Merits of Ancestry?

[piedstilt]

I'm a great fan of Ancestry, though I agree with Mark - the Historical Newspapers are difficult to use and I cancelled that part of my sub. I wouldn't lose any sleep wondering if your amcestors are there, because there's a 99% chance it will be some other or close reference it is picking up.

Only other thought is that I doubt you will get a second free trial - they have very efficient systems!

Ros

[bel_jon68]

It's been some time since I've been able to do any family history research, though I've kept my sub to Ancestry going for the "UK & Ireland Records Collection".

HOWEVER, when I visited it tonight for the first time in AGES, I discovered that the one thing I needed to use, the Civil Registration Index, seems to have been replaced by the FreeBMD database.   It claims it has all the images up to 1983, yet when I try to search for, say, a death in 1952, there is nothing there (I can view other images such as the census ones, so I know the viewer has installed on my PC).

So I checked on FreeBMD - death transcriptions seem to finish about 1919, so it seems to me Ancestry are raking in my money for sweet ** - the census images, which I used to have to pay for, are now free and I can't access the civil registration index which was always my first starting point when looking for someone.

Anyone any ideas what's going on here???     What exactly am I paying for now???Am I better off cancelling my subscription??  How do I consult the Civil Registration Index online now that Ancestry aren't doing it?? 

Thanks

Bel

[PaulineJ]

The "civil registration index" The earlier period one, anyway WAS FREEbmd.

I don't know what happened to their (post 1984?)  indexes

Pauline

[mnmilt]

Hi.
Ancestry now does have the images for the BMDs on line (http://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/rectype/vital/freebmd/bmd.aspx).  Well, sort of - I did find that a page was missing (it went from page 255 to 257 in one quarter).  These images aren't searchable by individual name but are browsable and have been invaluable to me.  There is also the ability to search the names that have been indexed through Free BMD.

The post 1984 index is still there.

Regards

mark