In a message dated 08/07/2004 18:26:45 GMT Daylight Time, irene.marlborough@syngenta.com writes: I suspect that FreeCEN will be the gold standard once it has a critical mass of data available and they have servers capable of taking the load. . . Much the same was said of the 1881 census transcript, which was done for the LDS by Family History Society members all over the country, yet errors, some of them blatant, are now known to have crept in. Being a member of a local FHS does not mean that one is oneself a local! Two transcripts were made independently, then compared, and the local supervisor then had to check all areas of disagreement between them. As long as some enumerators had atrocious handwriting, and as long as we have to manage with documents which have been stored badly for a century, which is for evermore, there being only one original, that is as long as there will be difficulties in reading the material. It further reinforces my point about the importance of having local people do the work. The correct spelling - no, there is no such thing as correct spelling: I should say the standard spelling - can sometimes only be guessed at, and if any sense is to be made of an apparently impossible colection of letters to pronounce, then a thorough knowledge of the local accent is essential. With all due respect to those not brought up hereabouts, that is something which simply cannot be acquired! . . In my work as a professional I have lost count of the number of times I have had to inform clients that the pedigree "so far" with which they have presented me as a starting point, is quite inaccurate: in many of those cases the inaccurate information has been "supplied" by the sort of "helpful" people who have given their time freely (it seems they do not need to earn money to live - lucky people!) but whose enthusiasm far exceeds both the thoroughness of their knowledge and of their experience. To be more certain that one's information is reliable, I still say there can be no substitute for an experienced local Professional, who, being full-time (part-timers may call themselves Professional but they cannot be), who is dealing with knotty problems all day every day. There has been much mention made of getting people to "look up" information - OK, but in which records? With the best will in the world someone can only ask for a "look-up" in records they themselves know about and think are likely to prove useful. A local Professional will in most cases know without doing the "look-up" whether or not it is likely to (a) be possible (cf those beginners who ask for pre-1837 birth certificates, for instance, or the parents names from a pre-1837 "marriage certificate") and (b) be helpful. He or she will also probably be able to suggest other sources which the original enquirer might not have known the existence of and therefore could hardly have asked for a "look-up" to be made in them. There is much more waiting to be explored than church registers and census material! . . In case anyone wants to accuse me of advertising, I should say that all this has been very general and indeed I am not the only Professional practising in the region: what I say applies to all. . . Geoff Nicholson . 57 Manor Park, Concord, WASHINGTON, Tyne & Wear NE37 2BU Long-established Professional Genealogist: ask for details of NBL/DUR family history research by THE local expert, working for YOU.

