Help in using the Database

Note that apart from those for my direct line I hold few certificates and the information shown is therefore not fully researched. It is meant to be an aid and simply indicates where I would look if following a line.

You may find it useful to cut and paste from the web pages to a file as you go.

Tracing Back

Many birth index entries have a link in the Father column and, if present, this can be used. Alternatively you can use the Mother link to see the siblings and parents, then click on the parents' Marriage link, and then on the father's Birth link. Repeat for the next generation.

Tracing Forward

After finding a Birth use the Marr link if present, then click on the sp surname to see the family. Select a child, click on the B entry in the Event column, and repeat the process. There may be a Death link on the Birth entry.

Examples

You know the forename and an approximate date of birth and maybe birthplace

Suppose you were looking for George S Stoner, around 1880. If you just know Sussex that doesn't help a great deal as half will be in Sussex!

Tracing back

1. In the Birth Indexes section, click on F-G.
2. Scroll down the alphabetical listing to find George S, who may be shown with one or more forenames in the index. They are listed chronologically within exact forenames. (But see Some amendments below.)

   Ref	Year	Q/M	Forenames	District	Vol/P	Mother	Parents	Marr	Death	Father	1881
   1350	1885	7	George Sharpe	East Preston	2b 339	Kennett	606	1050	CW36	455

   The Ref numbers are my own and used for links between the pages. Column entries in blue are links

3. Click on the mother's maiden name Kennett to go to the Family page

   Event	Year	Q M d/m	Father/Child	Mother	Nee	District	Ref
   M606	1885	1	Harry STONER	Emily	Kennett	Westhampnett	2b 467
   B1350	1885	7	George Sharpe		M606 Kennett	East Preston	2b 339
   B1768	1896	7	Harry		M606 Kennett	East Preston	2b 336
   B1932	1900	1	Fred		M606 Kennett	East Preston	2b 347

4. Click on 606 to see the marriage entry

   Refno	Year	Q/M	forenames	sp forenames	sp surname	District	Vol/P	Birth or ..
   606	1885	1	Harry	Emily	Kennett	Westhampnett	2b 467	455

   If the Stoner marrying is a lady who previously married a Stoner, the Birth or .. column may contain a reference to the earlier marriage, rather than to a Stoner birth.

5. Click on 455 in the Birth column to see the birth entry.
6. Now the process can be repeated to go back another generation

Tracing forward

1. Find the birth

   Ref	Year	Q/M	Forenames	District	Vol/P	Mother	Parents	Marr	Death	Father	1881
   1350	1885	7	George Sharpe	East Preston	2b 339	Kennett	606	1050	CW36	455

2. Then click on 1050 in the Marriage column then, on the marriage record, on the mother's name Short to go to the Family page

   Event	Year	Q M d/m	Father/Child	Mother	Nee	District	Ref
   1050	1906	7	George Sharpe	Mary Jane	Short	East Preston	2b 811
   B2184	1906	10	George Sharpe		M1050 Short	East Preston	2b 308
   B2243	1908	4	Herbert Henry		M1050 Short	East Preston	2b 339
   B2425	1913	10	Frederick J		M1050 Short	East Preston	2b 542

3. Alternatively, from the Birth entry you can click on Death link, here CW36 which shows the Commonwealth War grave entry - for more see that website.

You know a lady who married a Stoner

Start from the Families section using her surname. If it was not her first marriage then any children may be listed elsewhere under the mother's maiden name, certainly since 1912. Prior to that, if I did not know she had been married previously then they may be under her surname as in the marriage index.

There is no link

For example, no marriage link. Maybe there was no marriage.

Or there are too many options without seeing the certificate. For example, if there's no marriage link against a birth you might try looking at the marriages for that name. I'd recommend also looking at the births to see how many other candidates there might be for any marriage you find!

Sometimes people are in the birth, marriage, and death indexes with different forenames or initials, or maybe just in a different sequence.

It may be because I haven't yet tried to work out what the link should be. Or haven't yet updated the page.

Notes

Some amendments

The indexes were transcribed over several years and during that period I added some christian names to the bare initials, not knowing that I would eventually build this website. So Edmund Clifton that I show may have been Edmund C in the index. Index entries from 1837 to around 1930 may be checked at http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl.

Questions, Corrections, Additions

Feel free to email me with any questions, corrections or new information. There's a checkbox on the home page. I have much data yet to be added.

Certificates

I have put online extracts from certificates I have seen, and am very happy to receive scans if you have certificates.