Genealogy Chat

Hi Ben, Peter and Esta, Thank you for your replies. The period I am interested in is 1790-1820. All I have to go on is a birth from a census in the Strand. But your advice will be helpful. Esta, if there is something you particularly want looked up and I have some spare time let me know and I will have a look if I get to grips with whats available but not promising anything. My husband goes to London every day and missed the nasty bomb by half an hour so am nervous myself about travelling. Georgina

Georgina, How jealous I'm I that you are going to Westminster Archives. Like you I can't get to London very often and the last time I tried to get to Westminster Archives I got caught up in all the terrible events of 7th July. Hope to get there this side of Christmas but........ I hope you have fun nexst Tuesday and find what you are after. Esta x

Hi, Georgina, The staff at Westminster are very helpful. When you arrive, you will need to press the buzzer to gain entry. As this will be your first visit, you will be asked to fill out a very simple questionaire at ground-floor reception before you take the lift to the archives floor. There are loos and lockers on the ground floor - if you are in doubt about what you can take upstairs, just check with the receptionist. The archives floor is not huge but on my first visit I asked a member of the staff to show me where the fiche and flim readers were and where the films were kept; the location of the indexes to the Parish Registers and Censuses was not at all obvious at first glance. The film readers are very basic....no motorised drives here. They have: Parish Registers (some St Maylebone are at the LMA - particularly the ones I need) Registers of Electors (again some are at the LMA) Local Censuses from 1841 to 1901 GRO Index from 1837 to 1985 National Burial Index on CD-rom If you are limited on time just feel free to tell the staff what you are trying to find and I'm sure they will try their best to help you. Happy hunting on Tuesday. Peter.

Hi Georgina What period are you interested in? I have been to Westminster Archives to research my Soho ancestors quite a few times, and the centre has the 1841-1901 Westminster censuses, all, or all major Westminster church parish registers, baptisms, marriages and burials, plus quite a few rate books and deposited records, i.e school registers etc. The records and indexed in books near the microfilm machines, including the census street indexes, and microfilm numbers are in the indexes, and the microfilms themselves are in grey filing cabinets next to the microfilm reading area. The staff are pretty helpful, but the number of them is sparse. I can put names to a few of their faces. Sometimes you have to wait an the Enquiries desk, or wait for assistance about 5 minutes though. Is there any other advice you'd like regarding your first visit. Ben

I am going to the Westminster archives next Tuesday to try and research some ancestors around the Strand. Can anyone give me any tips which would help my first visit. My first visit to the London Metropolitan Archives was a nightmare as I spent so much time trying to find my way around and the staff were not particularly helpful. I cannot get to London very often and so would like to make this visit as fruitful as possible. Georgina