----- Original Message ----- From: "Melissa Hogan" <genealogistinal@yahoo.com> To: <aljeffer@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2007 9:02 AM Subject: [ALJEFF] Searching Extracted Marriages and Births atFamilysearch.org > Barry posted earlier about the familysearch.org indexed marriages. I > posted additional information and batch numbers for Jefferson County - and > many other counties to the BGS blog. > > http://birminghamgenealogy.wordpress.com/2007/11/11/searching-extracted-marriages-and-births-at-familysearchorg/ > > Melissa > birminghamgenealogy.wordpress.com > Thanks Melissa :) I checked out your link and I put several of those in my favorite places including Hugh Wallis' site. I notice mention of something called the IGI Batch Index. Is that entire listing available to view? Or is it just trial and error to find the Batch numbers and corresponding records? Like what I have done. And what you have so kindly compiled as well. I also like the suggestion of searching the entire list as surnames are not necessarily in alphabetical order and they are often spelled differently and could be missed if you only searched for a certain spelling or even a Soundex. For example, some spellings of the surname Jernigan (like Jeningan) do not come up in a Soundex search for "Jernigan". Also Stevens and Stephens are different Soundexes. I found that out the hard way and totally missed my ancestors living right next door to their daughter and son-in-law (also my ancestors) in Wisconsin. So it is a good idea (as tedious and time consuming as it might be) to search the entire list for a particular Batch number. I've found that most of them don't exceed too much more than 2000 names and it gives you a list of 200 names on each page. So at the most you're looking at 10, 11, maybe 12 pages for each Batch number. Also I have found that the date ranges are not always correct. Here is an example from my searching last night. I was looking for the surname Moon in the IGI and found the following: Andrew W. Moon married Ellen M. Chapman in Marshall Co, AL on 27 Oct 1840. And the entry gave the Batch Number -- M593371 for Marriages in Marshall Co, AL from 1836 to 1848. So I scrolled through every page and found some that are outside of that date range: James H. Butler married Jane M. D. Couch on 16 Mar 1851 William H. Duncan married Margaret Johns on 3 Aug 1851 So it might also be a good idea (if you don't find the marriage or birth listing in that date range) to check years close to the one you're searching in. I noticed something similar when I was scanning microfilm of military records at Wallace State College Library a year or so ago. The records were on the microfilm alphabetically by the soldiers' surnames (1st Alabama Cavalry Union) except at the very end of the microfilm there were miscellaneous surnames. My ancestor was a Young so I thought I would go to the end of the microfilm and then work my way back from the Z's and that is how I discovered those names were added at the end of the microfilm -- like surnames that started with H or M, etc. Another thing to keep in mind when searching the LDS records online is that, as you say, people can make mistakes. I found some people supposedly associated with the Moon family of Marshall Co, AL but if you follow all of the links it seems to me that 2 people have information merged together. This just doesn't fit to me: Rev. George Oldham Father: James Oldham Mother: Leah Stevens Born: 6 June 1779, Shelby Co, IN Died: 7 Sep 1828, Shelby Co, IN Buried: fam cem pasture, Section 5, Twp 13 North, Range 7 East, Shelby Co, IN Married: 1) 1802, Sevier Co, TN?! ( I think this is wrong) Spouse: 1) Catherine ? Married: 2) c. 1819, Sevier Co, TN?! (again I think this is wrong) Spouse 2) Sarah ? And then he and Catherine supposedly had a daughter named Mary "Polly" Oldham who was born around 1800 and who supposedly married Jasper Moon around 1829 in Georgia and then later moved to Marshall Co, AL? I think that there were maybe two George Oldhams -- one in Sevier Co, TN and one in Shelby Co, IN. The dates don't match -- married in 1802 but first child born in 1800? And some of the children ended up down in AL and others ended up in the Midwest -- like Iowa. So you have to watch for information that just doesn't fit. What I'm doing is using the LDS site to get some possible information and then follow up on finding documentation -- like looking for them in the censuses. For instance I've searched through all of the entries for the surname Prosch in Alabama. And now have a pretty good idea when they were there. So I know what other records I can find and the date range of those records in Jefferson Co. I also have a pretty good idea of who was who and who belonged to who. So now when I see some of the names I'm not as in the dark as to who they are and how they fit into the family. Barry Jernigan