RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: pritch19 on Wednesday 22 December 04 22:14 GMT (UK)
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Hi all,
This post is not to complain about Ancestry.Com but merely to purge the pent up frustration I am currently feeling.
I've been a subscriber now for about twenty months and have obtained loads of useful information from them. Being a south Wales lad I have many family connections in Monmouthshire, especialy the valley areas. When the 1871 census began to appear on Ancestry about the time my subscription was due for renewal I thought, yes another year will be well worth the cost to find all those ancestors in 1871.
Through the summer I waited, and waited and waited. I would log on to be greeted by the message: Monmouthshire coming soon! Okay, patience is a virture as the old saying goes, so I waited.
Through the autumn I expectantly log on, Monmouthshire coming soon! greets me with its usual reminder. Still, cannot be long now surely, but lo and behold I log on one day and what has appeared overnight? Only the complete 1881 census :o Did not expect that, but hey, a great bonus nevertheless, will give me plenty to do whilst waiting for Monmouthshire 1871 although I have gleaned most of what I needed from the 1881 from LDS.
Come December and Ancestry promises: Monmouthshire coming soon! and by now I am beginning to think, yeah so is The Apocalypse but we don't know when that will be either. ;)
Then this week I log on thinking, well, must be coming in the new year. But no, there in the list of counties, Monmouthshire in bright blue letters. At last, patience is indeed a virtue.
I enter details into the search engine with a contented smile on my face, even the piece number, folio and page number.... I was finally going to see the actual census record of these much searched for ancestors.
I click the search button with anticipation and a list of people appear. I scroll through them, but hang on, where's my ancestor? These people are nothing to do with me: wrong age, wrong address, wrong area. What's going on? Come on, i've given you the correct information, give me my ancestor!
So I try the search again, no positive results. There is something not quite right here I tell myself, I go and look at the parish I need and I find only three districts listed for the parish. That's odd, the 1881 and 1891 have eight districts listed, the 1871 has been culled, its now three :'(
I check the description of the now famous three enumeration districts, and yes you've guessed it, mine and quite a few more are not there. Well, i'm crestfallen. Months and months and months of waiting, Ancestries census page just might as well say: Monmouthshire is Here! (Except the part pritch is looking for)
I've e-mailed Ancestry for their explanation, hope to get an answer in the next four weeks, it is Christmas though, better make that six weeks. :)
Boy, am I unlucky. Seriously though, i'm not knocking Ancestry (well maybe just a little) they have given me good value in the past twenty months. I just needed to vent my frustration after such a disappointment.
Seasons Greetings to all fellow Rootschatters
Keep Smiling
pritch19 ;)
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awww im sorry but i cant help but ;D at your post!
good luck with your search though :)
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Thanks jenz :)
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Hi :)
I know the feeling - a lady who was transcribing the 1871 census for Burnley Lancs found my ancestors on the very last page of the area she was working on - all details fit. However this info is not on Ancestry. I know they were there!
Strange that they are also missing from the 1891 census as well, even though there are babies born to the family and registered in 1890/1 in Burnley.
Time for a census on Mars :-\ ?? Or were my mob just AWOL on census nights? ;)
Cheers
Janet :D
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Hi Janet
I notice from various other postings on Rootschat that you and I are not the only ones with Ancestry problems. Only last month whilst researching family members in the Gloucestershire area I had to report missing images in 1891 census. Ancestry did sort the problem though and did e-mail me last week to let me know the images were now available. I'm beginning to wonder if any of the census postings are complete, obviously Burnley isn't from what you say.
As for the 1871 census they e-mailed me today and informed me that the postings are not complete and can offer no timescale as to when they will be. They thanked me very much for my patience, must have read my original post ;D
pritch ;D
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Hi pritch
Just one query - how do you get Ancestry to reply to your emails? I've got 2 sets of problems, one where the pages are completely missing from the 1891 census and one for 1871 where there's an index entry but no image. I reported the first by email and was fobbed off by several non-answers and finally told to log it against the entry in the list. There wasn't an entry so I couldn't. The second I've logged a fault on the list AND sent an email and had no reply to either (this is about a month ago!) >:(
SO - what's the secret of getting them to talk to you?
