I am reading posts about the national registers with interest, but I am not pleased that private companies like FMP and Ancestry can get sole rights to them. I am an Ancestry Subscriber and Genes Reunited plus free site subscriber. I now see that if I want access to the Registers in full I will have to subscribe to FMP or go to the Natonal Archive to see them. Luckily, I live in London and can make the journey to Kew to see them. I just feel for other people studying family history who cannot access the information without paying! Good luck everyone! Ann S

Bear in mind please Ann, that before these private companies came in, access to the 1939 Register for England and Wales was entirely by post and incurred a not inconsiderable handling fee. Without these companies, that situation would not have changed - the National Archives certainly doesn't have the resources in time, money, expertise or labour, to put these things on the internet for free. Nor, frankly, do I see why the State (ie the taxpayers) should subsidise my hobby. If things were ever being taken out of free access and being put exclusively behind a paywall, then I'd be the first to complain, but it's not happened yet - though the ScotlandsPeople *Centre* at Edinburgh comes close. Even FamilySearch, ostensibly for free, comes with the caveat that the LDS church does it for religious reasons.

Ann If you were to go to the National Archives for anything that has been digitised and available online they will simply sit you down in front of a computer and point you at either Ancestry or FMP, whoever had the record in the first place. What do you think is missing? Regards John Hanson - researching the Halstead/Holstead/Alstead names Researcher, the Halsted Trust, http://www.halstedresearch.org.uk New family history conference in 2018 http://www.secretlives.org.uk -----Original Message----- From: Ann Speakman [mailto:als296@gmail.com] Sent: 10 May 2018 10:24 To: lancsgen@rootsweb.com Subject: [LAN] National Registers I am reading posts about the national registers with interest, but I am not pleased that private companies like FMP and Ancestry can get sole rights to them. I am an Ancestry Subscriber and Genes Reunited plus free site subscriber. I now see that if I want access to the Registers in full I will have to subscribe to FMP or go to the Natonal Archive to see them. Luckily, I live in London and can make the journey to Kew to see them. I just feel for other people studying family history who cannot access the information without paying! Good luck everyone! Ann S _______________________________________________ :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: GENUKI - a virtual reference library of genealogical information. http://www.genuki.org.uk/ Contact the list administrator at LancsGen-admin@rootsweb.com :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: _______________________________________________ Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/postorius/lists/lancsgen@rootsweb.com/ Archives: https://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/hyperkitty/list/lancsgen@rootsweb.com/ Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community

To add to what others have already said What Findmypast and now Ancestry had, was paid for rights to bring them online If you go to most if not all libraries in the UK they have Ancestry and a great many have Findmypast to use for free All LDS FHS also have free access to both sites If you are lucky enough to be able to visit Kew it still costs for transport, time etc Without the private companies investing in making various databases available online we would be back where we were twenty years ago where it took a 30+ mile round trip, plus parking to check one GRO index entry, then a trip home to send a cheque to order a certificate, at least half a day for one small piece of research that now can be done in a couple of minutes from the comfort of your own home Far more people now have access to records that were once the preserve of the very fortunate or rich Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 10-May-18 10:23 AM, Ann Speakman wrote: > I am reading posts about the national registers with interest, but I am not > pleased that private companies like FMP and Ancestry can get sole rights to > them. I am an Ancestry Subscriber and Genes Reunited plus free site > subscriber. > > I now see that if I want access to the Registers in full I will have to > subscribe to FMP or go to the Natonal Archive to see them. Luckily, I live > in London and can make the journey to Kew to see them. I just feel for > other people studying family history who cannot access the information > without paying! > > Good luck everyone! > > Ann S

I agree with everyone's comments. When I started researching my family about the only thing available online was LDS's familysearch.org and it was much unreliable than now. You could buy the 1881 Census from the LDS on a CD. Otherwise you had to go to the PRO or a library in the area of interest. I used to go a few times year down to Bolton, Wales or Yorkshire to get access to various records or hire a researcher at the PRO (cheaper than my travel plus hotel). I paid about £200 to get all the fiches of the 1891 Census for Bolton area so I could continue work at home (also had to buy a fiche viewer). I joined the Aberdeen FHS because they had all the England & Wales BMD on fiche and used to go and stay over there for a few days to do some research. Martin Briscoe Fort William Ancestry DNA, FTDNA (B68554), GEDMatch (A374507) -----Original Message----- From: Nivard Ovington [mailto:ovington.one@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2018 12:18 PM To: lancsgen@rootsweb.com Subject: [LAN] Re: National Registers To add to what others have already said What Findmypast and now Ancestry had, was paid for rights to bring them online If you go to most if not all libraries in the UK they have Ancestry and a great many have Findmypast to use for free All LDS FHS also have free access to both sites If you are lucky enough to be able to visit Kew it still costs for transport, time etc

As I lived next door in Blackburn through that period of time, it was very interesting to read all that information...I'm sure a lot of people in the area knew nothing about Burnley and the theatres.. thanks Martin. Regards Sheila )Fife

Ancestry have free access to the 1939 Register today (13th May). Ancestry UK ‏Verified account @AncestryUK 6m6 minutes ago Last chance! Enjoy FREE ACCESS to the 1939 Register on Ancestry for today only! https://ancstry.me/2GalfIF #1939Register #Ancestry #FamilyHistory Martin Briscoe Fort William Ancestry DNA, FTDNA (B68554), GEDMatch (A374507)