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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: MarieC on Friday 09 June 06 10:00 BST (UK)
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A R/chatter on another board suggested to me that, judging by the IGI entries, some baptisms I was wondering about may be on a Dade register - worth getting, if so! The person further suggested that I contact the relevant records office to see if they would do a quick lookup and email me the result.
No, they wouldn't. They informed me that they would charge $35 Australian to lookup, copy and post it to me.
I think this is manifestly excessive, given that it may only be the standard one-line entry, no more info than is on the IGI. I will certainly not be going down that track!
What do others think??
MarieC
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Hi Marie
A bit of a gamble, even at $2.5 AUD to the £.
I wouldn't, however, underestimate the work involved in trawling through microfiche looking for records. Even someone who's doing it on a regular basis will struggle with some of the handwriting and legibility issues. Then there's the time copying and posting to you.
I think an enquiry to establish whether your ancestors' records are likely to be in a 'Dade' format first of all (and if you know the dates and location they should at least be able to tell you that gratis) would be the best route.
If it turns out it is a Dade, then my advice would be to go for it. You're likely to get a minimum of three (possibly four!) generations of data for about £12.
Of course, if you can find a handy Rootschatter who is visiting the same records office for their own purposes, I'm sure they can be persuaded to spend a little time on your behalf.
All the best
Paul
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If the IGI have it as an extracted record, then it would be far cheaper (if you are able to do this) to order the film to view at your nearest LDS Family History Centre. After all, they have already done the hard part!
Nell
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(Unless your nearest LDS centre is less than 30 miles away)!
;)
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Hi
I would have thought that it was good value for money. The records have to be kept, that costs money, Then there is no such thing as a quick look-up!!! this may take some time, then the time spent transcribing the information - and you will want it to be as accurate as possible. This is going to take anywhere from 45 mins to and hour. So taking into account labour, electric, storage, etc, your request will probably be subsidized by taxes.
Record Offices are not in business, they are council departments and non profit making. They are funded by council tax payed by local inhabitants, and if lucky they may get other goverment grants.
Just my opinion
Lemon
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Marie what Record Office was it? May be one of us could help you.
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I'm with Lemon. There are still a few record offices around which will respond quickly and cheerfully to an email and only charge you if you want photocopies of documents. Others simply don't have the personpower to do this. They set up a formal search request system, for which you pay up front by the hour or half hour. That covers the cost of the work time involved. It can be very disappointing if they don't come up with the information you want, but they can't do a "no win, no fee" system.
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what parish records are you looking for? I have a list of parishes that have dade registrations. Let me know where and I will have a look.
Cheers
Anne
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I'm feeling dim.
What does Dade mean? I'm not sure I've ever come across it.
???
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What does Dade mean?
See this thread:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,39818.0.html
Nell
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Thanks Nell,
It's all a lot clearer now.
;)
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And here's an example I came across in my first ever visit to a county records office - wish I was as lucky on the lottery!
http://etherington.rootschat.net/html/clark.html
I hope MarieC is equally as lucky! :)
cheers
Paul
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Dear friends,
Thank you so much for all your answers. As usual, you are all informative and helpful! I'll try to answer all the points below:
* I do still think this was very expensive, as I could give them exact birth and christening dates from the IGI. Well, I have learned my lesson and won't make this kind of enquiry again.
* Nell, my original thought was to get the film in to the LDS, where I've spent a fortune getting in films (!), until the other R/Chatter suggested this. But the same extremely kind person is attempting to arrange a lookup in the Record Office for me, so I'll wait and see if this works.
* CU - if it doesn't, the RO is Durham, so if anyone else lives locally and would be prepared to have a look, please let me know.
* AnneMc - I'd love it if you would look at your list and see if the parish of Norton, Durham has a Dade register! There are also two parishes in Northumberland which could harbour the birth of an ancestor, because they have similar entries on the IGI. They are Christ Church, Tynemouth, and Earsdon by North Shields. Would you look and see if these are Dade registers? I'd be most grateful, and if they are, I will get the films in for these or see if anyone can do a lookup.
* PaulE - I've looked at your example and I am wildly, wildly jealous!! :P :P What a goldmine? I would so love to find some of these for my elusive people. I wish, how I wish, that the whole of England had these Dade registers instead of the normal brief and uninformative ones!
