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ElizabethHerts
15-07-10, 16:46
I have just had an e-mail from Findmypast:

"From today there is a significant change in how you can access our birth records. You can now search fully indexed birth records for 1837 to 2006 on findmypast.co.uk

We're confident that these records will vastly improve your experience of researching your family history. Viewing each result will cost five credits. You can still browse the originals and check the transcriptions against the improved greyscale images. To view each result will cost one credit.

Fully indexing the birth records involved rescanning 170 years of records and transcribing the quarter of a billion names within them. Over 1,000 people have worked on this exciting two-year project. "

Margaret in Burton
15-07-10, 16:51
I've just had a look at this, you can't search by registration district only the county. If you are certain of the district that is very annoying.
The one thing it has over Ancestry is that it is 1837 to 2006 whereas Ancestry are 1837 to 1915 and the 1916 to 2005, so you don't have to change screens.
I think I still prefer Ancestry but of course it does depend on how many mistranscriptions (or not).

Margaret in Burton
15-07-10, 16:57
Ooh I'm wrong.

registration districts are part of the advanced search.

Apologises to FMP

ElizabethHerts
15-07-10, 17:07
It's very slow at present - I reckon everyone is trying it out.

Rachel
15-07-10, 17:10
RUDE WORDS
My sub ran out on 11th ~ so now I'm without that AND Ancestry

Margaret in Burton
15-07-10, 17:20
Yes it's grinding to a halt, just like when they gave freebies out during England matches.

kiterunner
15-07-10, 17:52
The one thing it has over Ancestry is that it is 1837 to 2006 whereas Ancestry are 1837 to 1915 and the 1916 to 2005, so you don't have to change screens.


To be fair, the reason ancestry have it like that is because their 1837 to 1915 database is a copy of FreeBMD's and is free to everyone whether they have a paid sub or not.

Off to have a try of findmypast's...

kiterunner
15-07-10, 17:59
Hmm, is it just me, or is there no way to select the quarter? I'm impressed that Jennet comes up as a variant of Janet.

Margaret in Burton
15-07-10, 18:36
Is it on advanced search?

I like the variable name stuff, FMP is like that for census as well.

I know Ancestry is split because of the FreeBMD thing but it is annoying.


No, look like you can't search by quarter

Margaret in Burton
15-07-10, 18:39
Using ctrl to search multiple counties or districts is good, can't do that on Ancestry.

Phoenix
15-07-10, 19:00
But now I want the marriages & deaths as well!
Best schoolfriend's parents had nice unusual names, and I'm nosy!

kiterunner
15-07-10, 19:20
They're meant to be on the way soon, Phoenix (though of course they're on ancestry already). Also marriages from 1930 onwards are on The Genealogist, apparently.

kiterunner
15-07-10, 20:22
Oh dear, I hate to say this, because I was so impressed by the standard of transcription on the ones I'd looked at so far, but I can see a big problem for when you're trying to solve one of those difficult problems - "Please enter a last name".
Not going to be very useful if you're searching using first name only!

Margaret in Burton
15-07-10, 20:29
Oh dear, I hate to say this, because I was so impressed by the standard of transcription on the ones I'd looked at so far, but I can see a big problem for when you're trying to solve one of those difficult problems - "Please enter a last name".
Not going to be very useful if you're searching using first name only!


Mmmm

That's where Ancestry wins then. Have you tried wild cards? I wonder if it excepts them.

Margaret in Burton
15-07-10, 20:31
Yes it accepts wild card as long as you don't have the variants ticked.

kiterunner
15-07-10, 22:53
Ah, so you can go "round the houses" then, like on the 1911 census search, trying A*, B*, and so on all the way through the alphabet, for the surname.