Chasing Paper Skeletons

Yoxall WI had a fascinating talk on Wednesday 10th September by Marion Armstrong who was a former registrar of births, deaths and marriages in the Staffordshire Moorlands area covering Leek, Biddulph and Cheadle. Some time ago Marion was approached by a WI member to see if she would give a talk on her work as a registrar. After saying yes, she enquired how many people would be in the audience and was shocked to find that it was 700 and the venue was Staffs County Showground! The title of "Chasing paper skeletons" was born, which sums up perfectly her involvement as a registrar.

Many people are enjoying researching their family history. Programmes on TV like "Who do you think you are?" and "Heir Hunters" have made this a very popular pastime. The Register Office is usually the first port of call in the research process.

Proud new mums and dads bring their babies in to be registered. Unfortunately, modern birth certificates are not carefully handwritten documents anymore, but computerised; such a pity. Both the sad occasion of registering a death and the happy event of a wedding are presided over by the registrar. Since 1995 many other venues have been licensed for marriage ceremonies.

When researching your family history Marion gave some invaluable tips. When requesting certificates ensure you provide as much accurate information as possible. Start with yourself, as your birth certificate gives your mother's maiden name which can then lead to a marriage certificate. The General Register Office has records of every birth, marriage and death registered in England and Wales, starting from July 1837. You need to look at parish records to trace back further. The 1911 Census, available online, is also a valuable source of information. The 1921 Census is not available yet.

We learned that it is not against the law to obtain a birth, death or marriage certificate. Criminals are using this information in fraud cases. We were also advised against using mother's maiden name in bank security  questions, as other users of ancestry websites can obtain this personal information.

Marion encouraged the use of Ebay and Facebook as a means of collating as much info as possible. Old postcards and photographs can provide further clues. Obituaries in newspapers and published wills can be invaluable in piecing together the facts.

I'm sure many people came away from Marion's talk with enthusiasm to research their own families and we were certainly given an insight into the work of a registrar.

As a WI we celebrate member's special birthdays and anniversaries with a card and flowers. We were delighted to congratulate Joyce Cadie and her husband with their 65th wedding anniversary. Yoxall WI  have their 95th birthday next year and we hope to have a special celebration. Our next meeting is on Wednesday 8th October when the speaker will be Pam Moore on 'Colour Analysis'. Visitors are very welcome. Please contact Penny Bailey through the link below for further information.