Hi Dave, thanks for your prompt and informative reply. I was imagining something a bit different for genealogists. Like all the deaths from the Indexes which they already have in a database and adding the name of the cemetery listed on the death cerificate. Then a simple index cross referenced with all the names used by the different cemeterys and roughly the periods each name was used. I don't particularly want to know everybody buried in a particular cemetery, just if the ones that I'm interested in are buried there. I can go to the trust records for a list of people buried in any given cemetery. OK, I realise trust records aren't always complete or even existant. I'm working on a descendant tree and have dozens of people that I would like to know where they are buried. They aren't buried in any of the local cemeterys near where their deaths are registered. I've got all the details from the BDM's on line (NSW are free to view) but no burial details unless I want to pay a small fortune for certificates. In NSW there are a few people that provide details off the certificates at a reasonable cost. It's all pay as you go here in Victoria. I'd of imagined that the burial of an unknown person wouldn't be of much value to a genealogist. When I publish a cemetery record I tend to leave out unknown persons or unmarked graves as being of no value to genealogists. A commom question on this forum is "in which cemetery would this person be buried in?" I'm looking at this from a genealogists view. I realise the benefit of re-creating lost trust records. I suppose all we can do is wait and see. I suppose I shouldn't comment until I see a sample but I may not live that long. I was talking to a person from the health dept. and asked him if they had a copy of all the cemetery trust records. He said that they didn't but he liked the idea. Anyway, thanks again for all your information. I always like reading your posts. Maybe someone else can tell us a bit more about how they are going. Yours, Garry. ----- Original Message ----- From: "D Weatherill" <djweath@bigpond.net.au> To: <australia-cemeteries@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2010 5:28 PM Subject: Re: [AUSTRALIA-CEMETERIES] VICTORIAN BDM INDEXES > Hi Gary and Folks; > > I should have said the Burial Index being compiled by the Victorian BDM, > not > Death Index. I believe they are up to the late 1950s with their data > entry. > I only wish that they had produced it in two groups. Up to 1920, then > 1921-1985 instead of waiting for just one index. It has been going for > over > many years now being compiled. > > The index is being compiled by a list of volunteers at the Victorian BDM > offices using the actual death certificates. The final product will come > out > from the Victorian Registry. I believe they are also looking at including > maps and histories of the cemeteries. One of the areas of "problem" is the > locational index, ie when you type in a cemetery by a name it will bring > up > all burials for all names the cemeteries used. ie Preston Cemetery was > originally McLeans, then Darebin Creek, then Strathallan, then Preston > cemetery. If you used Preston Cemetery for a search term, all would > appear. > They were still working on this. The biggest single group for the index is > "Unknown" for the place of burial. Many early death certificates did not > include date and place of burial on the certificate. > > Originally the burial index project was set up using volunteers from the > AIGS and GSV to put together burial list for both Cemetery Trusts who had > lost their burial records and for family history researchers. The project > started just before I became President of the GSV and Don Grant was > president of AIGS. Been going for a looonnnnnggggg time now. The registry > is > in charge of it and it has a public servant at the Registry responsible > for > it. It was Ann Fullerton but there will be a replacement for her. When > will > it finish!!!, I do not know but I believe it will come out on a DVD or > perhaps two. There is no website re its progress although the Registry > does > write a column for the quarterly magazines of the GSV and AAIGS noting the > stage it is at. > > Yes Gary, you do detect some despair on my behalf. I was hoping to see the > first part out years ago. Both Don and I got volunteers involved at the > Registry in the hope it would come out quickly to meet the needs of > people. > > Hope this picks up your questions. > > Cheers, > > David > > -----Original Message----- > From: australia-cemeteries-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:australia-cemeteries-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Garry Batt > Sent: Sunday, 19 September 2010 2:09 PM > To: australia-cemeteries@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [AUSTRALIA-CEMETERIES] VICTORIAN BDM INDEXES > > Hi David, > as usual you e-mails provide interesting information. > > I am curious about what you call the "Death Index Database"? > > My understanding is that there is a group of people that are going through > the death certificates and adding the cemetery of burial information to a > database of Victorian deaths. > I remember asking you about this once before and you said they were up to > the 1920's with it and that you once were part of the group. > > I am curious. > Who is actually doing it ? Is it the Register General, some Society or > just > a group of genealogists ? Who is in charge ? How many people are working > on > it ? What are they actually doing ? What information are they adding to > the > records ? Are they doing it for genealogists or the Registery ? How far > have > > they got with it ? What are they going to do with it when they finish it ? > Will they finish it in any of our life times ? > Have they got a web site where we can see what they are up to ? > > Do I detect a note of despair about this in your e-mail ? > "Still, when and if, the Death Index Database comes out in Victoria it > will > give a place of burial for the person." > > Yours, > Garry Batt. > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > AUSTRALIA-CEMETERIES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi Garry I believe there are a couple of projects on the go at Vic BDM's. There is the updated data base which I believe has a number of corrections as well as previously missed entries etc. Often people are buried a long way from where they died, being for various reasons. When working on cemetery records I am often surprised to find someone buried in a small cemetery when they died so far away, but find that there is possibly room in the grave and possibly a shortage of money saved on a plot. There is also a church record project going on. These are records more recently retrieved from churches that had not sent in their records. I am hoping my ancestors wedding will turn up on this on! We just all need to be