LONDON-L Archives

From: J&B Henry <>
Subject: Re: [LON] Ancestry v FMP
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:44:08 -0600
References: <823603.75074.qm@web87009.mail.ird.yahoo.com><002d01cbe4a7$6b26fe20$4174fa60$%bradford@btinternet.com>

Hi Caroline and Barbara,

Will the old search link give results from the updated and new databases?

Beryl



----- Original Message -----
From: "Caroline Bradford" <>
Subject: Re: [LON] Ancestry v FMP


>
> Hi Barbara
>
> Which of the two is the best for you depends on a number of factors. There
> are wonderful things exclusive to each, so neither is going to do the whole
> job on its own.
>
> If you have a lot of London ancestors, then the parish registers which
> Ancestry has digitised and indexed from the holdings at the London
> Metropolitan Archives and Guildhall Library are a massive and invaluable
> resource, along with the poor law records (unindexed, poorly catalogued and
> incomplete, but a potential treasure trove if you have time). Other London
> records (particularly school registers) are coming soon. Ancestry can be
> tricky to get the best out of, particularly if you are using the horrid "new
> search", which is the default. Serious researchers normally take the
> trouble to find the little link to the "old search" which gives you much
> more control, particularly if you use the customisable "quick links" feature
> to bookmark the databases you use most often. The best strategy is always
> to decide first what records might contain the information you are looking
> for, then go to that individual data set and search it, using as few search
> terms as possible. Global searches are often much less productive, unless
> you are dealing with a very unusual name.
>
> What Ancestry *doesn't* have yet is the full 1911 census, though it has the
> summary books and the whole thing will be available there eventually. For
> the moment you need FindMyPast for that, though a great deal of information
> can often be gleaned by careful use of the free index searches at
> www.1911census.co.uk (you have to register, but it is free to do so).
> FindMyPast also has some very good data from the Society of Genealogists, as
> well as a lot of parish register transcripts from the whole country (though
> these are by no means comprehensive and do not include images). It does,
> indeed, have fewer overseas records than Ancestry.
>
> Before you make your choice, I would recommend that you take a careful look
> at your research so far and try to work out where it is likely to take you
> next, both geographically and chronologically. You may find it most
> convenient to take out short term subscriptions to each site in turn. You
> should also find out whether your local library has a subscription to either
> (Ancestry is the more likely), as many UK libraries offer free access to
> members.
>
> Hope this helps
>
> Caroline
>
>
>>
>> Hello.
>>
>> My Ancestry subscription has now run out and although I have found
>> several
>> useful links to my family, I do find it a bit difficult to navigate,
>> [age!!!].
>> I'd like to do more research, but retired and with money a bit tight,
>> I'm not
>> sure which would be the best option for me!
>>
>> Am I right in thinking FMP is a little more UK focused?
>>
>> Kind regards.
>>
>> Barbara, [waiting for summer to arrive!!!]
>> England

This thread:

• [LON] Ancestry v FMP by PARIS <>
  • Re: [LON] Ancestry v FMP by "Caroline Bradford" <>