index only record

[durhamgirl73]

Hi when I have been searching for bmd records (on ancestry) I have come across 'index only records' - does this mean the original is not available, etc or has not been put on ancestry yet?

[aghadowey]

Depends really on the record, sometimes they only hold the index but in other cases only an index survives. You can check to see what's listed for a particular database.

[carol8353]

If you are talking about the GRO BMD's then all will be only the index.
No record is free to view,you have to apply for the actual cert for £9-25 from the GRO to be able to see it.

However certain parishes,particularly a few in London have some parish baptism and/or marriage records to view on Ancestry or Find My Past.

[durhamgirl73]

On majority of bmd indexes on ancestry you can . but some say index only record - my initial question was if these would be able to view in the future.

[KGarrad]

BMD indexes are just that - indexes only.
Parish Registers have images behind them.

Which data set are you referring to?

[majm]

It is only recently that "Index Only Record" has been added to the various amalgamated indexes that Ancestry labels as "Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922".  Previously these had been referred to as "Vital Records" .....

The Australian version seems to suggest that there is one central BDM covering all of Australia.   In fact, there is NO central registry covering all of Australia.  Each of the former British Colonies that are the foundation states for the Commonwealth of Australia, had and continue to have their own Parliaments, and their own Official institutions.  So each of those six states have their own BDM registries, their own rules and regulations governing their own registeries, and their own ways of providing official BDM certificates.

I am aware of many family history buffs/groups who discreetly appealed to the commercial websites asking them to acknowledge that the Australian 'records' were simply databases of amalgamated existing indexes that have been available on CD and microfische etc long before the commercial websites were developed.

So for example, Ancestry has NSW BDM births to about 1909.   NSW BDM itself has its own website, and it displays birth registrations for all but the previous 100 years, so as it is 9 November 2015, as I write, it will display birth registrations up to 8 November 2015.   

Cheers,  JM

[StevieSteve]

Think durhamgirl is talking about the more modern GRO entries with District & subdistrict numbers - neither Ancestry nor FindMyPast show images of these.

However, I don't know the answer to her question 

[durhamgirl73]

Oh dear you have all gone to so much trouble but I think I haven't been clear in my question. Stevie is correct. On ancestry when you search eg for a marriage and gives you reference eg durham 10a 123 at the side you can view the page but on one or two it says index only record - I just wondered the reason for this perhaps because it hasnt been scanned yet, etc. Sorry for the confusion.   

[clairec666]

Birth, marriage and death records up to 1983 (I think) are transcribed from typewritten pages... you can look at the original image to verify that it has been transcribed correctly. After 1983, the indexes were digitised, so there is no typewritten copy to see. Hope this helps