Major blonde moment here, I didn't notice this went to the list as well, so sorry for pasting what you'd already read!! I think it's time I had a break from Elizabeth, my brain needs to regenerate some cells I think! ;D Take care, Rob. IBSSG Stuttgart, Germany Honey's Home of Genealogy www.honeyshome.com ----- Original Message ----- From: susan BAMPTON To: ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2004 4:51 PM Subject: Re: [ENG-DUR] Elizabeth ARMSTRONG ... baptisms Hi Rob Sorry but it's bad news and good news. I checked the Durham Records site last night and found there were four Elizabeth Armstrongs born between 1841 and 1850 registered in the Easington district. I have checked all four and none of them fit. The only one who has a father named John has a different mother. Father's occupation does not agree either. So bad luck. However, there were 11 other Elizabeth Armstrongs registered in other areas of County Durham so I decided to check them out as well and - pause for trumpets - I found her! Yabadabadoo!! Elizabeth Armstrong born 1848 and registered in the Durham Northern area. The reference code for her birth certificate from the regional office is DNLAN7-389. The certificate costs £7 and can be paid for on line with a credit card at the following address http://www.durham.gov.uk/gro/bi184150.nsf/intermediate?openform&idpass=D61487B58BDFFC2880256D0B004844F3 or you can print out the application form and send to the office at the following address Postal Applications If you apply by post please complete the form and enclose a stamped addressed envelope and the appropriate fee in sterling drawn on a British Bank Sorting Code. Certificates cost £7.00 each. All remittances should be made payable to Superintendent Registrar and cheques should be crossed "/&Co/". Durham Northern The Registrar 7 Thorneyholme Terrace, Stanley Co Durham DH9 0BJ UK Telephone: 01207 235849 (In UK), +44 1207 235849 (Outside UK) I think a credit card is probably the best way though. Hope this helps! Looking forward to receiving your firstborn! Susan ----- Original Message ----- From: Robyn Leeds To: susan BAMPTON Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 5:37 PM Subject: Re: [ENG-DUR] Elizabeth ARMSTRONG ... baptisms Hi Susan :) I LOVE YOU, you're an angel, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! :D Okay, I got carried away, but I've been searching for this woman for 4 years and so far zilch ... sigh!! Here's what I have to date ... Elizabeth ARMSTRONG died 1917 in Bendigo, Australia aged 69 years. That puts her birth at around 1848. Her marriage to William Edward BYNON lists her birthplace as "Durham, England', unfortunately no more and states she was 20 at the time she married. This also confirms her birth c1848. So far I've been unable to find her in 1848 so she may have lied about her age when she married and as a result her death age is wrong too. Funnily enough if it IS incorrect, then chances are high she was born 1844 which means she made herself younger. I thought that was strange, most people make themselves older in order to marry etc. But I digress, sorry!! Elizabeth's parents were John ARMSTRONG and Dorothy WAUGH, John listed as a miner. I don't have any birthplace for either, although I DO have Dorothy's death registration but that hasn't been confirmed. If it IS her, she died in 1891 aged 70 years, putting her birth at c1821. No place of birth unfortunately! :(( I've been searching various sites and found various entries which could possibly be Elizabeth, but so far nothing has been close enough for me to warrant purchasing anything. If you can find her birth registration I will love you forever and send you my firstborn as a slave for a year!! ;D Let me know if you need anything else and I'll do my best to find it! :D Take care, Rob. IBSSG Stuttgart, Germany Honey's Home of Genealogy www.honeyshome.com ==== ENG-DURHAM Mailing List ==== query board for Durham gen web http://www.britishislesgenweb.org/cgi-bin/data/durham.cgi

Hi everyone :) Thanks to the wonderful generosity of Susan Bampton, we now have Elizabeth's birth certificate waiting for me to purchase it online!!! :D :D :D Here's the details from Susan's email ... Elizabeth Armstrong born 1848 and registered in the Durham Northern area. The reference code for her birth certificate from the regional office is DNLAN7-389. I guess the question now is whether or not she was still in the Northern area at the time of the 1851 census. Since Michael and a lot of people from this list have tried and failed, I think perhaps she may have departed for Australia sooner than I thought. I'm now going to concentrate on finding Dorothy and John, Elizabeth's parents, as well as searching for information on when they emigrated to Australia. Would anyone know how I would go about finding shipping information? Would they have left from the Durham area, i.e. is there a port in Easington or surrounding areas? The only port I know of is Spithead, my ggGrandfather Eastley was transported from there as a convict. Any help again would be enormously appreciated!! :D Again Susan, thank you! thank you! thank you! :D Take care, Rob. IBSSG Stuttgart, Germany Honey's Home of Genealogy www.honeyshome.com

