Genealogy Chat

Were is the best place to obtain certs from the GRO in Stockport or the registration office of the event

Melvyn, The GRO is better as they send a photocopy of the original cert. Local Reg Offices usually re-write them - so more mistakes can creep in. Regs Jane

Melvyn, Another thought ... I have on odd occasions spoken with the local Registrars when I've not been sure about something. If they have the time/interest, they will sometimes look things up for you - in those circumstances, I usually buy the cert from them. Good luck. Regs Jane

I would go for the local office if you can, ( tho some can be very slow) As they would copy from the orginal register. Southport registers are only transcriptions of the orginal registers. At our local office, when they couldn't read the surname, we stood and discussed as it happens we was both wrong, but at leat i knew there was doubt over a surname

If I know the reference & I'm positive its the right one I use Southport, it might be a transcription of the original entry but it was done almost at the same time, and handwriting styles have changed a lot over the years. I have used local ones where I haven't been sure or on one occasion where there didn't seem to be a corresponding entry in the GRO index. Usually they don't charge for the checking. And the ones I've dealt with have been very quick, in some cases I've had the certificate the day after.

A cousin ordered the death cert of our gt gt grandmother from the local office and got a handwritten transcription. The cause of death seemed very odd and included 'marcia 4 days'. I ordered from Southport and got a photocopy of the entry which said very clearly 'Trauma 4 days'. She'd been trying to find out for years what marcia meant - so in general I order from Southport. Gwynne

Thank you all for your replies

Re the first reply......the GRO version is a copy too!! It's a copy made by the local registrar at the end of the Q in which the event was registered......... Merry

Yes, and unless the marriage was a Registry Office wedding, then even the local Register Office copy is a copy!! I prefer to get as close as I can to the original so almost always order from local ROs, asking for a photocopy rather than a handwritten copy - only ever been refused twice and that was because the original register was too fragile to photocopy. If the marriage took place in a Church, I try to get a copy from the Parish Register - that way, you see your rellies signatures - if they could write - and any mistakes are at least the original mistakes! So, what you get from the GRO is always a copy of a copy and sometimes its a third copy, if a marriage took place in Church. Olde Crone