Birth Cert of family member who is alive.

UnicornPuke!

Hello I was wandering how to go about this. My great aunt on my grandmothers side is still alive she's in her 80s. My grandfather used to tell us that years ago she was born to my grannies sister and just raised as a sister so technically she would really be my aunt. I've heard this from a number of people but never approached my great aunt about it as it seems a sensitive subject. I was wondering what would be the best way to get her birth cert without disturbing her at her old age. I want to be able to enter her in my tree but need this confirmed.

shanew

If you can locate the likely BMD Index references you can purchase a research cert for anyone. Depends on how much information you have as how easy this will be, but if you know place of birth and approx. date then search the BMD Index on FamilySearch which covers up to 1958 and see...

Jellybaby1

Shane I always thought close relationship was criteria for obtaining certs for people still alive so I never went looking for them for my tree. So I was wrong then?

L1011

I've got certs of a number of people still alive (but suitably old that they wouldn't ask questions, I suspect) for similar reasons - suspected family secrets that I didn't think asking a 95 year old about would be either polite or likely to get a response!

annieoburns

I think all birth, marriage and death records are 'public records' so no bar on anyone, related or not, obtaining a full copy of same if you wish to pay the extra or the cheaper research copy that is not certified as a true copy so not good for legal purposes. Think of the dodge used by criminals in obtaining passports using the certs of dead children. Hopefully this loophole is now b een closed or should be what with online records etc.

shanew

dont believe they've any way to verify if the person is alive. I've collected more recent certs than the timeframe mentioned (1930s) that with no questions or checks... and I believe at least two may be still alive. Side branch that I haven't tried to make contact with..

shanew

annieoburns wrote: »

...Think of the dodge used by criminals in obtaining passports using the certs of dead children. Hopefully this loophole is now b een closed or should be what with online records etc.

as used in 'Day of the Jackal'... false passport incident inspired by actual cases in England, and they had to locate that mismatch by manually cross-checking every birth for a possible death. Love the amount of details in Frederick Forsyth books!

Jellybaby1

That's good news for me, thanks folks.

pinkypinky

Just to add, you can get anyone's civil certs, whether they are alive or dead, close related. If you wanted Bono's birth cert, just get it...

Jellybaby1

Oh no, GRO will be packed on Monday now Pinky!! What have you done!

pinkypinky

I cannot be responsible for the popularity of Bono's birth cert.

dido2

I got a birth cert for a woman for exactly the same situation as you, she was brought up as a sister of my mother in laws father, but she was in fact his niece, there was only 3 years between them, and her mother was young having her, but I eventually narrowed down her birth cert based on her name and rough time period she was born..