Genealogy

Tracing your family tree is a very popular hobby, which can be time consuming, occasionally frustrating, but ultimately extremely rewarding. There is large amount of information available to help you, including books, websites and archives. A basic guide, in book form or downloaded from the internet, is a good place to start. This will give you an idea of what information is available.

The aim of this section is to help you locate the information, particularly in the Tameside area, and to put you in touch with people who can help.

Register Office Records

Civil registration started on 1st July 1837, and local Register Offices hold birth, death and marriage entries for their own area, from that date. Boundary changes over the years sometimes create an exception to the rule, so it is always a good idea to check with the Register Office to see if they cover the area you are interested in.

A duplicate record of every birth, death, and marriage entry for England and Wales is also held at the General Register Office at Southport, who also provide certificates on request. Unfortunately, index references for the General Register Office are different from index references for the local Register Office, so it is necessary to make sure you have the correct reference number when applying for certificates.

To search the Tameside indexes log on to www.cheshirebmd.org.uk . The site also contains indexes for neighbouring Register Offices.

See also www.lancashirebmd.org.uk  where other local Register Offices indexes are listed.

General Register Office Records

The General Register Office holds a central copy of all registrations for England and Wales.

The General Register Office can provide you with birth, marriage and death certificates for your research from their extensive archive of records.

Each certificate holds names of, and information about, family members that can provide vital clues and pointers for your family history research.

Visit the General Register Office  for more research information.

Tameside Local Studies and Archive Centre

The Centre offers a wide range of archival material to help in your search, as well as internet facilities and practical advice.

For further information, visit the family history page.

Tameside Family History Centre

Whether you are new to Family History research, or just need a little extra help, the Tameside Family History Centre offers friendly, expert advice from experienced helpers on a one to one basis.

For further information visit www.tameside.gov.uk/familyhistory/centre.

Greater Manchester County Records Office

Greater Manchester County Records Office  holds a wide variety of archival material for the Greater Manchester area.