Any hints gratefully received as they're driving me nuts! Have to say, though, that I have found quite a lot through their census stuff and have been able to pass it on to some others, so I'm only wingeing a little bit ;)
Angela
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Hi Angela
Maybe i've just been lucky. With the first problem of the missing census images I just logged it on the Report Missing Images link with the piece number, folio and page number and district. I hadn't expected an immediate response but they did sort it in about four weeks.
About the 1871 census I used the Email Ancestry Support when I was on their Knowledge Base page. I'd tried to find an answer to my query there but no luck, so I thought i'd try that. A day later I had a response from them, so there is no secret, I must have caught them on their once-a-week email replies.
Sorry I can't give you any specific tips, maybe you will just get an email in the near future informing you the faults have been rectified and thanking you for you patience. ;)
They do like to thank you for your patience ;D
best wishes
pritch
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Hi Pritch,
This has nothing to do with your topic.
I was just interested to know if your PRITCHARD family have connections to any of the following places in Monmouth.
Llangwym, Llanvair Discoed, Llangatock nigh Usk, Penhow & Newport
Maybe other places as well, but all in that area.
Cheers
Geoff
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Hi pritch
Thanks for your encouragement :)
Perhaps I'll just hang in there and wait . 8) They haven't been thanking me for my patience though - they just keep telling me to report my problem differently and then saying 'if there's anything else we can help you with, please let us know'. I couldn't respond any more without being very rude, so I haven't >:(
If only everyone was as helpful as here on Rootschat......
Good luck with your Monmouth search in 2005 - perhaps Ancestry will fill in all the gaps ::)
Regards
Angela
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Hi Pritch
You are not alone, every family I have searched for in 1871 on ancestry.com has come up with the family members but no image. So what have they actually got for 1871? and my family are all in Surrey and Sussex. I gave up telling them after two unanswered emails. I get very frustrated when companies do not answer emails, it's like they are serious enough for them like a phone call or letter.
kerryb
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All of the census transcriptions have errors and omissions. Those who have been involved in transcriptions will tell you that it is not always an easy task. I have seldom found missing images from the 1871 on Ancestry but they surely do exist. There are entire suburbs that have escaped transcription and one of my families does not exist at all in that census but on balance one should think that half a loaf is better then none. It is always worth using this site to ask for lookups as there are members who have partial records independent of Ancestry 8)
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I found your public rant quite informative, Pritch, a public service really!
I am a recent convert to Ancestry and have found all sorts of things I thought were complete dead ends (at least without sepnding every waking moment in record offices around the country).
HOWEVER, I am also waiting for my Morgans, Webbs and Pritchards to show up in 1871 and was naive enough to assume that soon meant SOON!!
Have been doing my little best to use the resource to help others, while begging look-ups from Monmouthshire on Rootschat. Meanwhile, thought I'd add my twopennorth in the hope they DO monitor Rootschat and will feel the pressure... :D
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Angela
To report errors or just to have a good old moan at the powers that be I use
http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/mbexec?htx=board&r=5538&p=topics.ancestry.uk-ire
and a chap called L Brown will eventually reply.Or sometimes a chap called Martin who is very knowledgable :D about these things too,will offer suggestions.
Good luck,glad it's not just me who thought all my ancestors had won the pools or the lottery on census night and had gone on a round the world cruise.
Carol ;D ;D ;D
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Thanks for that suggestion Carol :)
Posting on one of ancestry's message boards never occurred to me, so it's a route I never tried.
I'm really hoping that some of my missing relatives decide to come out of hiding soon - I'd just started looking at the local asylums to see if any of the inmates looked possible - in my areas they all seem to be identified by initials only, so it's lots of guesswork. Posting on a board is loads easier ;D
Thanks again
Angela
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Hi All
GEOFF - I have traced my Pritchards back to Llangenny, nr Crickhowell, Brecon. The most definite record I have is a marriage between James Prichard and Anne Lewis in Llangenny in Oct 1825. Until this time Pritchard was the usual spelling but James is given as Prichard. Confirmed this with a birth cert of a son. James was possibly born in Llangattock Llingoed near Abergavenny about 1795 but I have not confirmed this yet. This family were in Llangenny in 1851 and had moved to the eastern valley of Monmouthshire by 1861. I have looked at the census records of 1841 and there were a lot of Pritchards and Prichards in the agricultural areas, Monmouth, Abergavenny and Usk so there may be a connection, but couldn't definitely say so. Any questions, let me know.
