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Old Ordnance Survey Maps



Fantastic website: www.alangodfreymaps.co.uk


Cost £2.25 each and are worth every penny and more

What is a GEDCOM?

A GEDCOM file is a file used to transfer family history reseach between different programmes, computers, websites and researchers.
GEDCOM files are not a 'tree' as such but can be used to create a printed tree when opened with software which can use the information they contain.
They contain text only, images, photographs and census images etc will NOT be included in a GEDCOM file but the all important names, dates, relationships etc are included.

How are they created?
To create a GEDCOM you do not need a family tree programme installed, if for example you have a tree on GR then you can 'export' your tree from GR as a gedcom file to your hard drive. However if you wish to use the GEDCOM file you will need some software installed to allow you to 'open' the file in the first place.
A GEDCOM from GR is sent as an e-mail attachment, without the additional software the file cannot be used but you can send the file to another site (such as tribal pages for example). This allows you to have a tree on another site without having to enter all the details manually.


For those of you who do have a software programme you can create a GEDCOM from your software package, this file can be 'exported' (sent) from your computer to another site, or sent to someone else who you wish to share your research with.

Additionaly software users can create a GEDCOM file of a specific part of their entire file, for instance you may wish to create a file for a distant relative based on your research into a specific surname within your tree and omit the names of unconnected branches.



So a GEDCOM file is a handy way to quickly share your file (or a part of it) elsewhere via the internet.

Receiving a file

Those of you who don't have a software package will find some problems if you receive a file, you can't open a file as a "tree" but you can open a file as a text document in either Word or Notepad. However if you do so then you will find even a very small file is a long document and extremely difficult to understand.

One option you have is to upload the file to a site (eg GR) BUT if you do so your existing tree will be overwritten. This means that your existing tree on GR for example will no longer available to you.
An option is to have a second membership and view the tree with the second membership but this is not an ideal situation.

For those of you who do have a software package you have several options.
It is possible to keep the gedcom as a separate tree on your software or to 'merge' the gedcom file into your existing tree.

Note though that you should keep the files separate until you can verify how accurate the details are, better to do that than add a file of say 100 names with dubious/incorrect dates and places etc.

ACCURACY OF INFORMATION SHOULD ALWAYS BE YOUR OBJECTIVE. BETTER A TREE OF 200 NAMES WITH CORRECT DETAILS THAN 1000 NAMES WITH ERRORS THROUGHOUT.

It is possible to verfiy parts of the gedcom and incorporate those parts whilst leaving the remaining unverified parts 'unmerged' if you need to.

You can also 'merge' any additional information from the file you wish, for instance notes for an individual can either be included in the merge or omitted, the same applies to census references and sources of information etc. Include those additional notes you wish to keep and exclude those that you do not want. Full details of how these can be included/omitted can be found with your software package.


As mentioned above, a GEDCOM file can be used without a software package, but your best option is to use some form of software.

For less than the cost of GR membership it is possible to buy a programme with all the bells and whistles, it will allow you to control what information you disclose to someone and allows you to withhold information about living relations or distant vranches if you wish.*****Update, check the price for the latest offers on software, typically the price is around the £10 mark but prices are subject to change********

Those who use software have the peace of mind that they can create a backup of their tree and view/print their tree without an internet connection and without relying on a third party as the only place to store your tree.

Just think for the cost of a certificate YOU CAN ENSURE YOU NEVER LOSE YOUR TREE INFORMATION AND ALSO REMOVE THE PROBLEMS OF TREE VIEWS ETC.

If GR were to 'lose' your tree there is no value attached to the tree, the months and years of work can vanish in moments and if you rtely solely on GR COULD YOU GET IT THE INFORMATION BACK EASILY?

Spend the money, use the GEDCOMS and protect yourself against loss of information.




Taken from Glen In fresh Tinsel Knickers on Tips board

Also

www.freebmd.org.uk/search.pl?

Free transcribed indexes to Births Marriages and Deaths in England and Wales up to around the 1920s at the moment.

Easy to use

For records post 1920s you will have to manually searched through the scanned index pages on sites like www.ancestry.co.uk or www.findmypast.com - both of which are pay per view.

Some free census transcriptions

www.freecen.org.uk

and also some free parish register transcriptions

www.freereg.org.uk

They are always being updated with new data.

And helpful people who have parish registers who are willing to do lookups (I'm on there...)

Remember to give as much info as possible - most people will not do blanket look ups...

www.parishregisteruklook-upexchange.co.uk/

Oh and for Documents Online - such as WWI Medal Index Cards, Seamans Records, Pre 1858 Wills etc

Document downloads cost £3.50 each and come as a PDF.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/

The advanced search is pretty good.

Also Access to Archives - great way to locate records held at other places

http://www.a2a.org.uk/

I think another tip along the same vein as using punctuation is to please try and spell things properly - and to double check what you have written before posting a request for help. So many times people accidentally get the year wrong or spell a surname wrong.

Try to re-read what you are posting to make sure it makes sense - nothing worse than having to first of all work out what it is you want before then having to try and help!

I know a lot of us use acronyms on here but I find requests for help written like a text message pretty hard to get on with!

And remember - if you are looking for living people it might be best to post on the Trying to Find board. And if you are looking for current address information via the Electoral Roll - best to PM the people offering to do the searches rather than post information about living people on the boards.