Hi Rob Sorry but it's bad news and good news. I checked the Durham Records site last night and found there were four Elizabeth Armstrongs born between 1841 and 1850 registered in the Easington district. I have checked all four and none of them fit. The only one who has a father named John has a different mother. Father's occupation does not agree either. So bad luck. However, there were 11 other Elizabeth Armstrongs registered in other areas of County Durham so I decided to check them out as well and - pause for trumpets - I found her! Yabadabadoo!! Elizabeth Armstrong born 1848 and registered in the Durham Northern area. The reference code for her birth certificate from the regional office is DNLAN7-389. The certificate costs £7 and can be paid for on line with a credit card at the following address http://www.durham.gov.uk/gro/bi184150.nsf/intermediate?openform&idpass=D61487B58BDFFC2880256D0B004844F3 or you can print out the application form and send to the office at the following address Postal Applications If you apply by post please complete the form and enclose a stamped addressed envelope and the appropriate fee in sterling drawn on a British Bank Sorting Code. Certificates cost £7.00 each. All remittances should be made payable to Superintendent Registrar and cheques should be crossed "/&Co/". Durham Northern The Registrar 7 Thorneyholme Terrace, Stanley Co Durham DH9 0BJ UK Telephone: 01207 235849 (In UK), +44 1207 235849 (Outside UK) I think a credit card is probably the best way though. Hope this helps! Looking forward to receiving your firstborn! Susan ----- Original Message ----- From: Robyn Leeds To: susan BAMPTON Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 5:37 PM Subject: Re: [ENG-DUR] Elizabeth ARMSTRONG ... baptisms Hi Susan :) I LOVE YOU, you're an angel, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! :D Okay, I got carried away, but I've been searching for this woman for 4 years and so far zilch ... sigh!! Here's what I have to date ... Elizabeth ARMSTRONG died 1917 in Bendigo, Australia aged 69 years. That puts her birth at around 1848. Her marriage to William Edward BYNON lists her birthplace as "Durham, England', unfortunately no more and states she was 20 at the time she married. This also confirms her birth c1848. So far I've been unable to find her in 1848 so she may have lied about her age when she married and as a result her death age is wrong too. Funnily enough if it IS incorrect, then chances are high she was born 1844 which means she made herself younger. I thought that was strange, most people make themselves older in order to marry etc. But I digress, sorry!! Elizabeth's parents were John ARMSTRONG and Dorothy WAUGH, John listed as a miner. I don't have any birthplace for either, although I DO have Dorothy's death registration but that hasn't been confirmed. If it IS her, she died in 1891 aged 70 years, putting her birth at c1821. No place of birth unfortunately! :(( I've been searching various sites and found various entries which could possibly be Elizabeth, but so far nothing has been close enough for me to warrant purchasing anything. If you can find her birth registration I will love you forever and send you my firstborn as a slave for a year!! ;D Let me know if you need anything else and I'll do my best to find it! :D Take care, Rob. IBSSG Stuttgart, Germany Honey's Home of Genealogy www.honeyshome.com

Renee said: <<I started all these volunteer projects because of kind volunteers that have helped me break down my own walls.>> I agree totally. I do lookups for free wherever it's allowed. We're allowed to do this using Ancestry so I help people out when I can. I transcribe for FreeCEN from my own CDs so I'm able to do lookups from my (unchecked) transcripts. I also live near to the Louisiana State Archives and also to the Parish (County) Library where the newspaper archives are kept. I've provided lookups from here and never take any money for postage or copying fees. Like Renee, I suggest paying the favour forward. I've been the recipient of many kind acts myself. It's especially important to those of us exiled overseas (or imprisoned at home with small children!) <<It will also give you a feel for how hard it can be to index correctly.>> You bet! I hear people bleating all the time about the quality of this index or that transcription but I'd bet that the complainers haven't indexed a census or parish register in their lives. That's not to say that things couldn't be improved but the indexes available now are a whole lot better than no index at all. I suspect that FreeCEN will be the gold standard once it has a critical mass of data available and they have servers capable of taking the load. But quality takes time and we may all have joined our ancestors by then!! Good hunting, Irene

