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Archiver > ESSEX-UK > 2002-04 > 1019100108


From: "Stella Howlett" <>
Subject: Re: Batch Numbers
Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 20:29:00 -0700
References: <000001c1e5cc$c1b099b0$d8dc3c3f@noel> <032601c1e5ce$3b516be0$d7544fcb@home> <001301c1e5d6$8968e6c0$0b7a66cf@default> <037001c1e5e3$b95b7480$d7544fcb@home>


Hello Jayne,

You wondered how a record could be in the IGI if that person died in
infancy. Very easy.

The IGI consists of two types of records--those derived from
controlled extractions and those from private submissions. Controlled
extractions are transcripts of baptisms and marriages taken from
microfilms of actual parishs registers. As the LDS are not interested
in deaths or burials, these records are not included as part of the
controlled extraction. Thus the child who was baptised and who looks
if he/she might be your ancestor may have been buried just weeks later
but in order to determine that, you need to view the microfilm of the
actual parish registers. Burials and deaths you do find in the IGI
are usually derived from private submissions.

Private submissions are exactly that--people like you and me sending
data to the LDS which might be accurate but might not.. As most of
the work done at Salt Lake City is done by volunteers, you can see
that what is sent to them couldn't possibly be checked for accuracy.

I don't think you could have noticed the address I tacked on to my
signature! :) While I don't live quite as far away from the scene of
the action as you do, living as I do on an island off the west coast
of Canada does mean that I can't nip over to the FRC on Myddelton
Street or the Chelsmford CRO for an hour or two of research either.
However, I do have access to a Mormon Family History Centre where for
the cost of return postage, I can bring in about 95% of all the parish
records, census returns, etc. that I need for my research. If you
live within travelling distance of one, I can promise you, it's the
best resource that you can possibly have.

If you want to check out just what is available to you, go to the
Family History Library Catalog at the familysearch.org site and type
in a few of the place names you're interested in. What you see listed
there is what the LDS have filmed for those places and what you would
have access to through an FHC.

Hope this helps a bit.

Stella Howlett
BC, Canada

----- Original Message -----
From: jayne perry <>
To: Stella Howlett <>; <>
Sent: Wednesday, April 17, 2002 12:44 AM
Subject: Re: Batch Numbers


> Hi Stella,
>
> I understand what you are saying..and thanks.
> I will explain, from my perspective, how I use and have found the
IGI
> invaluable.
> First of all, I live in New Zealand and at this point, I don't have
access
> to Parish records. So short of asking one of the lists that I belong
to, for
> a request to look up everybody that they can find for me, I have to
do some
> of my own background work....which I thoroughly enjoy, I should add.
>
> I use a combination of IGI, ancestry.com and Free BMD.
> I go to the IGI and lookup the name I'm trying to find. If I am
lucky it
> will be there, mostly I have had success. I then sift through all
the
> results to find the right area or Parish with the person I have
searched
> for.
> After clicking on this result, I get the batch number at the bottom
of the
> screen and go back to the search page,type in the batch no., surname
and
> region and click search. Usually there is a good result of people
from the
> same families as this is the parish they all belonged too.
> This gives me leads on other family members, when I am not having
any luck
> tracing my original one. I either jot them all down or copy and
paste them.
> I check these different people against ancestry.com records and Free
BDM.
> At this point I compile my information and then send a message to
the list
> asking if anyone has these people on their family tree, or for a
lookup. I
> can honestly say that I have found a huge amount of people this way.
>
> I don't rely on the IGI results to fill my family tree and I
wouldn't
> suggest that anyone else does either. Apart from the fact that, if
you don't
> make contact with people, it is no fun anyway.
>
> I do have several people that I don't have death records for and I
don't
> understand why, without them, it is not a family tree.
> Please correct me if I am wrong but the reference to compiling a
family tree
> and not realising one or two links have died in childhood or birth,
I am
> confused about. If these particular people have died, then I would
think you
> wouldn't find any records about them on the IGI, so your person
would just
> be a name on your tree- without spouse or children so it shouldn't
be too
> much of a problem. If you really wanted to know what happened to
that
> person, you would research other avenues from there.
>
> Sorry about my long email. I didn't know how else to explain how
useful I
> find the IGI.
>
> Have a nice day,
>
> Jayne
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stella Howlett" <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 17, 2002 6:10 PM
> Subject: Re: Batch Numbers
>
>
> > Jayne,
> >
> > Any deaths that you see in the IGI are from private submissions
and
> > are not always very reliable. Often they are just guesses. The
LDS
> > aren't interested in deaths or burials, and their controlled
> > extractions don't include either of them. The IGI should only
ever be
> > used as a direction pointer. As one lister has pointed out, one
can
> > very easily compile generations one's family tree using the IGI
> > without realising that one or two of those links actually died in
> > infancy or childhood. The IGI is not a substitute for actual
research
> > in the parish records.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Stella Howlett
> > BC, Canada
> >
>
>

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