And dont forget - politeness costs nothing...

x

SERVICE RECORDS



http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/familyhistory/military/navy/rnstep1.htm

n

Wikipedia is a great resource for just about anything!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lol

nudging for HRH

Lost Photos @ SGR
Trying to re-unite photographs with the family

www.lostphotos.sgrboards.org

you may post photo
post a message

A Website for anyone looking for parishes etc.


http://www.achurchnearyou.com/index.php

Website for information on family's in Berkeley, Thornbury and Gloucestershire

www.scibes-alcove.co.uk

And you can view BMD and 1871 census for free

If helping hands have found you information please copy it to your records so that it is safe

They have to clear their threads every now and again so you could lose it!

Please use a little punctuation, it's so difficult reading & understanding something without it.

n

BOOKMARKING


If you find something that you would like to keep

Then Bookmark it!

You need to open the thread first
Then go to Yellow Box on left hand side of screen (Man in a Top Hat) and click Bookmark This!

Then whatever it is you have Bookmarked will go in your Bookmarks thread which is also in the yellow box.

UNWANTED CERTIFICATES

There is a board on TIPS BOARD called



DROP YOUR UNWANTED CERTIFICATES



If you paste that in search bar on Tips Board it will come up


There are loads of unwanted certs on there
They may have something you could use !!!!


Take a look

Good Luck!!

Newbies will also find a lot of useful information on the Tips board

It is worth spending a while on there and reading a few posts

PLEASE REMEMBER!


One problem seems to be that many "newbies" (and may be some not-so-newbies) do not know how to return to the thread!!


No-one tells them that

a)They will not get an email from GR telling them that there is a message for them,

b) No-one tells them that they can find ALL their previous postings and threads by Going to Community and clicking on My Threads in the left hand panel..
(Yellow box with Man in Tophat)

WILL (Law)

In the common law, a will or testament is a document by which a person (the testator) regulates the rights of others over his or her property or family after death. For the devolution of property not disposed of by will, see inheritance and intestacy. In the strictest sense, "will" is a general term, while "testament" applies only to dispositions of personal property (this distinction is seldom observed). A will is also used as the instrument in a trust.

Terminology used in Wills
* A bequest is a gift in the form of a stated amount of money.
* A codicil is an amendment to a will.
* A demonstrative legacy is a gift from a specific bank account, or a specified set of savings bonds, stock certificates, or other bonds.
* A devise is special gift of real property in a will.
* A devisee is a person who receives a devise.
* Intestate means without a will; this is often seen in the phrase "to die intestate".
* A legacy is a gift.
* A legatee is a person who receives a legacy.
* Testate means with a will.
* The testator is a person who executes a will; that is, the person whose will it is.


Any person over the age of majority can draft their own will without the aid of an attorney. Additional requirements may vary, depending on the jurisdiction, but every will must contain the following:

* The testator must clearly identify himself as the maker of the will, and that a will is being made; this is commonly called "publication" of the will, and is typically satisfied by the words "last will and testament" on the face of the document.

* The testator must declare that he revokes all previously-made wills and codicils. Otherwise, a subsequently-made will revokes earlier wills and codicils only to the extent that they are inconsistent. However, if a subsequent will is completely inconsistent with an earlier one, that earlier will be considered completely revoked by implication.

* The testator must demonstrate that he has the capacity to dispose of his property, and does so freely and willingly.

* The testator must sign and date the will, usually in the presence of at least two disinterested witnesses (persons who are not beneficiaries). In some jurisdictions, for example Kentucky,[1] the spouse of a beneficiary is also considered an interested witness. In the USA, Pennsylvania is the only state which does not require the signing of the will be witnessed.

* The testator's signature must be placed at the end of the will. If this is not observed, any text following the signature will be ignored, or the entire will may be invalidated if what comes after the signature is so material that ignoring it would defeat the testator's intentions.

After the testator has died, a probate proceeding may be initiated in court to determine the validity of the will, i.e., whether it satisfied the legal requirements, and to appoint an executor. If the will is ruled invalid in probate, then inheritance will occur under the laws of intestacy as if a will were never drafted.

Although there is no legal requirement that a will be drawn up by a lawyer, there are many pitfalls into which home-made wills may fall, and it is highly desirable that any will is the subject of legal advice before drafting or execution. The person who makes a will is not available to explain him or herself, or to correct any technical deficiency or error in expression, when it comes into effect on that person's death, and so there is no room for mistake.

A very common error (for example) in the execution of home-made wills in England is to use a beneficiary (typically a spouse or other close family members) as a witness, although this has the effect in law of disinheriting the witness regardless of the provisions of the will.

Some states recognize a holographic will, made out entirely in the testator's own hand. A minority of states even recognize the validity of nuncupative wills. In England, the formalities of wills are relaxed for soldiers who express their wishes on active service.

A will may not include a requirement that an heir commit an illegal, immoral, or other act against public policy as a condition of receipt. In community property jurisdictions, a will cannot be used to disinherit a surviving spouse, who is entitled to at least a portion of the testator's estate. In England, a will may disinherit a spouse, but close relations excluded from a will (including but not limited to spouses) may apply to the court for provision to be made for them in the court's discretion.

It is not only a good idea but also essential that the testator give his executor the power to pay debts, taxes, and administration expenses (probate, etc.). Warren Burger's will did not contain this, which wound up costing his estate thousands. This is not a consideration in English law, which provides that all such expenses will fall on the estate in any case.