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Researching a Family Tree

 
A Birth Certificate will usually tell you:
 
  • The parents' names and the mother's maiden surname (if married)
  • The address where the family were living
 
 
A Death Certificate will usually tell you:
 
  • The age of the person at the time of death (enabling an approximate year of birth to be deduced)
  • The name of the husband (but not the wife unless she registered the death)
  • The name of the informant, who could be a relative
  • The usual occupation of the deceased
  • The usual address of the deceased
 
 
A Marriage Certificate will usually tell you:
 
  • The full names of the couple
  • Their ages at the time of the marriage (enabling an approximate year of birth to be deduced)   
  • Their occupations
  • Whether either of them had been married before
  • The addresses of both of them before marriage
  • Their fathers' full names and occupations
 
 

Useful information and websites

 
Search the index of births, deaths and marriages in Sheffield.
 
Are there any any living relatives or friends of the people you are trying to trace? If so: 
 
  • Ask them if they can remember names, relationships and dates of any events in the family
  • Have the family always lived in Sheffield? If not, where did they come from?  Try contacting the Register Office for that district via these links
 
 
 
Census Returns are made public after 100 years.  To obtain copies of the Census Returns, telephone the Sheffield Archives on 0114 203 9395 or email archives@sheffield.gov.uk.  
 
To find out about Parish Records and other sources of information to help with researching family history, telephone the Sheffield Archives on 0114 203 9395 or email archives@sheffield.gov.uk.
 
 

Sheffield Libraries

 
Click on the two links below to find out more about how the Sheffield Libraries can help you in your search.