Sorry about the delay but I couldn't email the list from my home email since I'm not subscribed there. I think I've got your family in 1841 - see below. Also some other ROXBY families close by. The rest is from PRs mostly Houghton le Spring. My husband is descended from John ROXBY bap 1823, illegitimate son of Jane who I believe was the widow of Peter ROXBY (not a spinster as stated). I'd been gathering ROXBY families in the belief that there would be a connection. However, if my surmise is correct and John's mother was a widow then there is no blood ROXBY connection at all. Sigh! Oh well, at least I was able to help you. All the best, Irene PS There are more ROXBY families on the 1841, mostly in South Hetton. You may want to take a look there. 1841 Census HO107/312/9 Folio 3 Front Street Easington Lane Stephen ROXBY 35 Grocer/Draper Y Margaret ROXBY 30 Y Margaret ROXBY 10 Y George SPEED 20 App Y Folio 9 Lane Ends Cuthbert ROXBY 40 Lab Y Mary ROXBY 40 Y Mary ROXBY 2 Y Folio 25 Cuthbert ROXBY 65 Waggonman Y Jane ROXBY 65 Y Cuthbert ROXBY 20 Waggonman Y Folio 29 Four Lane Ends William ROXBY 30 Pitman Y Rebecca ROXBY 30 Y Jane ROXBY 4 Y Cuthbert ROXBY 1m Y HO107/312/15 Low Hornsby Folio 7 p6 Jeremiah ROXBY 35 Pitman Y Ann ROXBY 30 Y John ROXBY 8 Y Peter ROXBY 5 Y Jeremiah ROXBY 3 Y George ROXBY 1 Y Baptisms Houghton Le Spring Peter son Peter and Jane ROXBY of Newbottle, Pitman 9 Oct 1814 Jane dau of Peter & Jane ROXBY of Stotts Pasture, Pitman 29 Dec 1816 John son John & Hannah ROXBY of Philadelphia, Pitman 2 Nov 1817 George son Peter & Jane ROXBY of Stott's Pasture, Pitman 18 Oct 1818 George son Peter & Elenor ROXBY of West Rainton, Banksman 30 Apr 1820 Mary Ann illeg dau Jane ROXBY of Newbottle, widow 14 Oct 1821 Hannah dau Robert & Ann ROXBY of East Rainton, Pitman 7 Jul 1822 John illeg son Jane ROXBY of Newbottle spinster 23 Dec 1823 Robert son Robert & Ann ROXBY of East Rainton Engine, pitman 24 Apr 1825 Isabella dau Henry & Elizabeth ROXBY of Hetton, Pitman 18 Nov 1826 George son Robert & Ann ROXBY of Rainton Engine, Pitman 15 Apr 1827 George son Edward & Mary ROXBY of Easington Lane, Banksman 10 Jun 1827 Elizabeth dau George & Ann ROXBY of Easington Lane, Banksman 16 Sep 1827 Charlote dau William & Hannah ROXBY of Easington Lane in township of Hetton pitman 26 Apr 1829 stopped recording ROXBYs here. Marriages Houghton Le Spring Peter ROXBY m Jane Walles/Willis/Welles botp by banns15 May 1813 George ROXBY & Elizabeth Shepherd botp by banns 26 Dec 1771 Burials Penshaw 1 Mar 1819 Peter ROXBY of Nesham's Jane Pit age 44 West Rainton 20 Jul 1830 Peter ROXBY of Resolution Pit age 49 Houghton Le Spring 17 Apr 1812 Frances ROXBY of Collier Row a native of Lumley wife of Peter 26 Jun 1816 George ROXBY of West Rainton 60 23 Aug 1818 Thomas ROXBY of Low Pit Houses age 26 14 Jan 1827 Mary ROXBY of Easington Lane age 31 17 Oct 1827 Robert ROXBY of Rainton Engine age 44 30 Oct 1827 Elizabeth ROXBY 2nd illeg dau of Jane 1 Mar 1828 Edward ROXBY of Easington Lane age 30 20 Aug 1829 Alice 3rd dau of Henry & Elizabeth ROXBY of Easington Lane 15 Jul 1833 Mary ROXBY of Houghton age 89 23 Apr 1843 Ann ROXBY of Downs Pit age 46 14 Dec 1844 Cuthbert ROXBY of South Hetton age 29

Hi Liz :) "It is just as rewarding to me as my own research is, when someone emails me to say that because of a look up that I have done they have finally broken through their own brick wall." I agree with you! I've had more traffic to my site lately and as a result have had more requests for lookups than I have since I began my site. I've received email a lot in the past few weeks thanking me for my help in knocking down walls, and it always leaves me feeling good knowing I've helped someone! :D When they ask how they can repay me, I tell them to pay it forward!! ;D Take care, Rob.

