FMP and the 1939 Register

[ptjw7]

As of 16th Feb if you have signed up to FMP you now get free access to the 1939 register.

So far so good but I must say that I have found it very difficult to use!
If you have an address that you know people were in in 1939 then its very good but finding people is not so easy.
Most of the men I know exist at the time would appear to have been in the forces and so do not show on the register.
Now the hard bit, if the wife of someone who died in the war remarried then she will be listed with the second marriage surname, this is ok if you know it
not so good if you don't, this coupled with the fact that a lot of the offspring will still be living you have nothing else to latch on to hence my saying it is not easy to use.
If you do find someone then date of birth is useful as is the address although on one form the road name was blanked out(first name still living)

But all in all its good value as you get it for the money you have all ready doled out!

O0 Peter O0

 

[Ellie7]

Just tried 1939 register, and I am still asked to pay to unlock.


Ellie

 

[ptjw7]

Not sure why you are asked to pay Ellie, I don't think I am on any special deal, I always go for the cheapest (cheap skate)
Although I did get an email offering the service!

Peter

Try this web page http://www.findmypast.co.uk/frequen...ck-a--register-household-with-my-subscription
Peter

 

[Ellie7]

From 16 February 2016, the 1939 register

will be included in 12 month World and

Britain packages; giving free unlimited

access to these subscribers

Ah! perhaps because I am on a Monthly Brittish sub.

Ellie

 

[stockpot]

Yes I agree, it's difficult to use and the "officially closed" entries are very frustrating.
Also I have already submitted a couple of transcription errors for correction though it is not easy to see how to do that. "Lost" people may well be mis-transcribed.
The register was kept up as people married or died till 1991 so if you have a woman who was single in 1939 but married after that & before 1991 she is searchable under both names. This could help to find a maiden/married name.
The maps are very good and you can go to older OS maps and modern maps of the same address. You can zoom & go full screen but there seems to be no way to capture or print more than a tiny portion of the map. pity.
Interesting to browse through now it is free but probably wouldn't be worth paying for.

Elaine

 

[stockpot]

Since posting the last comment I have spent some time making a study of transcription errors just for my family. It is a nightmare, about half the family groups have needed a correction somewhere.
for instance:-
John correctly listed as male but transcribed Joan.
Schedule 178 recorded as 78 so mixing the family at 78 in with those at 178 and making a nonsense of them both.

the transcription obviously done on the cheap in some non English speaking country.
To submit a correction click on "make a request" and scroll to the bottom option.
Elaine

 

[Ladybird1300]

Just tried to look at my grandparents, but it's closed and won't be opened till I can show their death certificates

Amanda

 

[Ladybird1300]

Oh the close records are my mum and auntie my auntie died recently so I can unlock that now

Amanda

 

[Guy]

Since posting the last comment I have spent some time making a study of transcription errors just for my family. It is a nightmare, about half the family groups have needed a correction somewhere.
for instance:-
John correctly listed as male but transcribed Joan.
Schedule 178 recorded as 78 so mixing the family at 78 in with those at 178 and making a nonsense of them both.

the transcription obviously done on the cheap in some non English speaking country.
To submit a correction click on "make a request" and scroll to the bottom option.
Elaine

No the transcription was done in the UK by expensive transcription houses.
However don’t be too quick to attack the transcriptions as the transcribers were handicapped.
By this I mean they had to transcribe in columns only being able to view one column of the record at a time.
That gave little text to compare to see how letters were formed.

Cheers
[FONT=&quot]Guy[/FONT]

PS if you want maps try using
http://maps.nls.uk/index.html

 

[stockpot]

Thanks Guy, a nice map site.
Elaine