ANGELA - Just have to hang in there Ang and hope it does not take another year to come online. I agree, it does not pay to be rude to them, but boy! the frustration! Good luck with the research.
KERRY - You're right, it shouldn't take much on Ancestry's part to give a proper response to emails. They really should do better in response to their customers.
HACKSTAPLE - You are right of course Hack, the transcription of the census is a difficult job and in no way would I knock the efforts of the people who do the work. It's just that Ancestry do not make plain what information Is NOT posted online, it can be pretty confusing at times. You yourself kindly answered one of my posts when I was trying to find details of the 1871 Gloucester census. The family I was looking for are not there, although I know they should be, they were there before 1871 and after 1871. Still as you say, half a loaf is better than none and I am grateful for all that I have gleaned from them. I've also found Rootchats invaluable I the short time I have been a member.
ARRANROOTS - Hi again, I agree with you, my original post was not intended as a wholesale rant against Ancestry, I was mainly trying to portray my frustration after waiting so long for the Monmouthshire census. They said COMING SOON, not PARTLY COMING SOON, so when it finally arrived I expected to be able to access all of it. Thanks for the support.
CAROL - Thanks for the link. Went and had a look and I see there are lots of people encountereing similar problems. Frustration seems to be a downside of being an Ancestry member.
Best Wishes
pritch
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Hi all
CAROL
Following your helpful link about the ancestry message board I went there and posted the first (easiest) of my queries and got a response from L Brown just as you said ;D
Thank you very much - that board is really useful, for instance as they've just posted the fact that Monmouth stuff is now on
PRITCH
Have you noticed that Ancestry claim to have just put some more Monmouth bits on for 1871?
Perhaps your missing families are there at last :D
Also - you're right - they do like to thank you for your patience ;D
Angela
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Hi Angela
Thanks for that. Just been over to Ancestry, no the area I want is not there yet. Patiiieeennnncccccceeeee. ;D
best
pritch
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;D
YIPEE!!!
sorry to gloat, but at least SOME of my folk are now there!!!
Thanks again for the heads-up, I would not have thought of checking back having been disappointed so recently.
Still looking for Esther BIRD or Alonzo BURT, if anyone trips over them...
Sue
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Does anyone have any experience of how Ancestry's census transcription and search compares with the 1871 on Origins.com? Can't decide whether it's worth subscribing... :-\
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I can sympathise I've waiting for months for Yorkshire 1871 to move from 'Coming soon' status. I'll have forgotten what I wanted it for soon!!!!!!
Duh!! Must've been asleep last night should've read Yorkshire 1901 Census.
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Hi all
Just a reply to a problem I was having earlier this year with ancestry.co.uk. You may remember I posted saying I could not get images for 1871 for sussex and surrey. this morning I had an email in reply to mine of 2 Jan pointing out the problem and the problem has been rectified! Amazing. So there is hope after all :)
kerryb
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Just to follow what KerryB has posted - I've just had 3 similar emails, so the Staffordshire images I was looking for in December are now there.
Ancestry must be having a big clean-up :)
It's very encouraging to get a response - cheered up my day ;D
Angela
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Still waiting very patiently. How long has it been now? I'm thinking of finding a new hobby. ;)
pritch
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They do like to thank you for your patience ;D
best wishes
pritch
Perhaps they're trying to convince you that you ARE patient, Pritch! What Granny Weatherwax would call "headology" ;D
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Or "kidology" Mrs.L......I think they're after my next subscription ;D
pritch
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Funny that! I was thinking the same thing, I had a reminder of my looming subscription fee yesterday as well!
kerryb
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Anyone any idea when Wales 1901 will be coming?
