Genealogy Chat

hi i have been speaking to a colleague today who has a bundle of unregistered deeds that now have to go off for registration. he did say that the client actually wants the old deeds to this packet but he is going to let me know in the future if anybody does not want their old deeds - looks like i'll have to build a store. Heather

thanks h

There is usually a "stitch" operation on the software that comes with the scanner. With that you can scan the A3 (or pre-metrication equivalent!) sheet in two halves and then stitch them together. Once you get used to the software you can scan them quite quickly. If you are scanning documents or pictures, keep the resolution high as possible. Keep a copy of the high resolution scan safe on a CD-ROM or elsewhere. Martin

thanks stuart - may take you up on that heather

Technical help on offer <g>

Jane sounds good - how do we go about it - the ones i have are in my loft in a suitcase - i will get them down and list them in word and i am then quite happy to email the list to anyone who is interested. i will post on here tonight\tomorrow the districts\towns the deeds relate to. Heather Bournemouth DOR

I am amazed that valuable historical documents like this are being destroyed - we should get something organized to save and share these documents. I'll set it up and co-ordinate if others will lend tech and other assistance.

Malcolm its not the fault of the Law Society - it started with the lenders back in 1986ish when they decided that it was not necessary to keep documents of title once a property has been registered - purely the fault of the lenders - back then we were told to send them to i think some historical society in chelse (can;t quite remember) but the time element for this sort of ruled it out, the alternative was to send it to the clients which is what we did unless they said they didn't want them when they were binned (or rescued by people like me) i still work (or am supposed to be) in law and have asked a colleague who deals in conveyancing what happens these days and she said she always sends them to the clients - who unfortunatley probably don't understand what they have and bin them... what can we do - she said one building society will have nothing but the Land\Charge Cert and the most recent searches. Heather Bournemouth DOR

Brian Thanks, i should've thought of that - too many senior\blonde moments - i will bring them into work and see if they will copy. cheers heather Bournemouth DOR

Heather It's a bit round-about, I know, but you can always reduce oversize documents on a photocopier to A4 and then scan the copy.

hi i have the scanner but think i have been "scared" of using it. now i have a reason to start using it. although most the old documents that i have are on the old brief size paper (for all you young 'uns out there thats larger than A3) so won't fit and they are all handwritten, but i am happy to give details of them if anyone is interested. i did notice in my PFH mag that they copied a 1970's typewritten one - unfortunately i had the opportunity to have those too and declined i just took the handwritten waxy paper ones. Doh!! although hindsight is a good thing. Heather Bournemouth

You could always go into partnership together

Scaning is as simple as photocopying. Most scanners have walk through guides in the software that comes with them but some old documents need an OCR(optical charecter recognition program) to read properly or a high resolution scanner to get enough detail. Anyone interested in scanning old documents, try your library,some have facilities but the coverage over the UK is patchy

The idea of a website to handle the exchange copies of such documents is a good one. Not hard to setup and certainly worthwhile something I wouldn't mind doing if I had the time. My mind though racing ahead of itself sees the possibility though of turning it into a real venture, actively approaching institutions with an offer to take old documents off their hands, indexing them online and then sending copies to interested parties. Saving all those precious documents!! I imagine someone is writing this all down at the moment and is about to race off and start their new buisness. <g> I wish them luck though, whilst I could easily handle the website and programming the rest would be a full time job with real investment cost issues.

Sorry Heather not sure how to do it myself but I'm sure there must be a wizz kid on the site WHO KNOWS. Chris

hi how do you copy documents onto cd's - i assume you have to scan etc etc - i haven't mastered scanning although i have had the thing for 4 years!! can i take them somewhere to be done? heather in a stll sunny bournemouth

What about copying them on to a c.d Chris

I work in a Bank an unfortunately we too are asked to destroy the old deeds by customers. Some of them are so beautifully written, it's such a shame to see them wasted. I always feel as if I'm throwing away history.

James i could do that, i will try and find a local one to me. Malcolm me set up a web site..knowing my luck i would crash the entire internet.. but as to what happens to the old docs now once a property is registered is that they get sent back to the solicitors who then put them back in the deed packet and send to them to the mortgagee\client - the mortgage lenders do not want old deeds and documents cluttering up their archives and they tend to ask us to send them to clients, who then don't want them and bin them (which is why i have some)- i have two in my office hanging on the wall at the moment Indenture dated 29th September 1917 between Alfred David Beynon and the Reve Thomas Russell and Margaret Clay Russell for a property in Bourenmouth Indenture dated 31st Decembe 1889 between Alfred Beynon and Benjamin Yerbury for another property in bournemouth heather

Could you offer the documents to the Society of Genealogists or some other body? Jim, Gosport.