RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: judb on Wednesday 22 February 17 06:15 GMT (UK)
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Oh my, PROV what have you done?
PROV has up-dated and modernised its searches so as to make it much trickier for researchers to navigate (for this researcher anyway!)
I've so far only looked at Wills and Immigration records which used to come up with a neat list, all on one page, easy to speed-read and easy to correlate other family members.
Looking for my John MASON as an example it comes up with a snazzy yellow page with about 9 entries on a screen and I've yet to figure out how to find who came with him and others such as other relatives who may have come on the same voyage. (I do have the info on John MASON; was just using it to see how it works)
On the Wills and Probate page you seem to have to search both sections.
I suppose PROV paid some whiz-kids many $$s to come up with this very eye-catching but very annoyingly inconvenient new way to access their indexes.
Perhaps it's just me ::) :-[
Judith
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I have a theory Judith.... The latest and greatest IT experts have not ever experienced working with manual office admin procedures, so have strict IF/THEN and YES/NO as the words that govern their basic operations. Their square is diminishing in size and they don't look outside that square.
Fortunately only a couple of my ancestors were in Victoria (gold fever), as most of my Australian ancestors were NSW based, earliest in the 1790s, and most were here well and truly before the gold rushes. So all four of my grandparents were born in NSW in the 1870s-80s.
But NSW Archives cannot even decide on its own name! It has reverted back to the familiar "Archives" and retained the newer "Records" as well, and there's still issues with some of their online indexes despite their upgrade months ago. NSW BDM went through huge stuff up when it tried to outdo all other puterised BDM systems. And you should see the mess they are cooking up in our Land Titles as they move to privatise that system.
Sorry I cannot be more positive Judith. But I do empathise with you.
JM
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Words fail me :( :( :( :( :(.....thank goodness I have completed my family history in Victoria....and for once I'm glad I have a small family.
Why can't they keep things simple and neat and on one page instead of having to scroll through so many pages.
Cando :(
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Have to agree . . . .
tried searching for something to which I knew the answer . . . . couldn't find my way around at all.
Very sad. :'(
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You can still search each individual index, it just takes about 100 clicks to get there via the "Where to start" link on the main page. Just find the pages and bookmark them for future use is the easiest way to go. Like this one:
https://www.prov.vic.gov.au/explore-collection/explore-topic/family-history
The main collection search works much the same as the NAA search - all based on keywords.
Start by putting the name into the main collection search box at the top and search. Then use the menu on the left to narrow down your search results by year then collection. If you find a result that interests you, you can then search again using the same keywords but with just the surname.
So if I find:
MASON, JOHN
Ship: DALHOUSIE; Arrival Year: 1852; Arrival Month: JUL; Age: 32; Gender: M; Origin: ENG; Master: BUTTERWORTH JOHN; Origin port code: B; Fiche number: 4; Page of list: 4,
I can then search for the words - Mason Dalhousie Jul 1852 - and find that there was also a George MASON onboard.
The only good thing about it is that you are searching across all records and might find results that you weren't looking for, especially as they index more records.
Adding - an asterisk * is still the wildcard.
Debra :)
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Without wanting to highjack the thread, I do note Qld Archives have messed with the Assisted Immigration records too.
They seem to want to offer pages of information before you can get to the actual index and then when at last you make the final click, the inquiry information you enter has to be very specific by name.
Previously one could simply search through the names of immigrants (let's say starting with S) and find the name you were seeking. The advantage was that also you very often spot it, if it had been a little misspelt by just scrolling a little this way or that.
It worked very well.
Sue
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Thanks Debra - at least a glimmer of sense.
I've sent off a "communication" of complaint to them, much good will it do. Just thought perhaps some others might do the same ;D
And the yellow hurts my eyes. ::)
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It sure is bright!
I tried your method Debra but got nowhere . . . I confess I gave up fairly soon. Too complicated cf with previous searches.
