Thus there may be 10 volumes for some quarters – Vol.1 A-B, Vol.2 C-D, Vol.3 E-G and so on. From their inception, the alphabetical indexes give the surname, the forenames if registered, the registration district and the volume and the page on which the entry may be found. These details enable the appropriate record to be located. Before 1866, the indexes were written by hand on heavy parchment, though some have been replaced by printed copies. From 1984, the indexes are in annual instead of quarterly volumes. The indexes from 1984 give the month of registration as the first and second digits in the document reference number, and the next two digits give the year. Thus the reference number 0485 9 2128 refers to an event registered in April 1985. From 1860 the GRO death index specifies an age of death and from 1911 the birth index also specifies the maiden name of a child's mother. The GRO indexes are a major tool for persons tracing their family history, as well as those needing duplicate copies of their own birth or marriage certificates. The indexes can be viewed on microfiche at the National Archives, major libraries, county record officers, and LDS Family History Centres, and can also be searched on a pay-per-view basis on several family history websites. A free, searchable, index can be consulted online via the official General Register Office website after signing up or via the FreeBMD website. FreeBMD is an ongoing project to transcribe the whole GRO Index. Other parts of the United Kingdom have their own indexing system. Other registers and indexes In addition to the registers already mentioned, the GRO has charge of a number of other records in its Overseas Section. These indexes can be searched online at pay-per-view family history websites and at the National Archives. They generally contain similar information to the main GRO indexes and registers. The Regimental Registers, Chaplains' Returns, Consular Returns, Army Births, Marriages and Deaths and the War Deaths are some of the most significant. The civil registration records that pertain to British people in India and countries in the Far East, formerly part of the British Empire, are found in the Oriental and India Office Collections of the British Library. GRO certificates and their content Using the information obtained from the GRO Index it is possible to obtain a certificate online from the certificate ordering service.