Completed: Look up at PRONI

[Degsy1946]

Hi,
I have a couple of PRONI References that could be relevant to some research I am doing for a friend, is there someone who is able to look these up for me as I am based in England?
Many thanks in advance,
Cheers,
Degsy.

[SpudKiwi]

Did you find someone to go to PRONI for you?
I have been dealing with them via their online request facility. I do not recommend it.
If no one has volunteered, I suggest going over yourself. If I lived as close as England, instead of half way around the world, that's what I would do.

[Degsy1946]

Thanks Spud, I think you are right, thanks for the advice about the online service. Perhaps will have to go in person sometime.

Regards,
Degsy

[aghadowey]

Sometimes information can be found online or from other sources than PRONI. Perhaps if you post exactly what you need checked we can help or make suggestions.

[glensman]

I think that one reason that you might not get a positive response to your request is that the extent of the task is unknown.  It could involve anything ranging from a quick look for a definite record to a long trawl through records in the hope of finding something.

[Degsy1946]

Thank you for your replies, here is the detail, it still relates to my ongoing search for the elusive James Surplus who it seems "disappeared" from Ireland and his family I the 1920's, there was always a story that he went to America but can find no trace of any migration records for him. Many thanks again for the help received for other members of the Surplus family that were located.
Anyway I did come across a couple of PRONI References as follows : PM/2/20/312, this relates to a letter from James Surplus, Belfast, who had lost his business due to import restrictions and was claiming compensation, dated 22 Feb 1922, apparently  further correspondence - 4 items.
Also Ref: BELFAST/1/1/2/33/26 dated 1910 James Surplus - Embezzlement.
Not sure about relevance of either but the dates of the first mentioned seem very appropriate.
Hope this clarifies the situation,
Again many thanks for your help,
Degsy

[Elwyn Soutter]

I should be in PRONI in about 14 days time and I’ll look at the two files. I’ll copy them if they are not too big.

In my experience, PRONI will do simple look ups for you, eg obtain a copy of a known baptism at a definite church on a given date. (For a fee). What they won’t do are trawling searches, looking for any records of X anywhere in Northern Ireland over a 50 year period, because that simply takes up too much time. If you need that type of research, you need to go in person or pay a researcher to do it.

[Degsy1946]

Thank you very much, Elwyn, that is very kind of you. As I said it may be a bit of a long shot as so far little info has been found about this elusive chap once he disappears.

Degsy