Genealogy Chat

Can anyone help?If there are records ie marriages and christenings on this site does it mean someone has put thier own relatives details on the site or are people transcribing unlinked records?

C&P from Lostcousins May newsletter. Prior to Civil Regn in 1837, parish registers are the primary source of information for family historians, and most of the British entries on the IGI have been systematically transcribed from parish registers (or in some cases from early transcripts of the registers). These entries are usually highly accurate, though there are inevitably occasional errors, but you need to be extremely wary of those IGI entries that have been submitted by individuals. Indeed, when no precise date or church is quoted you may do well to ignore the entry altogether, since it could be downright misleading. It's always advisable to check the original register entries whenever you can, not least because they often contain information that isn't in the index. For example, baptism entries from 1813 onwards show both where the family was living and the father's occupation, whilst marriage entries from 1754 show the names of the witnesses - all items of information not included in the IGI. There may also be clues to the identity of the father of an illegitimate child. Most records offices offer a research service and will (for a fee) look up the original entry and send you a photocopy. If the records for the parishes in which your ancestors lived are amongst those that have been systematically transcribed, then searching the IGI is far quicker than trying to decipher the handwritten registers or microfiche copies. Indeed, if you are lucky enough to be able to visit the records office for the area you're researching, it's invariably better to spend your limited time there searching the records of parishes that aren't on the IGI, and looking in the registers for entries that you've previously found in the index.

Rebecca If it gives a Film Number under the entry, or says 'From a controlled extraction' then its a transcription of an actual record (and subject to the same errors as any other transcription) If it says 'Patron Submission' then an individual has asked for the entry to be put on the IGI. Patron Submissions can be anything from absolutely accurate down to pure fantasy. Both types need to be checked. Personally, I don't bother with the second sort! Marjorie

many thanks

When the Mormons first started they didn't have computer or even access to the church records. They ask relatives over here to given any information. This would have been logged on cards which once computer got going were transfered. As was said the ones with not exact date or place means they didn't find it. We had one for our gg grandfather who's brother went to Salt Lake in 1850 and it was his family who were doing our tree. It was the begining of the 1900's when they started as the granddaughter of the one who went to Salt Lake was working in the Geneo. Library helping to log everything. We do have copies of her letters and the replies. They had put down that our gg parents married 1844 and the parish, but I found their marriage in Bath 1841. Another one but mainly in the Christening is when they have relative ??, this means they think they are related but they didn't find the records, most of these have now been taken off as they right entry has been added now. Irene