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Esther Rantzen on how to trace your family tree
 As the number of people investigating their family history continues to soar, people can save cash and find out how to go about researching their family tree by using - General Register Office (GRO) information is now available on Directgov.
Following programmes like the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? interest in genealogy has grown rapidly in recent years. Some commercial companies charge as much as £30.00 for a birth certificate but each certificate costs from just £7.00 if you order online via the government website.
Public information about registering births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales has moved from the GRO (General Register Office) website and is now available on the government’s supersite from 7 April 2009.
The GRO online ordering service currently receives up to 7,000 applications a day and 2.5 million views per month. More than 2 million certificate applications are made each year, the vast majority of which are investigating their family tree, others need a certificate for legal or administrative purposes and 90 per cent of these applications are made online. Other significant areas of interest include finding out about places to get married, marriage fees, and registering a birth.
The government’s flagship digital service, is now hosting information on registering births, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths, including details of how adopted adults can access their original birth records or place their details on the Adoption Contact Register. All the information is in plain English.
James Hall, the Registrar General for England and Wales said: “I am confident that all those accessing Directgov for information on topics such as getting married, registering a birth or what to do after a death, will find the information clear and helpful. People using the online ordering service will come through directly to the General Register Office, the only holders of the national record for England and Wales.”
Television presenter and founder of Childline, Esther Rantzen, traced her own family history on the BBC’s television series, Who Do You Think You Are? Esther said: “Unravelling the secrets of my family was an incredible and emotional journey, one that I am pleased to have taken, even if some of the truths uncovered were hard to accept. Finding out where you come from helps inform who you are, and I am delighted to know that more people will be able to make their own personal discoveries using Directgov in an accessible and affordable way.”
If you would like to start tracing your family tree why not make a start at Directgov.uk/familyhistory
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