patient, my belief is the longer it takes the more accurate it will be.At least we know it is coming. Don't worry David, chin up, it is still coming even if it will be one big data base. I know we will be grateful to all those volunteers for the long tedious hours this has taken. Carmel -----Original Message----- From: australia-cemeteries-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:australia-cemeteries-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Garry Batt Sent: Sunday, 19 September, 2010 7:45 PM To: australia-cemeteries@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [AUSTRALIA-CEMETERIES] VICTORIAN BDM INDEXES Hi Dave, thanks for your prompt and informative reply. I was imagining something a bit different for genealogists. Like all the deaths from the Indexes which they already have in a database and adding the name of the cemetery listed on the death cerificate. Then a simple index cross referenced with all the names used by the different cemeterys and roughly the periods each name was used. I don't particularly want to know everybody buried in a particular cemetery, just if the ones that I'm interested in are buried there. I can go to the trust records for a list of people buried in any given cemetery. OK, I realise trust records aren't always complete or even existant. I'm working on a descendant tree and have dozens of people that I would like to know where they are buried. They aren't buried in any of the local cemeterys near where their deaths are registered. I've got all the details from the BDM's on line (NSW are free to view) but no burial details unless I want to pay a small fortune for certificates. In NSW there are a few people that provide details off the certificates at a reasonable cost. It's all pay as you go here in Victoria. I'd of imagined that the burial of an unknown person wouldn't be of much value to a genealogist. When I publish a cemetery record I tend to leave out unknown persons or unmarked graves as being of no value to genealogists. A commom question on this forum is "in which cemetery would this person be buried in?" I'm looking at this from a genealogists view. I realise the benefit of re-creating lost trust records. I suppose all we can do is wait and see. I suppose I shouldn't comment until I see a sample but I may not live that long. I was talking to a person from the health dept. and asked him if they had a copy of all the cemetery trust records. He said that they didn't but he liked the idea. Anyway, thanks again for all your information. I always like reading your posts. Maybe someone else can tell us a bit more about how they are going. Yours, Garry. ----- Original Message ----- From: "D Weatherill" <djweath@bigpond.net.au> To: <australia-cemeteries@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2010 5:28 PM Subject: Re: [AUSTRALIA-CEMETERIES] VICTORIAN BDM INDEXES > Hi Gary and Folks; > > I should have said the Burial Index being compiled by the Victorian BDM, > not > Death Index. I believe they are up to the late 1950s with their data > entry. > I only wish that they had produced it in two groups. Up to 1920, then > 1921-1985 instead of waiting for just one index. It has been going for > over > many years now being compiled. > > The index is being compiled by a list of volunteers at the Victorian BDM > offices using the actual death certificates. The final product will come > out > from the Victorian Registry. I believe they are also looking at including > maps and histories of the cemeteries. One of the areas of "problem" is the > locational index, ie when you type in a cemetery by a name it will bring > up > all burials for all names the cemeteries used. ie Preston Cemetery was > originally McLeans, then Darebin Creek, then Strathallan, then Preston > cemetery. If you used Preston Cemetery for a search term, all would > appear. > They were still working on this. The biggest single group for the index is > "Unknown" for the place of burial. Many early death certificates did not > include date and place of burial on the certificate. > > Originally the burial index project was set up using volunteers from the > AIGS and GSV to put together burial list for both Cemetery Trusts who had > lost their burial records and for family history researchers. The project > started just before I became President of the GSV and Don Grant was > president of AIGS. Been going for a looonnnnnggggg time now. The registry > is > in charge of it and it has a public servant at the Registry responsible > for > it. It was Ann Fullerton but there will be a replacement for her. When > will > it finish!!!, I do not know but I believe it will come out on a DVD or > perhaps two. There is no website re its progress although the Registry > does > write a column for the quarterly magazines of the GSV and AAIGS noting the > stage it is at. > > Yes Gary, you do detect some despair on my behalf. I was hoping to see the > first part out years ago. Both Don and I got volunteers involved at the > Registry in the hope it would come out quickly to meet the needs of > people. > > Hope this picks up your questions. > > Cheers, > > David > > -----Original Message----- > From: australia-cemeteries-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:australia-cemeteries-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Garry Batt > Sent: Sunday, 19 September 2010 2:09 PM > To: australia-cemeteries@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [AUSTRALIA-CEMETERIES] VICTORIAN BDM INDEXES > > Hi David, > as usual you e-mails provide interesting information. > > I am curious about what you call the "Death Index Database"? > > My understanding is that there is a group of people that are going through > the death certificates and adding the cemetery of burial information to a > database of Victorian deaths. > I remember asking you about this once before and you said they were up to > the 1920's with it and that you once were part of the group. > > I am curious. > Who is actually doing it ? Is it the Register General, some Society or > just > a group of genealogists ? Who is in charge ? How many people are working > on > it ? What are they actually doing ? What information are they adding to > the > records ? Are they doing it for genealogists or the Registery ? How far > have > > they got with it ? What are they going to do with it when they finish it ? > Will they finish it in any of our life times ? > Have they got a web site where we can see what they are up to ? > > Do I detect a note of despair about this in your e-mail ? > "Still, when and if, the Death Index Database comes out in Victoria it > will > give a place of burial for the person." > > Yours, > Garry Batt. > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > AUSTRALIA-CEMETERIES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to AUSTRALIA-CEMETERIES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message