Author Topic: Trouble with British Phone Books, 1880-1984 on Ac*stry  (Read 5972 times)

Offline bugbear

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Trouble with British Phone Books, 1880-1984 on Ac*stry
« on: Friday 17 November 17 14:08 GMT (UK) »
I was searching to find information about the Bice family. In Middlesex/London this is a VERY rare name, and I was hoping to trace their movements/exodus.

So I searched in London/Middlesex/Essex/Suffolk/Surrey/Kent.

No results. I know they were a poor family, but it defies belief that NONE of them had a phone right up til 1984.

Out of paranoia, I tried Devon and Cornwall, which is where the Bice name originated (the earliest Bices in London were all born in Cornwall).

Nothing.

So I tried "Smith" in Devon.

Nothing.  ???

I attached my failed attempt (query, and results). Am I being dumb, or is the search borked?

   BugBear
BICE Middlesex
WOMACK Norfolk/Suffolk

Offline KGarrad

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Re: Trouble with British Phone Books, 1880-1984 on Ac*stry
« Reply #1 on: Friday 17 November 17 14:27 GMT (UK) »
It must be you?! ;D ;D

I no longer have a sub to Ancestry, but I can still do a basic search.
For Bice, I found:

S.F. Bice   Essex
C. Bice    Hertfordshire
M.J. Bice    Surrey
Bice    Berkshire
D.T. Bice    Surrey
D.L. Bice Berkshire
E.J. Bice    Middlesex

And that's just on page 1 of the results.
Garrad (Suffolk, Essex, Somerset), Crocker (Somerset), Vanstone (Devon, Jersey), Sims (Wiltshire), Bridger (Kent)

Offline chris_49

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Re: Trouble with British Phone Books, 1880-1984 on Ac*stry
« Reply #2 on: Friday 17 November 17 14:34 GMT (UK) »
I can't help with the Ancestry problem but it doesn't surprise me that they might not have a phone. I remember knowing a family that didn't have one circa 1990 and I didn't get one till 1980 when I was all of 31 - IIRC it was the cost of getting one installed then that put me and other people off, but as soon as I moved to a house with one I took it over. (Plus I'd lived very near a red phone box.)

Even if they got a phone they might have gone ex-directory immediately. Nowadays it seems most people are xD, judging by how thin the residential section of the phone book has become.

Skelcey (Skelsey Skelcy Skeley Shelsey Kelcy Skelcher) - Warks, Yorks, Lancs <br />Hancox - Warks<br />Green - Warks<br />Draper - Warks<br />Lynes - Warks<br />Hudson - Warks<br />Morris - Denbs Mont Salop <br />Davies - Cheshire, North Wales<br />Fellowes - Cheshire, Denbighshire<br />Owens - Cheshire/North Wales<br />Hicks - Cornwall<br />Lloyd and Jones (Mont)<br />Rhys/Rees (Mont)

Offline bugbear

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Re: Trouble with British Phone Books, 1880-1984 on Ac*stry
« Reply #3 on: Friday 17 November 17 14:36 GMT (UK) »
It must be you?! ;D ;D

I no longer have a sub to Ancestry, but I can still do a basic search.
For Bice, I found:

S.F. Bice   Essex
C. Bice    Hertfordshire
M.J. Bice    Surrey
Bice    Berkshire
D.T. Bice    Surrey
D.L. Bice Berkshire
E.J. Bice    Middlesex

And that's just on page 1 of the results.

How did you do the search?

I've tried going into the card index for "British Phone Books, 1880-1984" and ONLY doing the search that way, and I've also gone in from the top most, and tried to select sources down to "British Phone Books, 1880-1984". Nothing either way.

I do have the shiny new Firefox, which might be a possible factor.

 BugBear
BICE Middlesex
WOMACK Norfolk/Suffolk


Offline bugbear

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Re: Trouble with British Phone Books, 1880-1984 on Ac*stry
« Reply #4 on: Friday 17 November 17 14:39 GMT (UK) »
I do have the shiny new Firefox, which might be a possible factor.

BugBear
I tried Seamonkey - same lack of results.

 BugBear
BICE Middlesex
WOMACK Norfolk/Suffolk

Offline groom

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Re: Trouble with British Phone Books, 1880-1984 on Ac*stry
« Reply #5 on: Friday 17 November 17 14:44 GMT (UK) »
I'm getting the same results as you, Bugbear. I tried searching for my grandparents, also an unusual name who I know had a phone and nothing comes up either. They were in the phone book as I've found them before. Then as a test I tried Smith, England, London - none. I don't believe that every Smith in London was ex directory.  ;D

(I'm using Chrome)
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Online heywood

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Re: Trouble with British Phone Books, 1880-1984 on Ac*stry
« Reply #6 on: Friday 17 November 17 14:46 GMT (UK) »
It didn’t work for me either.
However, at the right side of the page there is ‘Browse this collection’ and you can get into the directories that way, through year-I used 1984 and choose London A-D. I found two by going through the book!
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Offline bugbear

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Re: Trouble with British Phone Books, 1880-1984 on Ac*stry
« Reply #7 on: Friday 17 November 17 14:47 GMT (UK) »
I'm getting the same results as you, Bugbear. I tried searching for my grandparents, also an unusual name who I know had a phone and nothing comes up either. They were in the phone book as I've found them before. Then as a test I tried Smith, England, London - none. I don't believe that every Smith in London was ex directory.  ;D

(I'm using Chrome)
At least I know I''m not going mad. Thank you (and your ex-directory Smiths)

 BugBear
BICE Middlesex
WOMACK Norfolk/Suffolk

Online heywood

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Re: Trouble with British Phone Books, 1880-1984 on Ac*stry
« Reply #8 on: Friday 17 November 17 14:49 GMT (UK) »
I amended my post - I used London not  Middlesex.
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