Genealogy Chat

This is going to sound a dead simple question but I don't know the answer for certain. Am I right in thinking on the Familysearch site on IGI where it gives a film number that it can be taken as right, and where it just gives a submitter that it can be a bit 'iffy'. Please forgive my ignorance, but I want to make sure. Gloria

If it says 'extracted', it is transcribed from Parish Records. Likely to be true, but still needs checking It it is 'submitted' it should be taken with a pinch of salt. I don't think the batch numbers serve much purpose, other than to let the LDS know where to find it. I've seen many a submitted record with a batch number.

Hi, Those with C or M batch numbers are likely to be more reliable as they are supposed to be transcriptions from the registers. However, mistakes happen (as I have found) and anything you find should be checked with original records. Gwynne

thanks Tracy, went down the wrong route once from there and don't want to do it again. Gloria

Gwynne, thanks, but what if it just gives a film number? Forgive my ignorance Gloria

Hi Gloria, Very likely a submission. You can check what is on the film in the LDS catalog on the website. Gwynne

Thanks a lot Gwynne, I shall tread very carefully. Gloria

Gloria, i have used familysearch alot but always try to check out info myself at records office. Mainly mistakes i have found are spellings of names, although sometimes it is actually the parish record that is mistaken not the submitter. The only problems i have had is taking film numbers and using them to check information. I have found that sometimes these are wrong, however if i use the index at Met archives the othere info like date etc has been right it is just the source info that has been trancribed slightly incorrectly.

Thankyou Webster, I went with three generations a while ago which later proved wrong, so I am tip-toeing very carefully this time. Gloria

The Batch Numbers are very useful for searching just one church at a time for a particular surname. You can do this yourself on the LDS site or it can be done much easier on Hugh Wallis's website. If you search for a name in county then you might get hundreds of matches but when you limit to one church then makes the results much more manageable. MB

Batch numbers are fantastically useful as you can check ALL the entries for a particular surname in the register in one go. You can also find all the children baptised to a particular set of parents too. nell

If you click on the batch number it opens up a new search box with the batch number on it. You then fill in fathers name and region etc then search and it will give a list of people with the same named father born in that parish (I think) brothers and sisters if you are lucky. Remember that the mormon transcribers are/were doing the same job as the original transcribers but transcribing for their beliefs rather than just a job so they have more incentive to get it right. All in all I think they have done a magnificent job and I know I would have really strugled without them. Incidentally when you put a source to your 'finds' it should be IGI if there is a batch/source record and LDS if not. good hunting Dave

Thank you all for your replies. I am nudging this to the top because I am sure the info will be of use to others. Gloria

The actual parish records will often have more information than is recorded on the IGI, for instance the occupation of the father on baptism entries. If I had only checked the film for one relative I would have found the clue that I needed to go further. Thanks Joan in Warwick who did check and found it for me :) Christine in NZ

Nudge, to help other people. Gloria