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Gloria
PostPosted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 12:37 pm 
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Mel, I thought you had a sub to findmypast-----am I having an age moment again? :(

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Gloria

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Mel
PostPosted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 4:58 pm 
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Only for the 1911 census Gloria (which I wouldn't be without).
My main sub is with 'The Genealogist'

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Mel

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portia
PostPosted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 9:17 am 
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Mel
Which Genealogist sub do you have? I've cancelled my Ancestry one and wondering which to do next. Being easily confused, I can't see for sure whether you pay monthly (like I did with Ancestry), or a lump sum (which I suspect is the case).

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Gloria
PostPosted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 9:29 am 
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Maureen, you are in the same boat as me----I cancelled my Ancestry after I had fininshed the half price offer I got 12 months ago. I am now floundering about not wanting to spend a lot of money. I do like a 12 months sub, and feel absolutely lost without anything----sad isn't it????? Going to have to dig deep but not sure with what yet.
The Findmypast site for bmd's, you have to search every individual page within your date/name criteria, it doesn't do as Ancestry does and find you the options.

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Mel
PostPosted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:44 am 
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I have the 6 month sub - wasn't sure if I would take to it so didn't want to tie myself in to 12 months just in case. I really like the records available. Seems a little different to other sites - not mostly London based and not just databases for professional occupations. Particularly like the non-conformist section.

As I've said before, you have to adjust your search methods a little but the quality of the images is as good as Ancestry and they do have the bmd's but they are no indexed by name.
I was reading the other day that Ancestry have a lot of errors in their indexed bmd's. Findmypast are also going down the individual index route but not sure how long it will take to get there.

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Mel
PostPosted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:48 am 
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http://lostcousins.com/newsletters/late ... tm#FMP_BMD

Findmypast challenge Ancestry head-on

Since the end of last year Ancestry users have been able to search the GRO birth, marriage, and death indexes by name - in other words providing a similar service to the one offered by FreeBMD, but going all the way up to 2005.

Unfortunately there are so many errors that you have to be very careful how you search - for example, Ancestry seemed to think that Redbridge registration district is in Hampshire, and many other districts travel around the country depending on which year you're searching! There are also far more transcription errors than there should be considering that the source indexes are typewritten or printed, not handwritten - which I suspect is because their originals are so poor (they seem to be almost illegible in some cases).

I was therefore delighted to learn that findmypast are planning to transcribe the BMD indexes, and that the births could be online within weeks. At the same time there's going to be an increase in the number of credits charged, but that's not a factor for anyone with a subscription - and in any case, when you can go straight to the correct entry it's still going to work out far cheaper than the old system in most cases (as well as much quicker).

Even if there were as many errors in findmypast's transcriptions - which I doubt, because they are working from excellent originals, and have over 1000 people involved in the project - having two sites with different transcriptions will be just as valuable as it is with the censuses. Indeed, it's a positive development for all family historians, whichever site you subscribe to.

Whilst findmypast are keeping their cards very close to their chest, they have let slip that it will be possible to search all birth records from 1837-2006 with a single search: Ancestry split theirs into two periods, 1837-1915 and 1916-2005 which makes it tedious searching for births in the key 1911-1920 period, the first decade where the mother's maiden name was recorded in the index.

When the birth indexes are made available I'll carry out a comparison of the two sites, and report the results in a future newsletter.

For a run-down of the many changes in the credit pricing at findmypast click here (but as you must know by now, my advice is to get a subscription if you can possibly justify it, whichever site you choose to use).

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Mel

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Mel
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 3:48 pm 
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14 day free trial
http://www.findmypast.co.uk/free-trial. ... mpaign=gen

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Gloria
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 4:02 pm 
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Hmmmm won't be doing that, we are away for a week so won't bother. I have the genealogist but not really sure what I make of it. The census is not as easy to use as ancestry, in fact not sure anything is, but not the same price either. I don't think it is as user friendly would be a polite way to put it, BUT, saying that I have found some of the parish records to have been of help. Every one to their own I suppose.

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Gloria

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Mel
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 4:28 pm 
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I agree about the census, I don't have as much need for census these days but it is useful to have access to it in case.

It's the other stuff that I find more useful. I upgraded to diamond a few weeks ago as my 1st 6 months was up. I see a bit of the ancestry mentality slipping in...new records were not available to my previous sub.

Not sure I will stay with them for as long as I did with ancestry but perhaps thats the way now - float around them all one by one

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Mel
PostPosted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 8:38 am 
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Findmypast are still offering a 15% discount, go to http://www.findmypast.co.uk/home.jsp and enter MERRYFMP in the Promotional Code box before you click the Subscribe button. The offer will be ending on 10th January.

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Gloria
PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:09 pm 
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I am opening this "great debate" again because I am going to get a sub to either fmp or ancestry and as always---I can't make my mind up. Any advice? Are fmp bmd's any easier to search than they were?

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Gloria

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Joan
PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:03 pm 

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I've never had a subscription to Ancestry so I can't compare. It's available at the LDS Family History Centre close to me, and also the library so if I need to use it I go to one of those. I've had a subscription to FMP for three years and use it mostly for census, especially 1911, BMD, and military records. Once you have a subscription they give a discount to renew, I think it's 20% but I'm not sure. I don't find BMD difficult to use.

It all depends which kind of records you think would be most useful, and cost, of course.

Joan
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Gloria
PostPosted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 3:35 pm 
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Thanks Joan. I did have a sub to the genealogist but their bmd's were really hard to search.

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Gloria

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Gloria
PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 6:33 pm 
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Well I have bitten the bullet--Ancestry sent an e-mail offering 12months for £83-40 for Premium Membership and I couldn't resist it.

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Gloria

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Mel
PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 6:58 pm 
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bargain!
Wonder why they never send me any offers?

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