ERO going Pay-to-Browse for online PRs etc

[Diblet]

I'm really glad the whole project's proved to be worthwhile for the ERO and I'm sure it will give them the incentive to push ahead sooner than later.

Despite all records not being complete at the start (which I was fully aware of) I still don't regret my annual subscription as I've already unearthed so much valuable information.

There are lots of gaps still in my tree but I know they'll be filled in sometime soon from the comfort of my own home!!!

 

[findem]

Hi All,

Just received the following info from the ERO regarding Time Outs

Essex Ancestors: Issue of Timing-Out
Some subscribers have reported that after about 20 minutes browsing the images of a single parish register, they have been thrown back to the first image in the set. For the protection of its customers, the County Council's online systems cut out after 20 minutes of inactivity and unfortunately browsing within a single register does not count as 'activity'. For Essex Ancestors customers the limit has now been raised to 60 minutes. Beyond this you may need either to re-select your image or to log-in again. If anyone has further problems of this kind, please let us know at essex.ancestors@essex.gov.uk .

Regards.

[coombs]

Cant wait for them to release more recent registers for parishes up to say the 1950s. Some are already done such as Barling. I did hear they were doing it alphabetically by parish.

[megsnan]

I asked why they seemed to have stopped and they replied that it was unlikely more registers would be going on until they had completed the digitisation work, hopefully before the end of the year. 

The reason I took out a subscription was because it promised that more would coming on line - naively I assumed it would be a gradual process during the year.  I am happy to have been able to find many of the records for pre 1837 but extremely frustrated that the ones I really want are post 1837 in parishes beginning with G, and they have only got as far as F. 

I was told that there is only one person doing the job.  Even so, you would think they would be able to update as and when more records became available - perhaps quarterly. Their response implies that they are happy to have taken the subscriptions, and will then add a lot more records just at the point when the subscriptions are due to be renewed.

[coombs]

Some parishes do not have say for example marriages for the 1800s but 1770s and 1900s they do have. Quite frustrating if the 1800s is the years you really want.

Amazing how I have found some ancestors in Essex originated from Hertfordshire, Cambs and Suffolk.

[findem]

Hi,

This is of course guesswork on my part but I suspect that Pay to View and the time digitising is taking is a matter of a lack of sufficient funds.  My dealings with the ERO staff over a good many years leads me to believe the organisation is a very dedicated one, therefore I believe that had they sufficient funding we would see most if not all PRs online now. 

It would be interesting to know if the funding the Essex County Council and therefore the ERO have under the current UK government is the same, or less, than with the previous government.

Regards.

[smudwhisk]

I'm just grateful they're not cutting corners and are digitising the original records rather than the microfilm copies.   I just wish ancestry had done this more with the London and Dorset records 'cos so many of them are still virtually unreadable in places.  From various comments on here, it looks like Essex RO have recouped their startup costs at least but I suspect they can't dedicate too many resources to digitising the remainder.  Much that I would love to see the remaining Wills online sooner than later, I suspect we'll have a bit of a wait.  However as I've got plenty to plough through still anyway, will just have to concentrate on those sides.

[coombs]

I hope one day they digitise the Essex registers on Ancestry to save us trawling through each parish page by page as Essex is not very well covered by the IGI. They have done a lot of London, Dorset and Warwickshire and Yorks so Essex may soon come.

[dawnsh]

Don't hold your breath.

If Essex have taken the decision to do what they have done, they are highly unlikely to then move the project elsewhere and have it hosted by another party.

Dawn