West Midlands BMD is a joint project between the county's registration services and family history societies, to revolutionise public access to records dating back from the start of Queen Victoria's reign.

In the past, most enquiries for copy certificates have involved Registrars manually searching through hand-written indexes which refer to weighty copperplate ledgers. But now the indexes to an estimated four million births, marriages and deaths from 1837 to 1950 are being made freely available to family historians throughout the world on the West Midlands BMD web-site.

Researchers can make use of the site's user-friendly search techniques to identify the names they are looking for, and obtain reference numbers from which Registrars can supply the birth, marriage and death certificates.

The first phase of indexes appeared on the Internet in November 2003, but computerisation work by Registrars and dedicated volunteers from family history societies has already been underway for some considerable time. The present site was launched in November 2003, and there is still much work to be done.

If you have any comments about these pages, or if you would like to know more about how to set up similar projects in your own area, please contact us at webmaster@westmidlandsbmd.org.uk.

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