Hi Stan :) I have a strong feeling that's where I accessed it in the past, because I used to transcribe for them (pre-toddler days, when I had no little fingers helping me type! ;D) and so did a lot of searching around the times I uploaded completed pages. I've been there today and had no luck finding either Dorothy WAUGH or daughter Elizabeth ARMSTRONG, nothing definite anyway. The problem with these type of records is that they don't list the parents, and that's what I need with such a popular name! I'll keep searching and working through different theories until I find her, but it's not getting any easier ... sigh!! Take care, Rob. IBSSG Stuttgart, Germany Honey's Home of Genealogy www.honeyshome.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Stanmapstone@aol.com To: honey@honeyshome.com ; ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 8:12 PM Subject: Re: [ENG-DUR] 1851 Durham census In a message dated 07/07/2004 17:48:22 GMT Daylight Time, honey@honeyshome.com writes: I've tried to access the GRO, which I'm sure I've done in the past, but I can't find a site where the entire index is online for free searching. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Have you tried http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ , not the entire index yet. FreeBMD is an ongoing project, the aim of which is to transcribe the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, and to provide free Internet access to the transcribed records Regards Stan Mapstone www.mapstone.org

I also have the name Rayne (note spelling here)in my ancestry. Our family was at Winlaton and dates to about 1730s. I have William Rayne marrying Isabella Short (1737-1814). Their son, John Rayne (1773-1845), married Sarah Smith (1773-1852) and lived at Winlaton. Their daughter, Mary Rayne, married John Greener. And their daughter, Mary Greener (1851-1911), married Thomas Robinson, and lived at High Spen. These Robinsons were originally from Greystoke in Cumberland. John & Mary Greener's other daughter, Elizabeth Greener, was married to Coffee Johnny Oliver. Thomas and Mary Robinson's daughter, Sarah Ann Robinson, married George Charlton. My grandmother and their daughter, Ada Charlton, married Thomas Calvert and they lived at High Spen also. Thomas Calvert was from Witton Gilbert. I have several other County Durham and Northumberland families from which I descend including: Laws, Thresham, Atkinson, Carr, Breckens, Race, Davidson, Gibson, Brunksill, and Dawson If you recognise any connection to any of these families, please contact me Sincerely, Carol Small

Hi Just discovered a new line to my family tree and wondered if any one else is researching the surname MELLON. I have a Miles Ronald MELLON born about 1915 married Charlotte Ganley 1942 in the Register Office, Annfield Plain. Miles father was William Robinson MELLON born about 1890 in Dipton, Co. Durham. Williams parents were John & Mary MELLON(maiden name not yet known). Other children were Margaret J R 1889, Elizabeth 1893 & Martha 1900 all born Dipton. Would welcome contact from anyone else researching this surname. Regards Sue Sunderland

Hello everyone Would SKP please check this entry on the 1861 census for me PeterKerr [Keir(?)] age 45 1861 District Auckland I am hoping that he may be my 3x gt grandfather His wifes name would clarify it I would really appreciate this Christine --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.716 / Virus Database: 472 - Release Date: 05/07/2004