Will have to try again . . . . later! :)
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Pity the passenger lists hadn't been digitised by PROV instead of the 'commercial' arrangements with Ancestry.com.au.
Next Steps
You can view Unassisted Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (British Ports, Foreign and New Zealand) Record Series (VPRS) 947 on Ancestry.com.au
To view these records for free within Public Record Office Victoria Reading Rooms: Reading Room Access Only
Cando
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And a further rant. >:( >:( >:(
I'm looking to see if Ronald MOUNT (from a recent thread) has a will or a probate document. I carefully enter the name Mount in the box where you are invited to put the name and lo - I get one person with surname Mount AND a list of people with all kinds of surnames who lived in Mount Macedon, Mount Alexander, Mount Martha etc Grrrrrr
Also I don't know if I mentioned that probate documents are now searched separately which can be really difficult as probate is not granted until after the death (surprise!) and sometimes many years after.
:( :'( Judith, who is VERY frustrated.
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:( :'( Judith, who is VERY frustrated.
I can imagine!! ::) ::) - I was too when I tried to find something and had a similar experience. >:(
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Here is their email "contact us" option.
http://prov.altarama.com/reft100.aspx?pmi=Ee69JrOVjf
Perhaps it is time for a "feedback" campaign of sorts from family history researchers and regular users.
They will not know how users feel unless they are told.
Sue
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Have already sent them a couple of emails pointing out how difficult they have made it. One i sent anonymously and the other I asked for a reply. We'll see....................
Judith
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I share your frustration & have also contacted them. It seems to be a case of 'if it ain't broke, break it' ::)
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After reading this last night I went in search of information that I had previously found, so knew was there. First immigration records for my great grandparents, easily found. Goody.
Now for my grandfathers will and probate. I should have quit while I was ahead. Went round in circles until I finally found search box at bottom of page, on another page. I then typed in James Arthur James, date of death, 1918". I got over 65,000 names covering all available years. Narrowed it down to around 1,000 names by choosing time line. Finally found him. Then I had to do it all again for the will. Where's the padded room. Oh and there were not 65,000 plus James Arthur James out there, I had everyone with James and Arthur in their name. Thank goodness he didn't have four different names like some of my ancestors.
Added: went back to try again and it went much better. Intrigued to find out that someone died in 1882 and probate granted in 1918.
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Interesting - I have had a reply saying they're sorry I find it frustrating and We are implementing an alternative search for Wills and Probates that presents them in a table where you can sort them by given name/family name. We would love to have had this ready for launch last week, but some problems with the code meant that we have had to hold it back. It should be ready in the next few days
Again - We'll see. No mention of the difficulty in finding probate documents which often include valuable information as to real estate etc.
At least the reply was quick!
Judith
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I've sent my grizzle to them as well.
Why launch the new website unless it is fully functional and COMPLETE ::) ::) ::) ::)
Yep...I'm grumpy today....goes along with my age :P :P
Cando
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Sent my two bob's worth too ;D
I tried to briefly describe what is really useful and wanted in a search facility and why it is the better way to construct the site.
Sue
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Just had a response to my grizzle:
Thank you for letting us know about your experience. Your comments have been sent to the web team and based on the responses we get over the next little while we will make changes to the layout of the search results and searching. We do want to ensure people find the result they want as quickly as possible.
If you are searching Wills and Probates -
We have integrated the Wills and Probate search with the general search, so someone coming to the site can see all the records that may relate to a person, not just the records from a particular series. You can search for Wills and Probates in a single search by clicking on the 'Advanced Search' bar (top right-hand of the page), typing in the name you are after, and choosing 'Wills and Probates' from the 'Search by category' box to the right of where you typed the name. Sorting the results by date is a good way to ensure that records relating to the same person are grouped together.
Thank you for your feedback.
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Thanks, Jomot - a much more constructive reply than I got. I think getting some responses to the new format has helped.
Now I just need to remember where to find these instructions next time................... ::)
Judith