Here are some Metropolitan bank managers in 1911, from Whitaker's Almanac, that might interest someone. The bank was formed in Birmingham. It became the Midland - now HSBC. Zaccheus Walker was a co-founder and an interesting man of the county. Birmingham branches: Bennett's Hill: A.G Sampson, and sub H.W Spong Gt Hampton St: W.F Adams Harborne: E.Grice Law Courts: Charles McAndrew Markets: A.S Whitfield Saltley:W.S Bunn Selly Oaks: R.H Smith Small Heath: W.H Oakley Stratford Road: W.H Oakley (both branches) Kidderminster: E.C Newmarch Leamington: A.A.B Wilson Redditch: F.H Joscelyne Walsall: W.H Marshalll & Sub W. Hebblethwaite Warwick: H.L Sowdon West Bromwich: E.C Richardson Willenhall: A.J Riley Wolverhapton: Wm Johnson ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charani" <familyhunter@family-hunter.co.uk> To: <warwick@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 12:11 PM Subject: Re: [WAR] RECORDS OFFICE CLOSURE > sue collins wrote: > >> I just wondered how many people knew that the Records Office at >> Myddleton Street in London is closing - in fact the ground floor >> closed this week, and all those huge ledgers have been shipped off >> for storage in Dorset, never to be seen again. What's more - the >> promised on line version has been delayed - so it's microfiche >> only until 2009. > > That's not quite correct. The *new* indices due under the DoVE > project won't be available for some time yet, quite possibly not even > in 2009 *but* the old indices are still available via ancestry, > findmypast and familyrelatives, amongst others. Fiche is not the only > option. AIUI, the project had stalled completely but with the ONS > (which has responsibility for the GRO indices) being transferred to > the IPS (Identity and Passport Service), it's moving again. It may > also be that there will, eventually, be restrictions placed on the > more recent events. > > If there is anyone using a fiche that isn't legible, then the original > volumes can, and will be, checked by a member of staff on request. It > won't be an instant check and it won't be available to the public either. > >> I think quite a few of the records at Kew have/ are being digitised >> too so the originals will be unavailable - and sometimes not all >> info transcribed. > > The National Archives are only doing what has been the case in record > offices for a number of years. With the growth of interest in family > history and genealogy, the old (and not so old) documents won't stand > repeated handling. If they are to be preserved for future generations > then they have to be digitised. Nevertheless, original documents will > remain available as, when and if the need arises. They just won't be > automatically produced. > -- > Charani (UK) > OPC for Walton, SOM > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > WARWICK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message