Genealogy Chat

So It's not just me then?? Dea x

Just had an email from those very friendly people at these archives and they have said that in the next few weeks they will be offering a search service for £30 - email them if you are interested for the forms.

WELL, You all seem to have had more luck than me - I sent them a mail about some of my ancestors who I have found running a Post Office. They had just e-mailed me back saying : The BPMA does not usually offer a research service, however, starting on Monday next week (13th February), we will be piloting a new family history research service. This service will offer you the chance to have specific groups of records searched for reference to your ancestor. The records we will offer to search are the pensions and gratuities records for a period of 10 years (5 years either side of your ancestors expected date of retirement), and appointment records for 10 years (provided we have an estimated date of appointment to work from). This will be approximately 2 hours work, and there will be a £30.00 charge for this service. If you are interested in making use of this service, please contact us again on Monday, and we will send you full details and an order form. They did wish me luck with my search but I was a little disappointed - I expect they must have received lots of requests ?? I'm not sure I can justify ANOTHER £30, especially when I also have others. Mind you, I will probably put it off for a while and then end up sending for it. - Expensive hobby this Genealogy ! Dea

Actually its my birthday next month and I have just bought two tickets for the price of one (let me know if you want the addy) to a theatre in London. Now Im meeting son, whose birthday has just gone so that will be his present and he is taking me to an Italian restaurant as my present (thrifty people us Horstead-Martins) but I think that the museum of postal workers may be near Covent Garden? I cant get on the site at the mo for some reason. So in between illegally scattering my dear dads ashes in the Dockland Thames and going to the theatre I reckon there may be time to suss out that place. By the way guys if you are travelling to London up to end of May you can get two for the price of one entry tickets for just about all the sights in London.

ooh! thanks Heather, will have to have a look at that site. xx Jen

How lovely, no dirty looks if I unroll a film across the floor then, as is my wont?

Heather..... the place has not long been renovated. The staff are very helpful indeed. They went out of their way to bring up the original documents for me and photocopied them. They even gave me a tissue to wipe away my happy tears ... LOL

Im not very good at records offices but I may have a go at this one as they seemed very friendly and helpful in their email. They said they could also supply photos etc of uniforms and badges and the time my chap was first a letter carrier and then a letter sorter from about 1850.

Heather, Sang their praises on here over a year ago. It's good to have a reminder. It is a wonderful place. Went there in desperation when couldn't find grandad. Knew he worked at Mount Pleasant and died whilst in their employ. Lo and behold Grandma was awarded a gratuity payment. This form gave his date of birth and more imporantly stated he was in receipt of an Army Pension...... raced off to Kew and found his Army Records.... another brick wall down., If anyone has postal workers in their tree it is well worth a visit. Jean x.

I just had a very comprehensive email from the Postal Workers museum/archives which may be of interest to some of you. Apparently the Post Office started giving pensions to all grades from 1859 and so it is likely if your person retired after that date they will have his pension records at the archives. I didnt realise they were so benevolent or organised at that time, makes it clearer how my ancestors widow could live 'of own means' in 1871. See their web page www.postalheritage.org.uk