I just have to say that of course it is more rewarding to be able to access records and find your own family that way but it is just not possible for everyone. Some people (myself included) live in isolated areas a very long way from LDS centres, records offices etc. And some people find the cost of all the various discs available to be prohibitive especially if you only need to look up a small handful of people from a particular set., especially when all the vital paperwork (BMD certs etc) is already costing an arm and a leg! I am very grateful to those people who offer look ups from census and other records from time to time. I think people that do this are invaluable to my research. In return I offer look ups in areas in which I am able, as often as I can....and am more than happy to do so. It is just as rewarding to me as my own research is, when someone emails me to say that because of a look up that I have done they have finally broken through their own brick wall. Just my point of view of course :-) And with thanks to everyone who has ever volunteered to do a look up for anyone else! Liz ----- Original Message ----- From: <GNicresearch@aol.com> To: <ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 6:24 PM Subject: Re: [ENG-DUR] 1851 Durham census > > In a message dated 07/07/2004 17:33:54 GMT Daylight Time, > irene.marlborough@syngenta.com writes: > > If you feel so guilty about someone else researching your family for you, > . > . There's no need to feel guilty about that! Everyone could do with help > from time to time, and indeed I would say that anyone working from a > distance really NEEDS someone "on the spot" who is familiar with the region and with > its records and families on a day-to-day basis. True, Lists such as this > can be a great help - and all subscribers fall into the category of those who > use them, but - let's not kid ourselves - when a complete stranger, whose > motivation and honesty I have no idea about, tells me something without > necessarily quoting their sources, or when they tell me something and quote sources I > know to be suspect, ie secondary, then I know how much value to place upon it > - very little, I'm afraid. Professional Genealogists may not be everyone's > cup of tea but I have yet to discover any better way of conducting research > from somewhere well outside the region in question. > . > > > > >why don't you buy the CD of the 1851 census for Co. Durham. I have and it > >means I can do my own research. Sure, it would be easier to use an overall > >index if one was available but until then it must be done the hard way. I > >believe Stepping Stones and/or S&N Genealogy have done 1841 and 1851 between > >them. I have them both but I'm not at home so don't remember which was > >which. Archive CD Books has done 1861 and is promising 1871 this year > >although I haven't seen hide nor hair of it yet. > . > . I have the 1871 CD of Co Durham (and the Northumberland one). I have a > feeling it has been advertised for some time but I bought my copy from S&N > (British Data Archive) a couple of weeks ago at the annual York Family History > Fair. I have the 1841, 71 and 91 facsimiles for the whole of both > Northumberland and Co Durham, as well as all the 1851 census indexes yet published for > the two counties, the Cleveland FHS "ENOCH" program for accessing details of > the 1891 census of their district and various indexes to parts of the 1861 > census for both counties, both published and my own extracts. It's amazing > what one can build up over many years of collecting! > . > . Geoff Nicholson > . > > > 57 Manor Park, Concord, WASHINGTON, Tyne & Wear NE37 2BU > Long-established Professional Genealogist: ask for details of > NBL/DUR family history research by THE local expert, working for YOU. > > > > > ==== ENG-DURHAM Mailing List ==== > Browse the ENG-DURHAM archives http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/eng-durham > >

Hi Irene :) I agree wholeheartedly with you, it IS much more rewarding finding your own ancestors!! :D I purchased the 1851 Devon census CD not that long ago from the LDS site. It was only about US$10 which I could afford. The Durham CDs I've looked into at a few sites and they're around £45 which is way over my budge when you convert it to US dollars. If I were back in the States I could access one of their family history centres, or even if I was still in Australia, but unfortunately here in Germany I have nothing but the internet!! :(( And the kindness of strangers of course!!! :D I think the highlight of my research was when I received a newspaper article photocopy of my ggGrandfather, William Eastley's, trial details (he was a convict, bad boy!) and just because I'm a stickybeak I read the entire page. I found part of another article which had William's name on it so I requested a copy of that part of the page. I uncovered information about one of the biggest mysteries of our family, all because I had to know what everyone else was being tried for!! lol Boy it felt good to give other researchers information that I'd "almost" found myself too, although I wouldn't have had it had I not had the trial article with just that little bit on the left!! ;D So far I've had an incredible response to my census lookup request, so before I get totally absorbed (am I not?!? lol) in finding Elizabeth, a huge THANK YOU to everyone on the list, you've all made finding her that much more pleasant and a tad easier!! :D Take care, Rob. IBSSG Stuttgart, Germany Honey's Home of Genealogy www.honeyshome.com ----- Original Message ----- From: irene.marlborough@syngenta.com To: ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 3:03 PM Subject: RE: [ENG-DUR] 1851 Durham census Hi Robyn: If you feel so guilty about someone else researching your family for you, why don't you buy the CD of the 1851 census for Co. Durham. I have and it means I can do my own research. Sure, it would be easier to use an overall index if one was available but until then it must be done the hard way. I believe Stepping Stones and/or S&N Genealogy have done 1841 and 1851 between them. I have them both but I'm not at home so don't remember which was which. Archive CD Books has done 1861 and is promising 1871 this year although I haven't seen hide nor hair of it yet. Doing your own research is so much more rewarding because you feel so good when you find somebody. As a bonus you'll probably find more folks because you'll be the only one to recognise a married daughter etc. In addition, if you have your own CDs you'd be able to help FreeCEN transcribe the census and make it freely available on-line. It might be the only way some of us will ever find our ancestors. I'm trying to do my research from thousands of miles away and I know how hard it can be and how welcome even the smallest bit of help is. Still, this is a hobby for most of us and DIY is the best way to go - with a little help from our friends! Good hunting, Irene ==== ENG-DURHAM Mailing List ==== U.K. PhoneDirectory http://www.bt.com/phonenetuk/ Looking for an address in the U.K. try, http://www.streetmap.co.uk/

