Catholic Parish Registers - findmypast

[kiterunner]

Will add links in a minute...

[kiterunner]

Westminster Roman Catholic Census 1893 (http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/westminster-roman-catholic-census-1893)
Westminster and Birmingham Roman Catholic Baptisms (http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/england-roman-catholic-parish-baptisms)
Westminster and Birmingham Roman Catholic Burials (http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/england-roman-catholic-parish-burials)
Westminster and Birmingham Roman Catholic Marriages (http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/england-roman-catholic-parish-marriages)
Westminster and Birmingham Roman Catholic Congregational Records (http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/england-roman-catholic-parish-congregational-records)

[Mary from Italy]

Ooh, excellent.

I used to be very prejudiced against FMP because I hated their search interface, but I've been using it a lot recently, especially for the new Leicestershire records, and it has the enormous advantage over Ancestry that you can use any wildcard search you like: for example you can search for a person called A* N* or S*l*n*g* or whatever.

I've made more progress with my numerous Leics lines since the new records came out a couple of weeks ago than in the last 10 years, despite often visiting the record office, buying wills and ordering films from the local Family Search Centre. The key factor in the progress I've made is the online wills, which unfortunately aren't in the Birmingham and Westminster release.

[NickiP]

Ooh, excellent.

I used to be very prejudiced against FMP because I hated their search interface, but I've been using it a lot recently, especially for the new Leicestershire records, and it has the enormous advantage over Ancestry that you can use any wildcard search you like: for example you can search for a person called A* N* or S*l*n*g* or whatever.


You can use wildcard searches on Ancestry such as a*l*m*, as long as there are a minimum of three letters used, it will work as I've been using it a lot recently because of errors in their indexing.

[Mary from Italy]

Yes I know; their rules have improved a bit, but it's still not as flexible as FMP.

This is what they say:

When searching with wild cards, at least the first or last character must not be a wild card, and all searches containing wild cards must contain at least three non-wild card letters

The other thing that FMP does better is that you can sort by columns, which you can't with Ancestry.

If FMP could only sort out its main search interface (the ones for the individual records are fine) I could almost do without Ancestry.

[Ann from Sussex]

With some difficulty I have found the baptisms for my grandmother and her siblings in Westminster. The difficulty arose because I was entering their Christian names in their English form but the registers have them in Latin....a point which FMP doesn't seem able to recognise even with the name variant box ticked. I found them in the end by just putting in the surname and years of birth. Others might find that a useful tip.

However, I am absolutely delighted to get these records because I was once told that the only way would be to ask the permission of the Westminster Diocese and that it was unlikely to be given just for family history purposes.

[kiterunner]

Some more Westminster records have been added.

[kiterunner]

The Diocese of Middlesbrough has been added.

Think they should have proof-read their announcement, which says that The new additions cover 36 parishes across the county - er, what county?!

[kiterunner]

They have added lots more Scottish records.

[kiterunner]

Liverpool has been added.

[kiterunner]

The Archdiocese of Southwark has been added.

[kiterunner]

Hmm, I was about to post that they have just added Southwark, but I see that my previous post said the same thing. I suppose they have just added some more Southwark records.