Genealogy Chat

Quite often I go onto the 'Trying to Find' board to see if there is anyone that I can help, but recently there has been persons posting about a dozen messages at a time for information that quite frankly I can't see why they cannot get their brains in gear and rummage for this information themselves. It's not just asking for help to find so and so, but they are asking for birth/marriage/death's when's and where's not giving any inclination of where we are suppose to be looking or any help on the when's for that matter. Do these people know what the words family research means, obviously not. I suspect it's the initiative that's missing - if not and it's due to pure laziness and idleness please note - not everything is dished up on a plate. Do what the rest of us do and get dirty from digging for information - and yes I do ask fellow diggers for information after first searching all avenues myself - it's called asking for help not free loading. Sorry chaps, the steam has now ceased coming out of my ears. have a good weekend Linda

Lin I hope you feel better now you've got that off your chest! I think some people GENUINELY have no idea how time-consuming and expensive family research is, and that what they are asking for is impossible. On the other hand, I do get cross when queries are posted with no please or thank you and with the implication that the poster is doing us a favour! nell

It would help if GR got this site properly sorted so the homepage has a HUGE GETTING STARTED BUTTON IN THE FRONT so that people can get basic info about how to find certificates etc upfront. Its such a waste of everyone's time when about half the queries posted could be answered by looking at the info GR have on the site, except that people don't know its there. Yes, I HAVE told GR about this, several times, and yes I did mention it on the recent questionnaire!!!! nell

I must confess that I too get a bit cross when I see a request for something which is easy to lookup. So I will reply with a 'Have you tried such and such a site?' Similarly I see a lot of requests like 'Where is this place?' Have they never heard of an Atlas?

Or if they have no books in the house, you can google for lots of things - medical conditions/geographical places/registration districts/surname origins. In fact, its amazing what you can find when you google - I found my dad's name on a site listing employees of London Transport I found information about a court case involving my gt gt gt grandfather in 1819 I found my great-uncle-s name in a list of licencees of a pub in Suffolk and lots more. nell

I love these threads for getting things off our chests!! I need to add to them about once a week to keep sane!! I too saw someone with six threads on page one of Record Office Board a few days ago. Each one was asking for full BMD's for part of all their 20th C family. Most of the replies said ''sorry there was no B/M/D of Jo Bloggs in the years you stated, nor the two years either side'' I bet if you added up the cost of all the lookups it would have come to the £5 minimum for 1837online!!! Maybe I could post this: ''SARAH JANE BURCHILL born 29/9/1964 Please could you do my tree?'' That should be OK!! MMM

Lin, I must say I agree with your comments. We all get stuck from time to time; but I would always try every avenue before appealing for help. Some people don't seem to realise what the internet can do for them. Maybe owning a computer with internet access should be like owning a car and you ought to take a test before you can use one!!! (Tee-Hee). I think people on GR are very helpful and commendable offering to do these look ups - especially in light of the way some users word their queries. Lin, hope you feel better for your rant and know that people can see where you are coming from!

Mind you, although I enjoy a good whinge, I also have sympathy with those who say this will put newbies off asking. Though I think in fairness the newbies who are concerned are the ones who try to find things out themselves, not the ones who can't be fagged. MMM I don't mind doing your tree if you don't mind me making it up! I'll give you some great grandfathers called John, William and Thomas and they can marry Mary, Susan and Jane. Then all you have to do is keep interchanging the names and dates going back, until you reach William the conqueror who is your great x lots grandfather - but I am sorry to have to tell you that he is illegitimate. nell

Nell, Doh, I am horrified to know that my Greatxlots-grandfather, William the Conquerer, was illegitimate!!! Was there a bastardy order? I'm not paying you until you have found it!! MMM

MMM Sadly any papers relating to the bastardy order appear to have been weaved into the Bayeux tapestry and a transcriber has embroidered over the top of them. I'm afraid the pencilled scribble in the margins of the Domesday Book have not proved to be in William's handwriting. Of course, William being from Normandy, he was originally a Viking, so you might need to plan a trip to Oslo Records office to check back there. On the plus side, this does mean that you are entitled to a grace and favour appartment at Hampton court, subject to producing william's birth certificate. nell

nell, Thanks for the info about embroidering over the records......I do think the National Archives should take more care.... how am I supposed to get my tree if they don't keep the archive stored correctly? Sorry I was a long time getting back - I have put up a request on Record Office board asking for someone to get me the GRO ref for W the C's birth cert, then I will ask someone to buy the cert for me, coz it's cheaper for me if someone else does it! I'm afraid I cannot go to the Oslo Record Office, as this would require me to be away from home for more than 24 hours which may cause GR to terminate my membership (see thread ''Chastised by GR'') Thanks anyway for your help (Oh, probably not supposed to thank, am I??) MMM