Genealogy Chat

After all guys, this is the first day - ancestry are usually hot off the mark when there are corrections to be made and Ive no doubt as time passes in the next few weeks idiots like me will be able to find things easier.

Cor....it's kept me off this site for almost 24 hours!! Be careful.....I have searched about 100 years in total looking for various things (every one found!! LOL - Yes, showing off....I no longer care!!!!).....anyway....be careful.......apart fron some truly missing pages (eg where one image says page 30 at the top and the next says page 32 etc)..........there are also images indexed for the wrong year (eg some Q4 1960 marriages appearing again when you ask for Q1 1961)......... I am not complaining........just pointing out it's worth glancing at the typed blurb at the top of each page where it states what year and Q the page relates to, and that this is what you were asking for!! My money is on the OCR idea too............ Merry

Thank you very much, Rachel. I think I am getting the hang of it now. Bit like russian roulette, though, isn't it! Tina

Tina Ok - Ancestry-co-uk - search page Right hand side, England & Wakes BMD index Search the birth index images in exact search just put in the surname Rose (for example), QE Dec, 1943 then search. Ignore the first line as it's wrong click on the image on the second line. It takes you to image 43 of 54. You can then change the page number according to where in the alphabet the R surname is that you are looking for.

As I said earlier, there are some missing pages. Gwynne

OK, I accept that I am tired and frustrated and brewing a cold, so maybe I am doing it wrong. Can anyone tell me, in nice, simple terms such as a rather elderly tortoise might comprehend, how to find the births beginning with R in the December qtr of 1943. 'Cos for the life of me I can't do it and it's 'doin' me 'ead in'. Someone earlier in this thread said use the browse function instead of search. What browse function? Obviously I am missing something. Please someone help me before I crawl away and smother myself with the cat. Tina

Ok I will bring this thread to an end now, like I do on any other one!! lol I have spent hours on ancestry today and have found absolutely loads. Ok, it's got teething probs, mistranscriptions are the under statement, but come on guy's think lateral, unlateral anything...But just remember when 1901 came out it went coooput for a year, we are really lucky to have this handed to us on a plate, its free!!! I have been running Ancestry and Freebmd all day together and the amount of bmd's I have now got is going to make the GRO a fortune and me skint!!! lol Kim xx

I couldnt find myself by putting my name in but as some else said i used the navigation keys at the top, in particular page no searched through those pages and found myself. Ok it took a litlle time but as other people said it a lot cheaper than elsewhere with all the other benefits/resources Star

Hi Christine There are 16 pages of SMITHs in June Quarter of 1916 marriages Maybe you're doing something wrong Cheers Gina

Christine There are Smiths marriages QE Jun 1916, sometimes you just have to search for a slightly different name (beginning with the same letter) in order to get to the page yourself. If you search for Rymer for example you'll get results and can then go back a page to get to Rymen. There are a few missing pages though, annoying but hopefully that'll get fixed in due course.

It's a great new resource, but the transcribing beggars belief. Some basic logic should tell people that some names just could not be how they've been transcribed. There are also missing images... Do you believe that there are no marriages for anyone with a surname between RYVES and ZETTERSTEN in 1916 June quarter? Absolutely no SMITHs for instance? Christine PS - Just read Ann-from-Sussex's contribution. I bet it was done by OCR and not checked afterwards for any obvious glitches. That could explain a great deal!

It's funny isn't it, as soon as it came online the first thing that most people looked for was their own birth! Have fun searching, I know I am. Rachel

no wonder i cant find me!! lol i was telling a rellie that it isnt complete cos i wasnt on it . she mailed me with my details!! lol i felt a right liar:( rite,i will try again. thankyou for that info rachel,i didnt realise lol susie

Susie You do know that they haven't transcribed the indexes don't you? They've just (badly) transcribed the first & last names on each page and so when you search, your name won't come up on the results page but you should be able to find yourself if you look at the actual image. Apologies if you already know this! Rachel

i still cant find any of mine,including me!! i have tried every possible way but still zilch! a friend of mine has found me though ,so why cant i what am i doing wrong? lol susie

Ann Because of the transcription errors, you have to 'help' Ancestry. Try choosing other names that begin with Le to search, e.g Lee, Leeds and see if you get near the page with that. Otherwise just try searching for any name begining with an L and then wade though the pages til you get to the Le section.

Hi Kate, There are pages missing on the browse feature as well - for example Sep Q 1927 page 196 just isn't there. Gwynne

If you use the 'browse' facility rather than the 'search' one, don't you get all the pages for names starting with a particular letter? So that should prove whether or not a page is missing or just mis-indexed. If you get say 50 pages for a particular letter, it may take a few goes to get the right one but you should get there in the end... unless the pages are really missing rather than mis-indexed. Kate.

Well, I am trying to laugh, Carole, but it's not coming easily. I just went looking for a birth in 1943. I know the name and am only searching that year. Ancestry offered me 13 possible pages. I have looked at all of them. Only 2 cover the surname that I am looking for. I don't mean that it is rare and does not crop up - I mean that only 2 cover that range of the alphabet. And using the arrows to look at page before and page after does not work either as I am getting pages with RA.......... names coming immediately after pages with FE........ names, etc etc. I can't work out any logic to it. I have tried 3 totally different searches and have had the same result with all of them. Now, I accept that this is a bonus as it is included in our subscription (we hope!), but Ancestry are putting this forward as a reason to join the site. If I did my job to this standard, I would not last a week. I can forgive a few mistakes, but please don't tell me I have just 'happened' upon the only mistakes in the indexing. Personally, I think it is a pretty poor show. Tina

I've emailed ancestry about all the missing pages I've (not) found. I hope they add them quickly - no point in searching further when what you want could be on a missing page. Gwynne