A research story
Case studies: finding a birth record
Follow four searches from a known birthplace to the index reference needed for a birth certificate.
Sir Frank Whittle (1907–1996) was a Royal Air Force officer who invented the jet engine. He was only 21 when he first mentioned the idea of turbo-jet propulsion to the Air Ministry.
He patented the idea in 1930, then arrived in Cambridge in 1934 and completed his degree in only two years, gaining a first. During his time at Cambridge, he remained engrossed in the idea of jet travel.
Whittle was encouraged by his tutor and by Melvill Jones, Head of Aeronautical Engineering. As his time at Cambridge came to an end, three retired RAF pilot colleagues suggested setting up a development company. Power Jets was formed soon afterwards.
The search
Finding Frank Whittle’s birth record
We began with a BMD image search in the birth records on TheGenealogist. We knew Whittle was born in Coventry in 1907, so the search could be narrowed to that year. His forename and surname were then entered into the search.
Because the month was unknown, the quarterly images were checked until the correct entry appeared. The search took no more than three minutes.
Whittle appeared in the April–June birth records. A closer look revealed the volume and page reference needed to order a certificate.
Try it yourself
Start searching for your ancestors
To begin searching your own family’s birth records, visit TheGenealogist or BMD Index. Once you have an index reference, our certificate guide explains what to do next.
Search birth recordsA second example
Finding H.G. Wells in the birth index.
Herbert George Wells was born on 21 September 1866 at Atlas House in Bromley, Kent. His known birth year and birthplace provided two useful starting points for a record search.
Searching the 1866 birth index by surname and forename led to a Bromley entry for “Wells, Herbert G” in the October–December quarter. The volume and page reference could then be used to order a certificate.
A third example
Finding Alfred Hitchcock in the birth index.
Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born on 13 August 1899, the second son and youngest of three children of William and Emma Jane Hitchcock.
Searching for “Hitchcock” with the forename “Alfred” and the year 1899 first meant checking the July–September quarter. The entry appeared in the October–December records as “Hitchcock, Alfred Joseph”.
A fourth example
Finding Howard Carter in the birth index.
Howard Carter (1874–1939) was an English archaeologist and Egyptologist, best known for discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings.
Knowing that Carter was born in Kensington in 1874 narrowed the search. Checking the April–June quarter revealed the entry for “Howard” in Kensington, with the reference needed to order a birth certificate.
