Genealogy Chat

Victoria said it all as far as my circumstances. I am in the US and the cost of travel, or having the time to go through the research if I could get there just wouldn't be feasable for me. I and my parents emigrated when I was a young child so anything I want to research is in the UK. I gave up over twenty years ago because I could go no further. This site and Ancestry has helped me trace additional generations and same generation family members that would have been impossible. As I am not a taxpayer in the UK, and wouldn't bear the cost of the digitizing, etc., I feel ackward even expressing my disappointment, but was looking forward to finding more recent family additions. I am however, very grateful for what IS on line and hope to see more as the individual county volunteer projects make parish records more accessable. I just hope they get to the ones that I need sometime in the near future. Denise

nudge

Hello Michael Don't talk to me about the 'Neanders'. They lived next to us when we had the Beaker Pottery Business and a very thick headed lot they were, nasty eating habits, walking all over fresh mud, not cleaning up after themselves. You know the type. We had to sort them out they were nothing but trouble. But I digress. Thank you for your help. I am off to Wilshire to see if the stone mason side of the family left any records. Bob

Don't worry Rebekah.....he is enjoying himself......... What library is it you visit Gary?? Merry

Calm down Gary, sweetheart..........

Bob, I think I might have - was that the one whose father Ug came from the Neander area?

Oh Nell - Does this mean I might be foreign! Heaven forfend that I should be a mongrel like all those with Angle, Jute, Saxon, Roman, Danish, Norman etc, etc blood. I thought I was ok. What will the D**** M*** say about me now. By the way thanks for the info about Gogmagog it is not the right one but his uncle. Cheers Bob

Robert Just because you found a fossil doesn't mean it originated at the seaside. It could easily have been washed there from another continent. This is what makes family history so interesting! I think Gog married Magog and they settled in Cambridgeshire, if that's any help to you. nell

Gary, I think you said you had a friend who paid......£25......(can't remember exactly) to get a page of the 1901 census before 2001................ What I was trying to establish is, if you get a page from the 1911 census now (because the powers that be grant you permission etc) then what do you get?? Has anyone ever been told their rellies page is missing/eaten by mice/maggots etc?? Merry

Hello Some researchers who use the Record Offices have it easy! I have now gone so far back that I now have to search the fossils along the Jurrasic Coast of Dorset. It is cold, wet and dangerous and not very productive in family history terms but at least I can claim to be a Real family historian. I am not stuck in the age of quill or computer. Real stone for me is the only research tool. By the way - has anyone got a hot match for Og son of Gog? Cheers Bob

Alan Suggest you read Nell's post properly - nowhere does it say there are 36 million pieces of paper. There are records of 36 million individuals which is entirely different. The MP refers to 'many thousands' of pieces of paper. The problem with offering this for sale to a commercial company like Ancestry is that they only want to buy it when it has been transcribed or digitised - they do not want to do the work! Kew holds millions of records, many of which are of great use to the Family Historian. They are not available on line and I cannot see the difference in awkwardness of access between say Military Records and the 1911 census. The costs of accessing them by a personal trip is exactly the same. I agree with Gary - Genes IS a lightweight site for serious family history research EXCEPT for the incredibly selfless help and information so freely given by other members. For that fact alone it is worth the sub. I do my serious research elsewhere, that is in Records Offices etc, and I dont know of any other site which provides that sort of information anyway (reliably, that is). Olde Crone

Nell i am doing this too, and iam aware and sorry you are in the situation you are in, not aimed at you.

Gary Good for you, I'm glad you can afford certs. Some of us are not choosing between having fags/bottles of cider or certs, we are choosing between paying the mortgage, feeding and clothing the children and certs. nell

Now remind me Merry, i don't remember this rant as i have had so Many, i remember stating it is illegal to send images and how crap that the new look ups members now do, pasted from ancestry, again copy and past from another website is illegal, and if i had any thing to do with the 1911, i would look at all the tight arse people on here, that see everything as a total rip off, without any reasoning for cost of Wages/Pensions/ Rent etc, i have stated many times i buy 10 to 20 certs a month, and people are amazed, but this is no more than 20 fags a day for a month, i have never come across a more poor selection of people trying to get involved in a very expensive hobby, or is it compared to having nevered had a weeks holiday in 20 years, i would gladly pay £1000 a year sub to see the 1911 census, restricted to no look ups and i would give up 3 nights a week in the pub for it, where i have just come from after 5 bottles of cider at £2.50 a bottle, thats money i could have spent on certs, but when i talk to people who have been at this years in my local libary, about this site they all say its Mickey Mouse LOL

Regarding getting access NOW to 1911 the letter I received said '...since the beginning of January 2005 it [The Nat Archives] has received a number of requests from members of the public to have access to information contained in these returns. These requests are treated on a case by case basis, in consultation with ONS as the transferring department. It has been determined that all requests received so far should be denied as they are covered by S.41 of the FOI [Freedom of Information] Act relating to information provided in confidence'. nell

As Gary Betts is fond of reminding us, at great expense it is possible (or was) to access a particular record of the census in advance of the release date, if you knew the address and could provide sufficient info about the people living there and had a GOOD REASON for them to show it to you .............. Now, have people done this for any record from the 1911 census, or was if only before 2001 and before 1991 that you could do this for the 1901 and 1891 census records (etc)?? If anyone HAS done this for the 1911 census, what did they receive?? Merry

I agree with Mhairi, I have 3 young children and cant get down to London. I cant drive and funds don't allow it at the minute - but I still don't think Im an 'armchair researcher'.

Victoria I agree with you. I am very grateful for everything I can get online or from my LDS Centre and I can't wait for the FULL 1841 on Ancestry! (I have partial access through British Origins). I live in the UK and not 60 miles away from Kew but it may as well be 4000 given the costs I would incur to have a day researching a Kew!......But how I wish I could :))) Chris

Well, we should be darned grateful for what we already have I reckon!! And we have the 1841 census to look forward to. As someone who used to have to rely on microfische at the LDS library (I am in Australia), I am daily grateful for what is available on line - it's like dying and going to heaven. As for the 1911 census - maybe we should all start sending money to the Government to be ear-marked for the project. I would imagine they would be obliged to return it until/unless it was approved and the sheer hassle of doing that...... LOL. With the best will in the world travelling to Kew is not one of MY options - and I would imagine would be out of the reach of quite a few people, especially if accommodation had to be factored in. It makes us no more or less dedicated to family history research - just geographically and/or financially challenged. Victoria

As I have suggested in previous threads. I have a reccuring nightmare..... The 1911 is released. Those of us 'obsessed' will be lead to the storage facility. We will be told the search fees are ?? for each 1hr, Half day, Full Day. We pay our money...Are handed cotton gloves (additional fee £5 plus and no admittance without them) We enter to be faced by a warehouse of non indexed, mouse eaten, water damaged 'and worse' records. The Providers strut off counting the cash.......And know we will be back again to pay more fees as it is unlikely we would have been lucky searching first time round lol Chris :))))