Sonia: First I agre with the mind part, I just parcelled out some work to other members of the family as I can't handle it all and remember all of it!! Before you send anyone your credit card number you should also check with your credit card issuer, some are NOW charging 3% on all foreign transactions. I just cancelled out National Bank of Omha for this reason. I think mopst companies figure in a fee in their prices these days, after all they know they are going to pay a fee on your credit purchase from them. Fee use to mean fee fi foo, today it meanbs a way to part you from your money. The State of md. where i live has a republican Governor for the first time in 40 years. HE SAID no new taxes, but he is feeing us to death, example my "fee" for auto license renewal went from $90.00 for 2 years to $180.00 for the same period of time, he has also begone a flush fee for toilets which I must pay inspite of the fact that i have septic system!! There is no end in sight until you die!!! Gordon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gil & Sonia Murray" <happyman70@bellsouth.net> To: <MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 8:06 PM Subject: RE: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" check credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON > Gordon, yes, I can send dollars in cash at the latest exchange rate, but > then the recipient has to change it into sterling, and will get hit with > charges to do so. I think there is a company in Washington, DC which > exchanges money and sends you a money order made out in right currency, > for > a very low fee - can't recall their name, my mind is going! > > All the best, > Sonia > > -----Original Message----- > From: gordon crooks [mailto:glcrooks@bcpl.net] > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 5:48 PM > To: MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" check > credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON > > Sonia: I was in the international transportation business for years, its > easy to send the exact amount in dollars to equal pounds , marks, guilders > whatever. Your bank can quote you say what $50.00 amounts to in any > currency. With the hackers and internet thieves we have today I would > rather > be safe than sorry. > > Gordon Crooks > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Gil & Sonia Murray" <happyman70@bellsouth.net> > To: <MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 6:44 PM > Subject: RE: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" check > credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON > > >> We've bought things on the Internet with a credit card many times, and >> never had a problem before. Unfortunately, I can't send a personal >> check denominated in dollars to someone in Scotland or England, as >> their bank charges to exchange the money would be very high. I once >> paid the Norfolk record Office a little under eight pounds for Hearth >> Tax copies, and got a money order from my bank denominated in sterling >> to do it - the money order cost me more than thirty dollars, about >> fourteen pounds! >> >> All the best, >> >> Sonia >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: gordon crooks [mailto:glcrooks@bcpl.net] >> Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 1:43 PM >> To: MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com >> Subject: Re: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" >> check credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON >> >> Sonia: NEVER use a credit card on internet you are asking for trouble >> and you got it. Send them a check, so its takes a few days more, but >> you are safe from credit card scrams. >> >> Gordon >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Gil & Sonia Murray" <happyman70@bellsouth.net> >> To: <MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com> >> Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 10:33 AM >> Subject: RE: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" >> check credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON >> >> >>> It's a shame that all the records aren't available on line. Years >>> ago, I had a company in England, Research St Leonards UK, look up >>> birth records at the Lewes registrar's office for my mystery >>> G-grandfather, Thomas H. >>> Brown, >>> and paid by Visa. This month, I was astonished to find a ninety >>> pound charge on my Visa bill from them! An advanced Google search >>> for the string showed the Sussex police have a growing file on the >>> scam. The firm had been sold, and sold again, and at some time over >>> the years crooks got hold of old records and are now putting charges >>> on the credit cards of people who had ever had them do research. >>> Crooks can get hold of the records of any legitimate company with >>> whom we do business, so our only defense is to check our bills each >>> month for unauthorized charges. If all the records were available on >>> line, this could not have happened. And I would be able to trace my >>> Stephenson family in Edinburgh so easily! Does anyone in Scotland >>> descend from them? >>> >>> Sonia in the U.S. >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: brian ware [mailto:lorconbew@yahoo.co.uk] >>> Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 4:04 AM >>> To: MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com >>> Subject: Re: [MLN] Re - Birth records >>> >>> Very true,Duncan.Most folk seem to forget the whole system was set up >>> at the taxpayerrs expense and still are.The taxpayers pay the staff >>> wages and eveything else.We all still pay to register family >>> information.It's high time the whole shebang was free to everyone.I >>> don't mind paying for certs copies.Regards Brian. >>> >>> >>> Duncan Smith <d.smith.1@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote: >>> Robin wrote .... "However there is great concern about personation, >>> identity theft and money laundering ... >>> So the decision in Scotland that online BMD's indexes are restricted >>> is apparently to make it less easy for those with criminal intent to >>> get this information on living people .... >>> Personal visitors to the search rooms in Edinburgh will all be >>> identified so they can access all the indeces. >>> Curiously the English and Welsh BMD indexes are available online >>> almost up to the present." >>> >>> The fact that the English & Welsh indexes are available online right >>> up to >>> 2003 shows that it can be done. Any professional crook who wants to >>> 'steal' >>> other people's identity (although someone born 90 years ago seems to >>> me, to be rather an unlikely sort of target) is bound to be adept at >>> producing false identification, and will be just the sort of person >>> who will make the effort to go to Edinburgh to use the system at New >>> Register House. >>> >>> It is we poor researchers who can't all get to Edinburgh every day, >>> who thus suffer from these online restrictions, while any would be >>> crooks can happily exploit the anomalies in the system to their own >>> advantage. >>> >>> I don't believe that restricting access to the more recent online >>> records, inhibits the professional fraudsters in any way, but it does >>> spoil things for genuine researchers. >>> >>> Duncan, Dundee >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Send instant messages to your online friends >>> http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> >> >> > > > >

Was there a wartime survey of Scottish farms in WWI? We have today been given a map of our farm dated 1915. This shows the crop plan of each of the fields with fruit (black currants, gooseberries, strawberries etc.) One field is marked as 'excluded' ... This sounds rather official ... And as there was a farm survey in WWII would like to find out is the same was done in WWI. Regards Robin -- Robin and Margaret McEwen-King Lanark Scotland