FREE BMD

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Free BMD

There are multiple ways to search the FreeBMD data.

1. Search and Browse the actual pages of the FreeBMD index at Ancestry.com. This index is fully transcribed from 1837-1915 courtesy of FreeBMD. In addition, the complete Birth, Marriage & Death Index 1916-2005 is also fully transcribed. This Index is available with a free account, images are available for a fee.
   
   FreeBMD Index:
   • Birth
     Ancestry.com has made 134 million General Register Office (GRO) UK birth records index for England and Wales dating from 1837 to 2005 fully searchable by name, registration date and district. Previously GRO Birth Index that was indexed by surname range only. A search would produce a list of all pages on which the searched name might appear, but referenced by the first and last name on those pages only. Now, every name in the GRO Birth Index is individually searchable. You need the information found in an original index to request a copy of a birth certificate for the individual referenced.
     
     • Birth Index, 1837-1915 - includes births registered from 1837 to 1915 and was keyed by FreeBMD, a group of independent volunteers dedicated to transcribing civil registration indexes of birth, marriage and death records for England and Wales.
     • Birth Index, 1916-2005 - This database is a searchable, digitized version of the indices of civil registrations in England and Wales, reported quarterly to the General Register Office (GRO) in London.
     
     
     
   • Marriage
     The Search returns a Name Range that may contain the name you are searching for. If the search name falls alphabetically between the first name and the last name on a page, that page is returned as a possible match. You may then view an image of the page to see if the name you are searching for is on that page. Last name and Approximate Year required. These are the documents that are used for the transcriptions.
     • Marriage Index, 1837-1915
     • Marriage Index, 1916-2005
     
     
     
   • Death
     The Search returns a Name Range that may contain the name you are searching for. If the search name falls alphabetically between the first name and the last name on a page, that page is returned as a possible match. You may then view an image of the page to see if the name you are searching for is on that page. Last name and Approximate Year required. These are the documents that are used for the transcriptions.
     • Death Index, 1837-1915
     • Death Index, 1916-2005
   
   
   
   
2. Search and Browse the actual pages of the FreeBMD index at Ancestry.co.uk. The nearly 100 million records are before 1900 and have been transcribed by the FreeBMD volunteers. You cannot view the actual certificates online, but the index helps find full registration details making it easier to buy the certificates. .
   
   
   
   • Search the Free BMD at Ancestry.co.uk
     • Birth Index
     • Marriage index
     • Death index
   
   
   
   • Search the Free BMD using Ancestry's fast and flexible search engine. There are many ways to search the Ancestry Free BMD database:
     • The default search is phonetic. To search for exact spelling, choose "advanced search", and click on the box marked "Match all terms exactly"
     • Use wildcards (the asterisk "*" and the question mark "?") in place of numbers or unknown letters in search queries.
     • Enter any combination of query terms. Last name and year NOT required. For example:
       • Record type and district, with no first or last name.
       • First name only, no last name, all record types (B,M, and D), county, and district
   • View other transcriptions and view others on the same page.
   • Make a connection between others searching the same name.
   
   
   
   
3. Search the partially completed Free BMD using the Free BMD search engine at RootsWeb. To find what has been completed, look at the Coverage Charts
   
   
   • Search the Free BMD at RootsWeb
   • Years of Coverage
   • How to Find a Spouse using the BMD
   • Frequently Asked Questions
   • Unfortunately, The RootsWeb BMD is a much slower search engine than Ancestry and frequently gives the message that it is "too busy to complete search".
     • Last name required.
     • Although there is an option to enter spouse's details, ignore this in case the spouse has not yet been entered onto the system.
   
   
   
4. Search the partially completed Free BMD at Free BMD
   
   
   • FreeBMD will display up to 3000 hits. To get better search results, narrow your searcy by entering a little bit more info at a time. Entering too much info at first may lead you to miss the entry because the data may not yet have been entered.
   • The default search is non-exact match on first names and exact match on surnames. Both of these can be changed.
   • Search results show:
     • Event
     • Quarter
     • Year
     • % Completed
     • Surname
     • Given Name
     • Registration District * - Click on this link to get a list of all event entries in that registration district on that page in the index. For marriages clicking on the page gives everyone on that page married in that registration district and this will give possibilities for the spouse
     • Volume
     • Page - Click on this link for a list of all event entries in that registration district on that page in the index.
     • Info icon - Click on this link for information about this entry, the transcriber, aplace to post a postem note so others with same ancestor can contact you.
     • Glasses Icon - Click on this link for information about the entry and a place to click to see the original image that was transcribed.
     
     
   
   Registration Districts
   Each registration district usually contains civil and ecclesiastical parishes
   • Registration District
     An alphabetical listing of all Registration Districts in England and Wales (1837-1974) with the civil parishs and townsships.
   • Registration Districts
     
     
   
   
   

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