Genealogy Chat

I have spent the last 25 years (off and on) trying to find out where my Mumford ancestors lived in England. I am almost positive they were from Hatfield Broad Oak/Dunmow, Essex. Could someone please help me either confirm this, or confirm that we aren't from there and I can start my search over??? (If I can confirm this, I also would have "found" several distant relatives in my home town, Toronto, Canada.) Max (on this site) was kind enough to search the FRC and found: Mumford, James District St George Hanover Square, Vol 1a page 341 - March quarter 1857. Is there somewhere that I might access that marriage record, or order it??? (My ancestor, James Mumford, was married on 17-Mar-1857 -- I don't know where, though.) Thanks so much for any information you might be able to share. Lisa

If you want to order the certificate the following info is from the http://www(.)col(.)statistics(.)gov.uk: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Certificate ordering service Welcome to the General Register Office for England and Wales online ordering service The General Register Office (GRO) holds a central copy of all registrations for England and Wales. Local Register Offices also hold records of events registered in their area. For recent events registered within the last 18 months, applications for certificates should be made to the Register Office in the district where the birth, death or marriage took place. Please note: This is a live site presently being run on a trial basis. It is currently only available to residents of the United Kingdom. Non-UK residents can still order certificates through conventional channels: see here for details. Making an application online - What you will need - One of the following valid credit or debit cards Full name and postal address An e-mail address Details of the registration event you are applying for - eg birth, death, marriage or adoption If you are using the site for the first time you will need to complete the registration process. You will only need to go through this process the first time you use the system. How to apply for certificates online, by post, by fax or by telephone The original records of births, marriages and deaths are not open to the public, but you can get copies of entries in the form of birth, marriage and death certificates. Costs vary according to what type of certificate you want, how you apply and how urgently you need it. This section tells you about getting certificates by post, telephone or fax from the General Register Office for England and Wales which is situated in Southport. For general information phone +44 (0)870 243 77 88. Monday to Friday - 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For Welsh speakers, a Welsh helpline service is available on 0151 471 4575 You can read information about fees Online: If ordering from within the UK, you can order certificates online. What information you will need When you apply by post, telephone or fax please send as much information as possible. The fuller the information you supply the easier it will be for staff to produce your certificate. If possible give full names of the person whose certificate you wish to trace, an exact a date as possible, and the place where the event took place. Any other information you can supply will also be of help. Please also send the appropriate fee. By post: You can apply in writing to: General Register Office PO Box 2 Southport Merseyside PR8 2JD For Overseas events please apply to: Overseas Section General Register Office Trafalgar Road Southport Merseyside PR8 2HH By telephone: To order by telephone please ring +44 (0)870 243 77 88. You can apply by telephone if you have a credit or debit card. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Solo, Delta or Switch. By fax: You can apply by fax. Please send your fax giving all the necessary information including your credit or debit card number. The fax number is +44 (0)1704 550013. Getting a certificate quickly: If you need a certificate quickly, you can apply by telephone or by fax and ask for the priority service. If you wish to apply by post please mark the envelope 'PRIORITY'. If you use this service we will post certificates to you the next working day after receipt. Alternatively you can apply in person at the Family Records Centre or the local office where the event was originally registered. Please write URGENT on the envelope or fax message to ensure we can identify your application as a priority. Applying from abroad? You can apply from abroad by writing to or telephoning GRO. The telephone number is +44 (0)870 243 7788. Payment should be made by credit card or by an International Money Order made out to ONS expressed in pounds Sterling with a UK clearing bank.

You can order certificates on line at http://www . 1837online . com Jan

Also try the Freebmd website which has transcribed partially the index of births, deaths and marriages I did a quick search and it came up with 11,000 mumfords so be specific and put in a district and maybe you will find some on here: Just type in browser freebmd(.)rootsweb.com with no w's. Also Jan 1837 online provides you with a link to order certs it then sends you to the above website to actually order the certs if you type this in it will save you going to 2 sites. Zoë

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I live in California and use the LDS site, but am not too familiar with other sites. I joined GC a couple of weeks ago and am amazed at the kind, generous people on this site (not to mention knowledgeable!). Thanks so much! Lisa.

Unfortuanately FreeBMD isn't complete though and 1857 is one of the 'unlucky' years for marriages - only a tiny fraction have been transcribed so far. So you might have more luck checking with 1837online - it's not free but it is as near to complete as you'll find online

Try a search on Google

Caroline and Bob: All of my family members are Canadian, English or Irish and I live in the U.S. I really, really want to get information about this side of the family. I would prefer free sites, but at this point I will do anything to find out more information about James Mumford, since he isn't being too helpful (joke). Tried Google a while ago, but since I know a little more about computers now, it is definitely worth a try again! Thanks for suggesting it!! Thank you all for your great suggestions!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Elaine. Thanks so much for all of the info you provided. I know that some of the names you've included belong to the "Dunmow Mumfords". I'm trying to find either solid proof that we did come from Dunmow, or proof that we didn't so that I may start searching other areas. I know that my ancestor was James Mumford, b. 26-Oct-1826 in Hatfield, England, parents were James and Martha Mumford. James' (1826) occupation in Ontario was butcher. His three sons also worked with him. He moved to Canada prior to 1858. A connection in Ontario has some of the people you found in her family tree. Her ancestor's brother was James Mumford born in 1800 in Dunmow. He was a butcher. He lived in Hatfield Broad Oak in 1826. According to church records, a James Mumford married a Martha Grange in Hatfield Broad Oak in 1822 and had (among other children) a James who was christened in January 1827. Father's occupation: butcher. Since there were so many James Mumfords around that time and since there are several Hatfield, Englands I want to find some solid proof that my James was the son of the 1800 James. Thanks so much for checking that site! I will print your information and will also check out the site for other ancestors!!! (Are people on other websites this nice? I am simply amazed.)

You mentioned Irish Roots. I understand that you are following a particular trail at the moment, but try Irish Origins. It is not free but you may find some information. There are also sister sites for the rest of the UK. Paul

It is usually cheaper to get certificates from the local register office. They only charge £7. They dont ask for one, but I tend to stick a stamped addressed envelope in as well. Some register offices take online or phone payments by credit card, and some dont. Genuki has a list of register offices. Email me if you want the address

Hi, If you go to resource centre and click on for the links, scroll down to the census finder. That site can be really helpful, also have you tried Genforum.genealogy.com that is pretty good aswell if you go into the appropriate forum for your particular surname. Laurie

Paul: Over the years, my mum has patiently listened to me gush about all the findings on my dad's side and has been excited for me. I would love to find information about her side! Six of her gt-grandparents were from Ireland and I've had no luck. I shall try Irish Origins; thank you!!!!!!!!

Lisa, are you in Toronto? There are some certificates I could do with from there. Could you get mine and I will get yours, then swop.

Carol and Laurie: This is so exciting -- receiving all of these hints! I will print all of the suggestions and I'm sure I will get somewhere. I shall be sure to let everyone know if that elusive James is connected to "the rest of the family". (Genforum doesn't "have anything" but then I don't believe I've posted anything there either. Perhaps I should do that -- who knows who might be looking for the same family.) Thanks very much everyone!! Good luck with your searches!!! Just saw your note, Carol. No, I live in California. My family is from Toronto. Now only have an aunt living near Toronto and she isn't really interested in genealogy, if you know what I mean. (I've asked for help, but she is a rather busy person and has been unable to assist over the years.) Sorry, Carol, I wish I could help you somehow. (If you can think of something that I can do from here, I would love to help!)