Genealogy Chat

See below please

Now that I have got back pre 1837 on some families, I am onto the parish records. Apart from the IGI, there are other secondary sources around including cds and various regional websites. We all know that these secondary sources should be verified with the actual parich record. My question is Should copies of these be obtained from the Record Office, LDS film or whatever and put in our files, or is it good enough to just say that we have seen the original. Also, do parish records have reference numbers similar to the GRO index numbers, so that we have something to put in our source box.

Carol It's your tree, so it's up to you what checks you make. I would always want to see the original in case there is any extra info on it, not on the secondary source. I don't know if there are any special codes to refer to. I suppose you could use PR for parish register and the date of the entry. nell

If you buy a CD and the image is clear there is no need to look at the actual register. If it is a Transcript, i.e. Typed up, it COULD be subject to error. I have found a lot of PRs on Genuki.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have a couple of cds but they are only transcripts so I will check originals. I did find a baptism on the IGI, but the record office could find no trace of it. They checked with the IGI and even checked a year either side, so its always as well to check. I also have quite a few printouts of parish records. Some are a sight for sore eyes. One, in particular is a marriage from 1768 and surprisingly, the writing is perfectly legible. Beautiful copperplate and it filmed well.

If you note that you found the details on the IGI, you will know that in due course it might be useful to look at the original image. If you find the actual entry, then it is helpful to note the catalogue number and the Record Office, so you could readily find the entry again. I have some lovely photocopies that I have made myself, which do not show the name of the parish anywhere on them. There is also no note of when I extracted the information, so a few years down the line, it may be very difficult to follow my thought processes or even find the entries again. This may seem dull and academic, but where there are rough and neat registers, or parishes have subdivided or merged, or the chancel is being repaired, so services are conducted elsewhere, it may prove challenging to find that elusive entry.

Hi Carol If I view a parish record on fiche of film I always log the fiche/film number and record number within the fiche. Also the repository. That way I can find it again quickly if I ever need to refer back to it. I tend to only make photocopies of direct line entries and just make a written note of more distant rellies. Regards Kate :)

And Carol, don't forget Bishop's Transcripts can come in useful if the actual Parish Register is unreadable or unavailable for the date(s) you want to look at. I've just found a 17th-century Bishop's Transcript very helpful with one line of my family tree when I couldn't make out the corresponding parish register. Kate.

I have some printouts of Bishops Transcripts My direct line is an unusual surname and nearly all coming from the same small village, so I took copies of every instance of the name I found in that village from an LDS film. Thank you all again for your input.

At the moment I just make a note that I have seen the parish record entry and confirmed the one found in the IGI. If I made a copy of all of them it would cost a fortune and take forever. However I do have photocopies of the most important ones (eg GGG grandparents marriage). If I have only seen it on the IGI I make a note of that too, so that I can check it out one day when I visit the (very distant from me) county record offices. I only use 'extracted' entries in the IGI, never 'submitted' ones which are often (but not always) just guesses. Anne