| For the first time, it will be possible to order copies of birth, marriage and death certificates online via the council’s website. Certificates will be despatched within one working day. Previously they were only available in person or by post.
The public can also commission genealogical research into their family history at the website — www.dundeecity.gov.uk/registrars.
A couple of years ago the council set up a genealogy unit within the registrar’s office in Commercial Street. It was a service unique in Scotland and proved immensely popular with people from all over the world who wanted to trace their family tree or get in touch with long-lost relatives.
Genealogy is a growth industry, attracting interest from local people as well as academics and descendants of Scottish families abroad.
The USA has been a prime source of custom for the Dundee unit, which has also received commissions from many other countries, including Canada and Australia.
Visiting Dundee shortly after the unit was set up, the Registrar General for Scotland expressed amazement at the initiative and encouraged the council to continue supporting the section.
Staff can trace links back to the 18th century if the family was from Dundee, provide a family tree and even furnish links to surviving relatives with whom the client may have lost touch or been unaware of at all.
A computerised link has been established to the national indexes at New Register House in Edinburgh.
At around £30 for a two-hour search, the cost is reckoned to be very competitive and is bringing in thousands of pounds a year in revenue for the council. |
