Genealogy Chat

Thanks Brenda! I'll have a look and see what I can find. Natalie

Hi Brenda, This all sounds great. Have pencilled in 5th March now we just have to have a time and exactly where we are going to meet. Sounds really good. Christine

The restaurant at Kew opens at 9am and the search rooms at 9.30am. I travel by public transport and can usually get there by 9am. The current list of people who would like to meet up on 5th March are: Chris from NZ Fi and Angel Helen Little Nell June (if she can make it) Karen Hall Louise R Margaret of Epsom Natalie Patricia Cheeseman The meet up point will be immediately on your right in the entrance hall. You go through the green revolving doors, have your bags checked by security, then turn through 180 degrees. Over the next few days, would you all post to this thread with an indication of how early you can reasonably get to Kew. I believe there is ample parking in the car park and it is a well-signposted five minute walk from Kew Gardens station. The National Rail website only has details of engineering work up to the end of February. I will firm up times once I am sure that I can get there at least as early as the earliest of you! B

nudge for Sunday morning

Brenda I might not make it for 9 am, as I have to change trains twice, but will do my best! Natalie

Hi Patricia Once you get to Richmond, the tubes are about every five or ten minutes. There's usually one waiting on the platform. It's just one stop to Kew Gardens. You go through the underpass and then it's a five to ten minute walk.

Brenda On my only visit to Kew it took me 2 hours, though admittedly that was because I had taken the wrong tube train - doh! If you find a time that suits others I will fit in with it - obviously the earlier we get there the more time we have. nell

I would like to join you at Kew. I believe I can make both the 19th Feb and 5 March. Please put my name down. Fi

Hi Nell It would be really good to actually meet up! I think several people might find it difficult to get to Kew before 9.30am. If I'm shattered by the journey, it takes the edge off the day. We'll see what other people think. Fi I'm adding your name to the list.

Hi Brenda Would be interested, but cant do the 5th. If there is another trip let me know please

If anyone's travelling from the Heathrow area I am happy to do a pickup and drop off as I will probably drive. Karen

Hi Alison I know several people would like to come but can't make the 5th. If this is successful, I'll see if I can organise another meet up in the summer.

Just to let everyone know, I will be contacting each of you with basic details over the next two or three days.

1. Please let me know what time meet up would best suit you: a. 9am for 9.30am start b. 9.30 am for 10.00am start c. 10am for 10.30am start There don’t appear to be any rail problems in the Kew area on 5th March, thank goodness, so we are limited only by the length of journey some people have to make. I will go with the decision of the majority on this. 2. There are New reader orientation tours. Quoting from the website: “When you register, you will be offered a tour to help you get the best out of your day. The tours run once a day at 14:15. Please book at reception if you are interested in attending.” I can’t unfortunately organise this as a group session as another group is booked for the day. 3. There are also “behind the scenes” tours. These last approximately two hours, running at 11am and 2pm. It is fascinating to see how Kew works, but this may cover more than you are interested in at present. 4. if you have not already done so, do visit the National Archives website at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk. There is a lot of helpful information there, particularly about planning a visit. 5. Would you let me know whether you will want to look at microfilm, or order documents or do both. These are the major points. Please get back to me on items 1 and 5 asap. Brenda

Hi Brenda I am not sure what time yet . but will let you know in a day or two.

Hi Brenda If you arrange another one in the summer I'd love to come. It's a major trip from here but would certainly make the effort after seeing Ernest's records! Lou

Hi Jenny, you do realise that I will be absolutely shattered by the end of that Saturday!! I'll do my best, but it might be a bit brief! Lou it would be really great if you could come down. I'm not planning beyond the 5th at the moment, just in case this is an absolute disaster! but if it does work I'm certainly game for a repeat performance. B

The majority of you would like as early a start as possible so the meetup time is 9am for 9.30am If anyone will find this time impossibly late, don’t worry. If you give me a time, I will make sure I am back in the entrance hall to meet you. Several of you already have readers tickets for the National Archives. Processing new tickets probably doesn’t take much more than five minutes, it just depends how busy reception is. I will print off sticky labels so that we may recognise each other during the day. I have also set up an album on the photopage. I am extremely reluctant to add to it as in the only recent photo of myself that I possess I am wearing a pink pointed hat and am enjoying myself rather too well! But if the consensus is that you’d like to see what I look like and add your own photos, then I’ll relent. We are interested in a wide range of records. If you want to look at original documents, please don’t wear anything that will suffer. The older the document, the dirtier it is. Your hands can get absolutely black. I will make myself available in the microfilm room during the morning. It shouldn’t matter if we talk there. The actual reading rooms are areas where we should respect others’ desire for quiet. Records cannot be ordered between 12.00 and 1.30pm, although you can collect them at any time during the day. We can meet up for lunch at 12.30 to discuss how we’re getting on. You can get cooked meals, salads and sandwiches, or bring your own meal. There are all sorts of drinks and a water cooler. There are several sites that you can browse free of charge, like Times Online and hopefully some of the censuses on Ancestry. You can download medalcards and pcc wills for free, only paying if you want to make copies. Bags cannot be taken beyond the barrier, but the lockers are quite large. Be prepared by the way, to have your bag searched when you arrive. It is sensible to take as little as possible with you into the reading rooms as there is not a great deal of space, particularly between microfilm readers. When I have contacted all of you, I will put this on the thread. Looking forwards to meeting you on the 5th Brenda

Brenda, Just to let you that know I'm going to join you. Never been before and really looking foward to it. I will be one of the really divvy looking folk hanging around at 9.30am. Louise

Hi Louise I've added your name to the list. Vivienne If you can come down in the summer, it would be great. I'm just praying that all the snow will have disappeared by the 5th! There ought to be less hassle around a summer trip. B