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We are discussing Tracing family history
With Antoinette Buchanan, Stephanie Ryan and Jennifer Higgins

Question:
Certificates of Births, Deaths and Marriages are expensive to buy which are the best ones for family history?

Answer:
Antoinette - They are all useful, of course, but they can be expensive to buy. If you do need to buy a certificate, the death certificate of the first person of a married couple to die usually gives you the most information. In the best case you can get: name, age, place of birth, cause of death, duration of illness etc..

You can also find out the names of parents, name of spouse (often including maiden name of the wife), place and duration of marriage, names and ages of living children, number and gender of deceased children. Carefully note the name of the informant on the death certificate. A wife or husband is usually the most reliable informant, followed by close family members.

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