I too have posted image missing queries, just had a couple more today for 1881, don't know why. the index is there just not the image???
As you said pritch P A T I E N C E.....
Newbie
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If it takes as long as some parts of the 1871 newbie, you are going to be waiting a long time
pritch ;)
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With reference to what Tewin said...
I want to get on to one of these subscription sites such as Ancestry or Origins but which site to choose as regards best value ???
Basically I want census info - British Isles...(maybe Ireland, but from my understanding a lot of Irish records were destroyed...so maybe it's not much good for that)
and the usual B, M and D.
If I sign up for the 2 weeks Ancestry free trial, does that give you a choice as to which subscription to take out once the 2 weeks are up? I see that you can get a subscription for about $199 which gives you U.S. info or $99 for British stuff?
??? ??? ???
Any ideas
Nellie
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Hi Nellie
I have no experience of Origins, but as far as Ancestry is concerned I have found my year's subscription very useful in order to get census info on all my ancestors from 1871 to 1901. :)
I don't have many ancestors in Wales though, so the only bits now missing for me are some chunks of 1901 which I've filled in from the government site, which has a better index anyway.
I doubt if I shall renew at the end of the year, but that is because, prior to 1871, my ancestors didn't move about much, so buying census images for a few single counties on CD provides pretty well all I need on that score and there are some very good ones about. (I'm particularly enthusiastic about Gordon Beavington's although he only has 1851 and a few 1891's at present)
As for BMD - Ancestry only has what FreeBMD does, apart from deaths after about 1984 and I've only found that useful once. I've found 1837online most useful to fill in the gaps from FreeBMD.
Ancestry also has quite a few other databases in their UK collection but I've never found anyone in any of them.
I think, if you do a trial subscription, that you have to carry on with the one you started if you carry on at all, rather than change to another one.
Hope this helps - I don't know how typical my experience is, but that's it - it was very useful indeed for a limited period but only for censuses :)
Regards
Angela
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Hi Nellie,
I see that Origins now has some Dublin census records, if you're interested in Ireland, and 1837online has just started to publish 1861 census records. London, Kent, Middlesex and Surrey are already online.
Cheers,
Tewin
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I admit Ancestry is a great site with lots of info. but am I the only one slightly put out by their new subscription options.
I originally subscribed to Ancestry.com and have happily been researching on their site until last September. One evening I was a paid subscriber, the next I wasn't. No warning, nothing. I checked my subscription and realised it had run out, but why hadn't they just continued it as they had previously? Why, because you can no longer pay a monthly subscription fee. I know it's worth the money, but I can't afford one payment every quarter, I could however jiggle things to make the monthly one, and as for the pay to view, this would be fine if you knew the references or were looking for an unusual name etc., but what if you're looking for a 'John Smith' born in a five year time span, what's the chances of you getting the right one within 20 hits?
Sorry about all that, have had a bad day, had to cancel a visit to local studies library at last minute and had to take it out on someone - I feel a lot better now!
Sandie
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I agree with Hack's earlier statement that half a loaf is better than none, and I can't conceive of a period before internet-based access to census data - the time and energy that must have been involved hardly bears thinking about.
Nevertheless, we do come across some pretty shoddy indexing on Ancestry. I have seen enough images to realise that the transcriber's job is not an easy one. But surely common sense would tell you that the following may not be wholly accurate:
Name: James Howarth
Age in 1871: 520
By my estimate that puts James' year of birth around 1351. I bet he could tell a tale or two!
Perhaps some of the indexes could do with a good scrub!
Paul
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James, however, is a meer 'whippersnapper' compared to Isaac Bankard from Norfolk, who at 890 in 1871 would have been a great source for information on the dark ages - if only his memory didn't let him down.
PS
Obviously, Ancestry does provide plenty of opportunities for diversion!
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to be quite honest, I think anyone who can afford ancestry.com or any subscription is lucky. I'm a college student, so my income is.. well, what income? lol, also I DO NOT use credit cards online.
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In recent months a number of Family History Libraries have obtained subscriptions to Ancestry.com and made it available free of charge to their patrons. I know only about USA but check and see if that is happening in England and elsewhere also.
