Hi Charani Stellas post was fine There is no difference Between http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ And www.freebmd.org.uk I think you may be assuming one is to Ancestry? Ancestry use the same index as freebmd to 1915 but without the postems as you say but Ancestry have the facility to add alterations or corrections 1916 on Ancestry have their own transcript to 1983, 1984 to 2006 (2005 for marriages) they have the computerised index from the GRO Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 06/08/2012 10:52, Charani wrote: > Stella Stanger wrote: >> Hi, The following might be helpful - >> http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ > > www.freebmd.org.uk is a better link. It is more complete and also has > the Postems which give additional information not otherwise found in > the indices. Ancestry's version stops in about 1916 whilst that on > FreeBMD's own site go up to the 1950s now.

Nivard Ovington wrote: > Stellas post was fine > > There is no difference Between http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ And > www.freebmd.org.uk There is a difference as you've noted below, ie Ancestry don't have the postems and the Ancestry version stops at 1915. The freebmd.rootsweb.com address points the FreeBMD's own site. > I think you may be assuming one is to Ancestry? No, I don't assume (or presume) that at all. FreeBMD is extending their database but the version of FreeBMD version on Ancestry is not being extended now because Ancestry have the wherewithal to have done their own. Therefore, access to the later GRO indices on Ancestry is only available to those who have a sub, whereas the early FreeBMD ones are available to anyone who has an account. We're both well aware Ancestry had a copy of FreeBMD on condition it remained free of charge to access. Ancestry obviously didn't like giving away access to an extensively used database so they did their own which they could charge for. No problem for anyone with a sub > Ancestry use the same index as freebmd to 1915 but without the > postems as you say but Ancestry have the facility to add > alterations or corrections. Thus there IS a difference between the two. I wonder how many of the postems on FreeBMD site have been added as alterations or corrections to the Ancestry version or added as additional information and vice versa. I've added some to the 19th century FreeBMD transcript but they haven't been added to Ancestry. I found some information recently that could be useful to other researchers, esp since one of the names involved was SMITH, and added it as a Postem on FreeBMD. That information is not on Ancestry though because I don't have a subscription. > 1916 on Ancestry have their own transcript to 1983, 1984 to 2006 > (2005 for marriages) they have the computerised index from the GRO Exactly. Ancestry made their own transcript from the point at which they stop having FreeBMD's. Ancestry was also behind FreeBMD by up to six months. Presumably they have added the missing entries or have otherwise had that section updated. FreeBMD will stop at 1983 partly because the later indices are computerised and partly because the GRO (or HMRC) is wrongly convinced FreeBMD is part of Ancestry and thus part a commerical site. This is despite both Ancestry and FindMyPast, amongst others, who DO have the post 1983 entries! This is also why the GRO won't let FreeBMD have the BMDs to 2012. -- Charani (UK) OPC for Walton, Ashcott, Shapwick, Greinton and Clutton, SOM http://wsom-opc.org.uk