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Archiver > ESSEX-UK > 2007-09 > 1189565365


From: Charles Fuller <>
Subject: [Ess] Researching an English Ancestor who was in the Army orMilitia (2)
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 05:05:33 +0200


Hello again,

Ten seconds after sending the earlier e-mail, I remembered some more points:

9. The National Archives has also published some military information
online (as pay-per-view). The web-site is
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/ .

10. If you are trying to trace someone in WW1, then the free indexing of
the "London Gazette" is worth a try -
http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/index.asp?webType=0 .
(The London Gazette contains/contained official notices from the British
Government. Lots of army and medal information is available.

11. S&N Genealogy has published quite a few "Army Lists" on CD. These
list Army officers, but not Militia members or ordinary army members.
This information may be available on their online site (I don't
subscribe to it because I find the terms and conditions unacceptable).

12. For WW1 and WW2 deaths, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site
is worth checking - http://www.cwgc.org/ .

13. "I've found a reference to a military BMD record, so how do I order
the certificate?".
- The same way as you would order a normal civil registration
certificate: after going to
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/ , simply follow the
usual path and choose option 5, 6 or 7 - military entries are counted as
"Overseas" entries:
Q1. What records are held for overseas births, marriages and deaths?
* Births, marriages and deaths registered by the British Forces and the
British Consul or High Commission in the country where they took place,
from 1849.
* Deaths that occurred in the Boer War and both World Wars.
* British Army Regimental records of births, baptisms and marriages
dating back to 1761.
* Marine Births and Deaths, from 1837, which took place on British
registered vessels.
* Aircraft Births and Deaths, from 1948, which took place on British
registered aircraft.

14. Researching information held at TNA, Kew.
- There is so much information held at Kew under vaguely-described piece
descriptions that the only option is to spend perhaps a day looking
through the records. (For example, I was searching for details of
members of the West Suffolk Militia for 1805-1810 to try to find out
some information about a James Barnard who got married in Ipswich in
1807. Using the catalogue piece descriptions, I spent 4 hours on this
and didn't manage to look at everything there.)
- If you can't visit Kew, then there are 3 possibilities: (a) a list
member might be able to do a limited look up; (b) a Family History
Society might offer a research service; (c) you could consider employing
an agent in which case the site http://www.agra.org.uk/ may help. (I
have no link with the association, but I have hired/used one of their
members.)

I'm sure that there are other possibilities, so if anyone can contribute
corrections or further information, I'll publish the lot on my web-site
http://www.fullerfamilyhistory.org.uk/ .

Regards,
Charles Fuller.


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