FAQs

General site information

Who are findmypast.com?

Findmypast.com is a British family history and genealogy website with a London, UK office. We are one of the leading suppliers of online family history, and pride ourselves on the quality of our records. The findmypast.com team, like you, have a real passion for family history, and our knowledgeable Customer Support staff are on-hand via phone or email to help you if you get stuck.

Was findmypast.com ever known by another name?

Findmypast.com was formerly called 1837online.com. In November 2006 we became findmypast.com to reflect the new scope of our records.
If you were a customer of 1837online then your account will work on findmypast.com.

All the family history records that were originally on 1837online are still available on findmypast.com, plus many millions more.

Where can I see a full list of the records you hold?

To see a full list of the records available on findmypast.com please visit our search all records page.

How complete are the findmypast.com BMD indexes? 

We offer an entire copy of the indexes of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales from 1837 to 2006.

The overseas births, marriages and deaths are the full set held by the GRO, but this is not a comprehensive list of all the births, marriages and deaths of British subjects overseas. British nationals abroad are not obliged to register these events with the British consulate, and only the events that are registered with the consulate get included.

The indexes are updated by the GRO during the latter part of the year and are always two years behind.

Can I search the birth, marriage, and death indexes by volume and page? 

No. You cannot search the findmypast.com birth, marriage, and death indexes by volume and page number.

Can I narrow down my birth, marriage, and death searches by name? 

You can narrow England and Wales birth, marriage, and death searches for the period 1837 to 1983 by forename and surname, but you will need to check the relevant registry-book image for each quarter to discover whether the name appears.

For the period 1984 to 2006 you can (where relevant) search by forename, surname, mother"s maiden name, birth date, middle initial, spouse"s surname, and district. The BMDs for this period were recorded in a computer database so you will only receive matching results.  

For the overseas records it is possible to search by surname, but as with the England and Wales 1837-1983 BMDs you will need to check each registry book image, and we cannot guarantee that the name you have searched for will feature.

Why is the name I entered not on the BMD index page?

The 1837-1983 BMD records comprise indexed images of the original registry book pages – the records have not been transcribed.
The search will therefore return a list of pages that may contain the entry you have searched for. You will need to check each image to discover whether the name appears, and if there were no registrations for that name in that quarter then it will not. 
See our Knowledge Base for more help on troubleshooting and searching.

Do you have records for Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands?

Currently we only provide records for England and Wales but not the Channel Islands or Isle of Man. However, many foreign nationals can be found in the Passenger Lists and in some of our occupations directories.

New records are regularly added to the site, so it’s worth returning frequently to see what"s new, or sign-up to our email newsletter to receive the latest updates.

For non England and Wales records we recommend the following sites:

Scotland
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?r=1218

Northern Ireland
http://www.groni.gov.uk/index.htm

Republic of Ireland
http://www.groireland.ie/about_us.htm

Will findmypast.com research my family tree for me?

Findmypast.com does not undertake paid family history research, and cannot perform searches on your behalf. If you need help with your research, you may wish to join your local family history society or an organisation such as the Society of Genealogists (SOG). SOG offers courses on family history as well as guidance on research, and has a library and other resources that are available to members.

Society of Genealogists
14 Charterhouse Buildings
Goswell Road
London
EC1M 7BA

www.sog.org.uk

Similar organisations in other parts of the world are:

Australia and New Zealand:
http://www.affho.org/
http://www.sag.org.au/

USA:
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/
http://www.fgs.org/

If you are interested in hiring a paid researcher you should contact the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA). All the members of AGRA are experienced researchers with a proven level of competence, and their website explains how to find, hire and work with a suitable researcher.

AGRA
29 Badgers Close
Horsham
West Sussex
RH12 5RU

www.agra.org.uk

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