Else Churchill, from the Society of Genealogists, spoke on sources in the U.K. for those researching ancestors overseas.
This is a complex area with a wide range of records sent back to the U.K. , with some held by the Registrar General; some by the National Archives; and others held by the London Metropolitan Archive. These include, for example : births, marriages and deaths at sea; or similar events registered with British consuls ; and the same for the military. Sometimes there was a considerable lapse of time between the event and registration. Such records are not found in the usual b.m.d. indices, and the necessary information has to be tracked down to order certificates, where available, from the Registrar General.
Else recommended various on line aids including Cyndi's List and the Society of Genealogists website , as well as publications like Thomas J. Kemp's' International Vital Records Handbook', 'Tracing your ancestors in the National Archives' by A. Bevan, and those of the Society of Genealogists.
Some records are readily available on line, such as passenger lists on Ancestry and FMP. Else also touched on foreign birth, marriage and death records available on line- some like Australian ones provide much more information than U.K. ones, whilst the U.S. census is open after only 70 years.
Michael Lucas
Next Meeting
Wednesday 15th March 2017 'The parish chest' by Lady Mary Teviot