Can someone please tell me the best way to use the A2A for the best results. I don't think I know how to use it to it's full potential. Thanks...all help, welcome :) Jan researching: SHAW, BOADLE, DIXON, NEILL, CONKEY, TOPPING - cumbria BROCKBANK, HERBERT, PARKER - cumbria SHEDD, SPEARS, STICKNEY, JEWETT, BURCH, BLOOD, HALL - usa

Jan writes: >Can someone please tell me the best way to use the A2A for the >best results. First, for those of you who don't know about A2A. You can get to it at: http://www.pro.gov.uk/catalogues/a2a.htm To quote the site blurb: "The A2A database contains archive catalogues submitted by archives throughout England". For our purposes, the archives are mostly (but not all) from the records offices at Carlisle and Whitehaven. The database is a wonderful resource, only put online last year (or was it the year before that ... time flies), and is being steadily added to. It's well worth keeping an eye on http://www.a2a.pro.gov.uk/about/catalogues/new.asp to see what has been added in the preceding month. The database provides you with basic details about what are in individual archives. You can search for things like surnames and place names and get a brief description and a reference. You'll then need to contact the record office (or other repository) to check the original documents. For our purposes, the Cumberland A2A entries are especially strong on Non-Conformist sources (Quakers, Methodists, etc.), but you can get info about all sorts of other things - the Irthing Vale Wanderers Cricket Club, the Carlisle Diocese Mothers' Union, the West Cumberland Whippet Racing Club or the Loyal Solway Lodge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, Whitehaven (to name a fraction of what is there). Unless someone beats me to it (oh please do, it'll save me a lot of effort!), I'll do a step-by-step 'how to search' in another post. Chris chris@dickinson.uk.net

That would be very helpful to me as well Chris (sorry) Patricia And I remembered to cut out most of your posting!! > snip< > Unless someone beats me to it (oh please do, it'll save me a lot > of effort!), I'll do a step-by-step 'how to search' in another > post. > > > Chris > chris@dickinson.uk.net > > > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 >