Hi Geoff :) I've tried to access the GRO, which I'm sure I've done in the past, but I can't find a site where the entire index is online for free searching. As for sending for a certificate, the Durham office told me I could apply for the certificate, specifying I only wanted it if Elizabeth's parents were listed as John Armstrong and Dorothy Waugh. The problem there is that it's going to cost me US$15.00 for a £7 cheque to pay for the certificate!! Unfortunately I can't afford it at the moment for various reasons, the biggest one being a military wage is barely above the poverty line in the States!! :(( So far I've been very lucky with my research, I haven't had to pay out much money! :D I've had an offer of a lovely lady offlist to do a lookup for me at the records office, so I'm hoping she can find Elizabeth for me. If not it's time to disown her and find a new ggGrandmother!! ;D Thanks again for yor help Geoff, as always you've been very helpful! :D Oh, if you know where I can search the GRO for free, could you please let me know? Thanks! :D I must sound like a miser, but I've got 4 kids so I can't afford NOT to be!! lol Take care, Rob. IBSSG Stuttgart, Germany Honey's Home of Genealogy www.honeyshome.com ----- Original Message ----- From: GNicresearch@aol.com To: ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 3:49 PM Subject: Re: [ENG-DUR] 1851 Durham census In a message dated 07/07/2004 10:09:32 GMT Daylight Time, honey@honeyshome.com writes: Until then, if anyone DOES have access to the 1851 census and "just happen" to come across Elizabeth ARMSTRONG born about 1848, parents John and Dorothy ARMSTRONG (nee WAUGH), I'd LOVE to hear about it!! :D Rob: I take it you do realise that having been born in England in 1848, Elizabeth will have had a birth certificate and so should be listed in the GRO indexes. If you find her there, then you could obtain her birth certificate from the local registrar for only £7. If there are several possibilities (four Quarters plus the statutory six weeks allowed for registration usually produces five Quarters which would need to be searched) then at least you would have a list of possible registration districts and with luck that would not be every one in Co Durham!. You could also order each certificate from the FRC, conditional upon the mother's maiden surname being Waugh. . . Geoff Nicholson . 57 Manor Park, Concord, WASHINGTON, Tyne & Wear NE37 2BU Ask for details of NBL/DUR family history research in depth by THE local expert, working for YOU. ==== ENG-DURHAM Mailing List ==== To unsubscribe send the command unsubscribe to ENG-DURHAM-L-request@rootsweb.com (if in mail mode) or ENG-DURHAM-D-request@rootsweb.com (if in digest mode.)

Hi Rob I live in Peterlee not far from the Register office. If you can give some other details such as parents name or address etc. I will call and see if this is the right one. Susan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robyn Leeds" <honey@honeyshome.com> To: <ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 10:19 AM Subject: [ENG-DUR] Elizabeth ARMSTRONG ... baptisms > Hi everyone :) > > I'm sorry to be a bother again, but I'm a woman on a mission and I WILL find my ggGrandmother if it kills me!!!! Having searched the Durham Records Online site for baptisms, the only one I can find is this one ... > > 78399.0 Elizabeth Armstrong 1844 Baptisms Easington > > > Not the right year of birth, but it wouldn't be the first time I've found differences, sure it won't be the last either! ;D Does anyone have the ability to look up this baptism for me? Hubby's is US Army so we're only on a very low income. I can't justify the expense of paying for this until I'm at least 85% sure it's my Elizabeth, so any help any of you can give would be extremely appreciated!! :D > > Take care, > > Rob. > IBSSG > Stuttgart, Germany > Honey's Home of Genealogy > www.honeyshome.com > > > > > ==== ENG-DURHAM Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe send the command unsubscribe to > ENG-DURHAM-L-request@rootsweb.com (if in mail mode) > or ENG-DURHAM-D-request@rootsweb.com (if in digest mode.) >

