married in that quarter within that registration district.

I'm hoping that by obtaining copies of the GRO marriage records, they will let me confirm or find out the fathers of the brides and grooms (best case scenario).

For example, BathBMD.org.uk helped me to confirm that Henry BARTLETT and Mary Ann BUNTING married at some time in the Bath area in Q4 1843, but I can't find parish records or marriage banns (either via scanned image or typed-up PDF register) to find out who their fathers are or at least which parishes they said they lived in at the time of marriage.

this might help also freebmd do have freecen and freereg

https://parishmouse.co.uk/england-counties/

peterd wrote: ↑Fri May 01, 2026 8:47 amthis might help also freebmd do have freecen and freereg

https://parishmouse.co.uk/england-counties/

That site looks fantastic, especially with its links to images of parish records. Thanks, Peter!