AYRSHIRE-L Archives

From:
Subject: Re: [AYR] Advice re Scotlands People site
Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 14:41:04 EDT

Phyllis

I have a number of lines where scotlandspeople turn up a blank, yet, for
example, I'll have Established Church births and marriages, but then can't
find a death, even post 1855. Whether that is due to not all records being
included yet, or a mis-transcription into the database, is anybody's guess.

I think it's a great system. It has weaknesses, but it's a wonderful way to
help resolve problem trails - I've had a number of 'eureka' moments thanks to
it.

Big problem is if the name you're searching is relatively common, and you
can't narrow down the search date, you can end up with pages of names to
trawl through and there aren't very many clues to help narrow it down to the
right one. You can view post-1855 certificates at £1 a time, but you could
end up spending a small fortune if you had to check through pages of entries.
This is where good detective work, a bit of guesswork and a bit of luck is
needed.

As always, good preparation and a plan of attack is essential to ensure
efficient use of time and £. Also, have a variety of trails that you have to
pursue, ready in case your first one draws a blank - that can be very
frustrating. I tend to log-out every so often to clear my head, and start
afresh later.

Hope this helps.

edward
Limpsfield, Surrey

This thread:

• Re: [AYR] Advice re Scotlands People site by