Q. I am disconcerted to hear that the Family Records Centre, which I so much enjoyed visiting a few years ago, has closed down (rather suddenly and ahead of schedule, by all accounts). I understand that the original General Register Office indexes of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, which used to be available there, are no longer to be on public access either there or anywhere else?

A. Many genealogists and researchers are sorry to see the closure of the FRC, but this was no doubt inevitable, largely because of the changes in research habits and methods occasioned by the great increase in Internet research. For instance, digital copies of the GRO indexes, 1837-2005, are now available on not just one but several websites, while databases created from some of these are also available online in various locations such as "FreeBMD". Family historians and others who used the original index volumes are though unhappy that these are no longer available, as the microformat copies created from them are often poor, even illegible in places, and have omissions, while the online resources now available, though generally excellent, suffer from similar problems, simply reflecting the often poor quality of these copies.

Q. The FRC was meant to close only after the GRO had completed its digitisation programme, but I notice that you do not mention this. What has become of it? It did sound an excellent project - has it now come to fruition?

A. To the best of my knowledge, no new official digitised indexes have been made available as yet. Again, this is a cause of concern to many people who had hoped that at least the loss of access to the original indexes would be more than offset by the availability of what appear to be excellent new indexes. We can only hope that these will indeed soon become available. The GRO website suggests it could be in 2009.

Q. Can you no longer obtain copies of birth, marriage and death certificates from the GRO? These are such an important aspect of family history research - surely you must still offer this service!

A. Naturally I do, and pending the arrival of any new, improved system, full details of entries in GRO records are currently still available only by paying for certificates of birth, marriage or death. The good news is that these can now be ordered online.

Q. I do not like ordering things online, due to the stories about identity theft I hear so often. With the FRC's closure, is there no other way to obtain copies of certificates?

A. Telephone orders may be placed via the GRO Call Centre on +44 (0)845 603 7788 and postal ordering is still an option. See the GRO's own FAQs on this subject (among many others of interest, for instance making use of local Register Offices) at www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/order_certificates/obtain_certificates/how--to--apply--and--pay.asp

Q. What do you charge for obtaining copies of certificates from the GRO?

A. I am happy to make online searches in the GRO indexes for given entries and obtain copies of certificates, but naturally have to pass on their cost, now £7.00 per certificate, in addition to my own fees (based on £20 per hour) and any other expenses - especially onward postage (from my home address to the end recipient, that is).

Q. I understand that it is possible to have such certificates sent by the GRO direct to anywhere in the World without incurring additional costs for postage. This seems a very valuable service - do you ever make use of it, to save on time and postage?

A. Yes, I am quite willing to apply for GRO certificates online and have them sent direct to any delivery address, in any country, which is supplied to me. This certainly does have the advantages of speed and economy and is, I agree, a useful service.

Q. Are there disadvantages in this approach, then?

A. I have not received any negative feedback and doubtless it is just as likely that certificates sent directly abroad will arrive safely at their destinations as those sent to my UK address (which I then still have to send on, increasing the chances of their going astray). The only disadvantage would seem to be in cases where I am undertaking further, continuing research on behalf of the same client, for which it would be helpful to have knowledge of the details given on such certificates.

Q. Surely this is not an insurmountable difficulty?

A. No - it is easy enough to get round this problem, if the recipient in such cases is prepared to scan the certificates on receipt and email me copies of the originals, if possible. While a typed copy of the details of any certificate is acceptable, I really prefer to be able to refer to a copy of the original certificate so that I can interpret the details myself. Occasionally I may notice something which might not be immediately obvious, but may be of help in continuing with the research project in question.

Q. What about delivery times for certificates being sent to overseas addresses?

A. According to the GRO website's FAQs, the aim is that these should only take slightly longer to arrive than certificates sent to UK addresses. Faster delivery options are available, by contacting the GRO Call Centre, on +44 (0)845 603 7788.

Q. Why should I pay you to obtain copies of certificates for me, if it is so easy to order them online and have them sent direct, even though I do not live in the UK?

A. Indeed, there is no reason why you should not do this yourself, but it is advisable first to obtain the full GRO index reference for any certificate you require (perhaps from Ancestry or one of the other websites offering access to these indexes; or access is being provided to copies of the indexes at TNA's Kew headquarters and now also at various selected libraries in the UK, while other copies are available at, for instance, the Society of Genealogists' Library in London). For a full list of places where copies of the GRO indexes are on public access, both in the UK and overseas, please see www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/research/groindexes/holders_of_the_gro_indexes.asp

Q. I now have the relevant references - what do I do next?

A. To order certificates online, please visit www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates and register for this service. Some websites which have copies of the birth, marriage and death indexes even helpfully provide a link to this GRO online certificate ordering service - for instance, see www.findmypast.com among others.

Matthew Copus
307 Dale Street
Chatham
Kent ME4 6QR

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