Hi Robyn and all: I didn't mean to imply that the help of strangers is not to be used. Just the opposite in fact. I have lots of help all the time and very glad I am too. No, I just meant that the kind of search you needed would be much better done by you because a) the rewards are greater and b) you'll likely find more. Since money is so tight (and I've been there and done that too) why don't you ask for family members to club together and buy you your most wanted census CD for your birthday or Christmas. It's worked for me in the past. Sometimes your nearest and dearest are only too glad to be able to give you something that you really want. I hope you find your rellie, Best wishes, Irene

>In return I offer look ups in areas in which I am able, as often > as I can....and am more than happy to do so. It is just as rewarding to me > as my own research is, when someone emails me to say that because of a look > up that I have done they have finally broken through their own brick wall. > > Just my point of view of course :-) My point of view too! I do obit lookups for a city near where I live and it is wonderful to help someone else break down a brick wall. More rewarding, I think, than finding my own! I started all these volunteer projects because of kind volunteers that have helped me break down my own walls. I do pay for research when I need to, and I make a fairly decent living, but the costs do get prohibitive, even to me. (I'm not wealthy, just comfortable) I know that not everyone can just afford to buy a CD or, as it is 'across the pond' (I am in the USA), a set of CD's to find one or two people. I also pay for yearly subscriptions to Ancestry.com and Genealogy.com and have a membership with a historical society that gives me free access to Heritage Quest. To me these are all bargains, but to many, the nearly $200 yearly fee each ($35 for the historical society) is way beyond their means, so when I can, I use what I can afford to pay for, to help others who can't and in turn, when I need research done, I start with volunteers. I think I have "earned" a few free lookups, so I never feel guilty to ask for free help, but the great thing is that those who helped me before I started volunteering, didn't care if I helped anyone before or not. I never had to earn anything! So, I personally, not only do not charge to help, I refuse to take any money even when it is offered, and just tell them to help someone else when they can, and if they really want to give their money away, donate it to a genealogy society, library or some place that can help lots of people and put your money to better use than I would! No, I don't ever check up on them to see if they have, it is their reward when they get that email... 'You are a gem... you just broke down a 20 year brick wall for me' they will be glad they did! I do understand that some people make a living doing genealogy research and there is nothing wrong with that either. I just don't think that anyone should be made to feel like they should pay for something if they can't afford it. Giving the information that it is available for a price is great, because they can choose to buy it, if they can. Also, don't feel guilty about someone doing 'all that research' for you free. Most people who volunteer love doing it. That's why they do it, and if the search is beyond what they can do, they will tell you. I do anyhow! Renee O'Neal

> Have you tried http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ , not the entire index yet. > FreeBMD is an ongoing project, the aim of which is to transcribe the Civil > Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, > and to provide free Internet access to the transcribed records By the way, they could use help too! I also transcribe for them. Renee

> In addition, if you have your own CDs you'd be able to help FreeCEN > transcribe the census and make it freely available on-line. It might be the > only way some of us will ever find our ancestors. I'm transcribing now for FreeCen and they will loan you the CD's free to transcribe. Just go to the FreeCen website, http://freecen.rootsweb.com/project.htm and volunteer. You don't need to own the CD's. You can pick which county you want to help with, but I don't think you can request a particular CD. I'm working on 1861 Worcester and Durham. Please don't ask for lookups because part of the terms of having the CD's loaned to us free, is that we only use it for transcribing for FreeCen. Just in case anyone wanted to help put them online faster. It will also give you a feel for how hard it can be to index correctly. Renee O'Neal

In a message dated 07/07/2004 17:48:22 GMT Daylight Time, honey@honeyshome.com writes: I've tried to access the GRO, which I'm sure I've done in the past, but I can't find a site where the entire index is online for free searching. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Have you tried http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ , not the entire index yet. FreeBMD is an ongoing project, the aim of which is to transcribe the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, and to provide free Internet access to the transcribed records Regards Stan Mapstone www.mapstone.org