Susan41
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I remember reading an article about that. My hometown's library is supposed to be doing something like that soon. I'll probably need a card though. I haven't been to that library in ages. I don't even know how to get there :-[
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to be quite honest, I think anyone who can afford ancestry.com or any subscription is lucky. I'm a college student, so my income is.. well, what income? lol, also I DO NOT use credit cards online.
I think you are right, Tariana - it can all be a bit expensive and as other threads have shown there are some risks attached with credit cards (not re Ancestry though).
I was lucky in that I got a subscription for Christmas from my wife. Before that, I relied on the good folk on this board to help me out.
Carry on posting lookup requests - that's the answer - at least until you've graduated and are earning megabucks: then you can repay the favour for someone else!
best wishes
Paul
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In England, the Church of Latter Day Saints Family History Centres have free access to Ancestry.com.
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I have just discovered that my local LDS family history centre here in Oz also has free Ancestry for patrons. They are so good, the LDS centres!
MarieC
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also, www.familysearch.org works too. It's their site.
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also, www.familysearch.org works too. It's their site.
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I got in touch with Ancestry because Sheffield wasn't in Yorkshire on the 1871, after numerous e-mails, they informed me that Sheffield was probably a 'village' and it would be 'somewhere' in Yorkshire...............I gave up as a bad job..............then lo and behold all of a sudden Sheffield is there ! No explanation, it just appeared.
I have come to the conclusion with Ancestry that if you don't expect too much, you won't be disapointed !
Jan
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if you don't expect too much, you won't be disapointed !
Sounds like a good guiding philosophy for life, janet!
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Hi all
Until today I was delighted with Ancestry.com
Today when I clicked to view an image it wouldn't allow it until I downloaded the "Enhanced viewer".
Download clearer images faster!
Oh great now its slower and looks out of focus and the "save" button won't work!
The problem report generated a standard email that stated it will be fixed in the next periodic update. ???
Linda
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Hi Linda
I've just downloaded the new enhanced viewer on Ancestry without any problem. The image downloaded quite quickly and is clear. Also no problem saving the image.
Regarding my original post it is now almost three months since I first complained of missing areas in the 1871 Wales census on Ancestry. Well, a part of Piece RG10/5352 and the whole of Piece RG10/5353 are still missing. I know it's missing, Ancestry know it's missing and judging by some of the posts on the Ancestry message boards plenty of other people know it's missing. Can Ancestry tell me why it's missing or when it will be uploaded? No! The stock answer seems to be "We have plans to complete the uploading of the 1871 Wales in the future but cannot at the moment tell you when." Same answer they gave me last December. Maybe in another three months...........?...........six months...........?
I'm thinking of running a sweepstake on it.
pritch
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Hi Linda
Like pritch I have just downloaded the new viewer and find it a big improvement. Hope your problem gets resolved! :) :)
Paul
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Hi pritch and Paul
Hubby thinks it's probably something to do with the last microsoft critical update patch on our old windows 98 so he removed the new viewer.
When the download option appears I can click to continue without download and all displays ok.
Now instead of clicking Save I have to right click and "save as". The saved image is small but if I select the 150% its then about the size it saved before.
Not as straighforward as before but I guess it's the only way I am going to be able to save images for later study.
Linda
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Hi Linda
I had problems with the new viewer as well. Then I closed the browser window, opened a new one, went into Ancestry and downloaded the viewer again. The second time, it worked fine :)
I have no idea why it should be ok the second time but not the first. Perhaps worth another try after you've booted up for a new session?
Good luck
Angela
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Hi Angela
Reading the help page it says installing the viewer a second time uninstals the viewer!
Linda
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Hi Linda!
Well, that's help pages for you. ;D
All I can say is that it worked for me....
I hope you find something that works for you
Angela
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I've found the new viewer gives me letterbox format which is extremely annoying. the old format was square, which fitted better into the window.
But I suppose I'll have to get used to it. I do use it an awful lot.
Mary
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Dear Kennington
Just discovered that if you click on the blue "frame" top right of new viewer it gives you "full(ish) screen". Not brill but better than the letterbox you describe!
Arranroots