Genealogy Chat

I need help to use this site.

Merry Monty Montgomery very kindly found some info for me off the A2A site and it has 'quick ref WO 97/1227/158. I've been on this site several times and read all the blurb about how it works - but I just can't work the blasted thing out and I can't find this info that Merry found for me. Does anyone have an idiots guide, or have the time and patience to explain to me how I find this info. So sorry to be a pain - and it's not that I want people to do the work for me, honest it isn't. This site seems to help everyone - but I can't use it!!

That looks like a National Archives reference to me, not A2A. Is it for a soldier? The original will be on microfilm to view at Kew. If you can wait that long, a group fo us will be going to Kew in August and can get photocopies, or Heather Positive Thinker knows a guy who does resaearch there at reasonable rates.

Hi Andrea I am entering into this thread for reference as I have problems with this site too, not that that's unusual for me. I will be interested to read the replies Good Luck Yvonne

Merry said TNA and I asked what it was (cos I'm thick!!) and she said The National Archives and gave me the addy - which is the same as I had for A2A??? (/&%/&/&(/($§$'$/&!!!!!!!!!! Why am I so thick?! Thanks all - I will go back to her thread and start again properly. Have probably read it wrong. Will let you know. Thanks again. UPDATE Yep, I am thick. The addy is: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ I was going to www.archives.lancashire.gov.uk Which of course is exactly the same isn't it - NOT!!!! Thanks everyone. I have now found the info for myself. However, still wouldn't mind an idiots guide for the A2A if anyone is up to the challenge of talking me through it....

IDIOTS GUIDE TO A2A - written and compiled by an idiot. A2A is a giant index to millions of Archive documents which are held by various organisations, bodies and people all over the UK. A2A does not have any access to the individual documents, it merely tells you who you have to contact to see the document in question. A2A is a right pain to search. However it is well worth the effort, in my experience. Go to the Search page.You will find this tab on the red banner - dont use the link to search all catalogues, because that will take you to their entire database and the download of the entire catalogue takes ages! Let us suppose you are looking for anything to do with your Bloggs family of Little Mudworth in Lancashire. In NAME box enter BLOGGS. There is an option here for a wildcard search - I have never mastered this, so I do it the long way. Then click on LOCATION OF ARCHIVES - All- (but you could refine this if you wished, to only documents held by, say, Lancashire Records Office) Then select a REGION - (NORTH WEST, in the case of Lancashire). SHOW ME ONLY DOCUMENTS BETWEEN THESE DATES Dont select this option - the dating system of the individual documents is very bizarre, and you may miss something if you do this. Press Search. If you get no results, go back and alter the spelling of the name - do this as many times as necessary. If you still get no results, go back and enter Little Mudworth in the surname box. When you get some results, click on each HIT. If you find that your Fred Bloggs is recorded as having a Bastardy Order against him, and you would like a copy of it, then the Header at the top of that document tells you who holds the document - generally speaking a County Reords Office. You then have to apply to the 'holder of the document' to get a full copy. This is nothing to do with A2a, of course, who have merely told you who has this document. You have to be inventive when searching - my Holdens are variously transcribed as Holdan, Holden, Holdin, Holdon, Holdun, and so on - I found 27 variations of the spelling. I then went back and searched by the name of the village and this threw up yet another spelling -Ololodon - which I guess even the wild card thingy wouldnt have found. Some areas have far better coverage on A2A than others - Lancashire is brilliant, Cheshire has hardly anything. Finally, A2A has been taken over by TNA, and they are gradually absorbing the A2A index into their stuff, so it pays to look at both sites. Any questions???? Olde Crone

I have a question i have just tried to follow your instructions for this site......when i entered in name i didnt get an all documents button, perhaps i started on the wrong page cos i had trouble finding search page..:( Janet

No, Janet you did it right - its me! I will amend my instructions above! Sorry! OC

OC, Sorry to be a pain but im still having rouble here. Once i have logged on to the home page do i type in family name there or do i click on the search the archives box first??? Janet

hi I am adding this to my threads as I have looked at this site and keep going around in circules everytime i try even today got fed up and went to the web page and rang for info so now not only am I paying for certs I am paying extra for the phone calls hubby will not be pleased regards Laura

Thanks a lot for that!! Sorry for delay in replying. Was getting brain dead and going round in circles so I went away for a while. Thanks again. I'd be lost without the people on these boards.

Brilliant!! Have been searching around for about 1/2 hour now - I haven't found any of mine yet, is that usual? Thanks for the explanation, hope I find something soon Yvonne

Old Crone is this the amended version because I just copied and pasted it as I too have trouble on that site thank so much

Thanks Ann I will. Mine obviously didn't have anything to leave but I am dissappointed not to have found any criminals thus far either :-(

nudging for my info.

Changing the subject slightly. I have found reference at NA for a court case against one of my ancestors where he ends up given 3 months for 'acting as a solcitor'. The new digital service is available for this - if I go through the process of adding it to a basket for a jpeg email I get the choice of a gold or platinum service for £8.50 or £17 (why dont they have a copper service???) This says that it will copy up to 10 pages for £8.50 - but how do you know how many pages you need?

Heather I cant help - I got stuck at exactly the same point as you, so will be watching with interest! I find the TNA site terrifying, A2A is a doddle, compared to that! OC

I prefer NA - A2A I sit there, fill in all the boxes and then realise I should only do one. But for a real hoot OC, have a go at the Historical Directories site - you can spend hours in there as an alternative to Hampton Court Maze.

Heather I found Historical Directories ages ago, when I was on dial up and had a slow pooter anyway. I needed a haircut every time the page changed! I am sure there are loads of my rellies kicking around in Manchester, but I doubt if I will live long enough to find them in the Directory! Another particularly slow site is the OPC - Blackburn St Mary the Virgin (Cathedral). I think it was the role model for GR, because you first have to find your person on this endless and slooooooooow index - then you have to click on the name to get the juicy bits...ten minutes finds you one person!!! OC

Thanks Ann, its a lucky dip then. I may be paying £8.50 for ten pages when all its says was 'case admitted, defendant gets 3 months' OR I could hear the juicy story of some creepy Victorian pretend solcitor fiddling old ladies out of their money. Its a tuff decision £8.50 could pay for half of Ralphies new retractable lead.