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Archiver > NORFOLK > 2003-04 > 1049457236


From: "diane SOWDEN" <>
Subject: IF I USE THE SITE
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 12:53:56 +0100
References: <200304040155_MC3-1-32C9-2B2E@compuserve.com>


IF I use this site, I shall do what you suggest and think of it as a
researcher and I have got to pay him.

Diane Sowden
----- Original Message -----
From: Geoffrey Stone UK <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2003 7:55 AM
Subject: Re: 1837.com


>
> >If I look at a quarter , say, births first qtr 1873 - I can buy just one
> >page which shows me surnames beginning ACO-ADA. Fine.
> >But if I look at 1854 first qtr, I have to buy 119 pages to see all
> >the births beginning with A !! Some letters you might have to
> >buy over 400 pages.
>
> I think that some of you are making rather a meal of this or are simply
> missing the point. Remember that this is an index and within each batch
it
> is all in alphabetical order.
>
> If you need to look in a directory for a name you dont start with page one
> and read every page, you open it in the middle and look high or low from
> there. Computers use this system called 'binary chop'. For example with
> 400 pages to look at start at page 200. Is the name you want higher or
> lower? If lower take half way ie look at page 100, if higher add the 100
> and look at page 300. Then depending on the result of higher or lower
look
> at the next page 50, 150, 250 or 350 as appropriate. Then look half way
> again i.e. 25 above and below. That way with 400 pages to search you will
> only have to look at a maximum of 9 pages to find the page you want.
>
> In reality you can guess more accurately how near you are to the page you
> need. Once you have found the first page required then when searching
> another year you know where to start. For example with the 400 pages to
> look at as in the example above, if your actual page was 351 and the next
> time there are 390 pages then look at page 342 as first guess and the
> answer will probably be there or one page either side.
>
> The blank pages that some have complained about (they are usually not
> charged anyway) only occur at the start or end of a batch and there is
> little point in starting from page one.
>
> Finally the cost !! If you paid a record agent to do the search for you,
> the result would effectively be a lot more than 10 pence a page. Also
> compare this to the cost of travelling to London and doing it yourself.
>
> Regards,
>
> Geoff
>
>
>


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