Once again, thanks! You have all enlightened me further, and if AnneMc can tell me that the above are Dade registers, it could lead to breaking down a brick wall or two!!! 8) 8) 8)
MarieC
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Sorry Marie, I don't live any where near Durham or I would do it for you.
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I personaly find the cost excessive.. but I might be biaised because by law in my native country records are considered as part of the national Heritage and therefore free to access for everybody .....
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The records ARE free to access by everyone! If I go to my local library or city record office I can look them up for nothing. If I get on a bus I can go to the county archives and look things up for free. But these records are maintained at a cost to the taxpayer, and if I want information from an office I can't personally get to, it's reasonable that I should pay for the time involved in the research.
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Hi
The Record Offices and libraries organise volunteers in the UK that sit for hours transcribing information from the documents held at county record offices and libararies, they do this work to make accessable records online for the use of people who are unable to get to the record offices and libraries - either in another part of the country or oversees.
Quite often aswell the record offices have "Friends of the Record Office" who organise events for themselves as they all enjoy local and family history, BUT they also organise fund raising events to aid the record office with the expense of buying, preserving and keeping documents and collections. If this wasn't done then documents could be lost forever as the record offices just do not get enough funding.
If libraries and record offices were to adjust their costs to reflect a business nature then the costs of searches would exculate to that of private business - there is an example with lost o' level certificates which cost £35 ($90) for the search and relacement of ONE certificate.
I really feel strongly that we are so lucky have record offices and libraries funded by local goverment and they are not privatley owned and could therefore charge excessive amounts, because profit would be foremost in their business plan.
Lemon
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Marie C .... this article gives a list of parishes covered by the Dade registers:
http://freespace.virgin.net/richard.lockwood/Daderegisters.htm
You'll note that it refers to a slightly simpler scheme introduced for Durham - "The Rev Shute Barrington instigated the use of slightly simpler registers, sometimes referred to as ‘Barrington Registers’ from about 1783 in the Diocese of Sarum (which covered areas in Wiltshire, Bristol and Berkshire) whilst Bishop of Salisbury and in Durham from 1798, when he became Bishop of Durham".
No mention of the Durham parishes listed, but maybe an enquiry to the Records Office to establish, first of all, whether there are 'Barrington' regisaters for Norton in the period you're looking for, would be your best bet.
Cheers
Paul
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Hi MarieC
For more info. on Dade Parish Registers see
Topic: Dade Parish Registers
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,82760.0.html
Bob
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:-\ If the exchange rate is 2.5 Aus$ to £1, then $105 is the charge
to find my Louis Crays and Mary Miller marriage. :-\
1830 St Anne's Church in Limehouse, London. The elation of finding this after years of trawling was only believable to other like minded brickwall bashers. ;D
Hence the plea for anyone visiting the LMA, as I believe that's the only place to get the information from..
Lesanne.
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Thanks, Paul and Bob!
That's an excellent article on Dade registers - very informative!
One of Little Nell's posts said that Northumberland had Dade registers, or something similar, and the article does not mention Northumberland. Does anyone know about this? Because I have a real interest in cracking a brick wall there.
I've told the Durham Records Office, very politely, that I will not be pursuing my enquiry with them because of the cost. So I won't recontact them. I will wait to see if the other Rootschatter can organise a lookup, and if not, I'll probably order in the film.
MarieC
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One of Little Nell's posts said that Northumberland had Dade registers, or something similar, and the article does not mention Northumberland.
That info (not verified I must admit) came from book by two respected writers, Jean Cole and John Titford. I've looked in other books I have on the shelf, but no-one else seems to mention them so I really don't know for certain. Sorry Marie. :(
Nell
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Never mind, Nell! Based on what you said originally, I might get at least one film in. My original informant said that if the IGI, in listing a baptism, lists the mother by maiden name, that often indicates a Dade register. So I have a couple of indicators there...!
MarieC
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Hi Marie,
I've checked some old magazines for articles on Dade registers - the best article is in Family Tree Magazine Vol 11 Issue 9 p9 by Pauline Litton. Unfortunately it doesn't give a list of which parishes are known to have Dade registers. It does mention that Chris Webb has catalogued those within the modern Archdeaconry of York (there are 100+ of those) and they are listed in a book A Guide to the Parish Records in the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research. Pauline says in her article (dated July 1995) that there appears to be little information about how common the system was outside the north-east of England.
I suspect that nobody really knows!
Nell
PS Just read a bit more: Alnwick in Northumberland has a Dade-type register!