LOOKUP Please: Biograph. Index of South Aust

[mcgesc]

Very interesting social history. Undoubtedly citizen reticence and clerical errors, all mixed with varying degrees of illiteracy, have created challenges for today's researchers.
BDM (NSW at least) also have a policy of not amending a certificate, post issue. Some BDM officers have the belief their duty if to record the data as submitted by the informant. Data submitted to BDM is not verified or reconciled.
Where an elderly or frail person is the informant, memory and/or health can result in less than 100% accuracy. The data on any cert. is only as sound as the knowledge of the informant.
Not relying totally on BDM; but striking a balance between local contemporaneous knowledge and official bureaucracy seems practical.

[majm]

Very interesting social history. Undoubtedly citizen reticence and clerical errors, all mixed with varying degrees of illiteracy, have created challenges for today's researchers.
BDM (NSW at least) also have a policy of not amending a certificate, post issue. Some BDM officers have the belief their duty if to record the data as submitted by the informant. Data submitted to BDM is not verified or reconciled.
Where an elderly or frail person is the informant, memory and/or health can result in less than 100% accuracy. The data on any cert. is only as sound as the knowledge of the informant.
Not relying totally on BDM; but striking a balance between local contemporaneous knowledge and official bureaucracy seems practical.

I think you will find that fh buffs have long understood that certificates from BDM offices are copies of official records, and that the issuing bodies are certifying that the document is correct TO THEIR holdings.   I doubt that any BDM offices anywhere in the whole world have ever undertaken to establish their own holdings to be factual in every piece of information noted in each and every document. 

Cheers,  JM

[mcgesc]

Absolutely true. http://www.rootschat.com/forum/Smileys/classic/smiley.gif
Unf. some http://www.rootschat.com/forum/Smileys/classic/undecided.gif will take total faith in the Official Documentation - much of our modern social activities: banking, applications for school, drivers' licence etc., rely on OD
As for cross-checking & recon., authorities such as AFP/INTERPOL, ATO (Tax offices worldwide) and Dept Immigration are well-versed.
Perhaps with DNA and futuristic micro-chipping BDM will become rock-solid for data integrity!http://www.rootschat.com/forum/Smileys/classic/kiss.gif

[sarra]

Your statement "Some groups in the community and especially Catholics and Scots were reticent to register births" is interesting. Do you have firm evidence?

I think I have some evidence for this. About 3 years ago I contacted the Catholic Archdiocesan Archive in Adelaide. Requesting a check of their Baptism Registers for 3 of my Irish Catholic relatives. They were able to find two of them and they sent me a copy of the entries.
There were actually two pages of baptisms' with about thirty baptisms in all.
I'll been checking these names on the Genealogy of South Australia website - and I'm surprised how many of them I can't find.
My 3 Irish Catholic rellies do not appear on this SA Index either - their birth years were 1858 - 1863? Evidently 2 of them were baptised what happened to the third is not clear. I know she existed because I am here.

[mcgesc]

What a great way to cross-check. Good thinking.
I assume you're checking against the online index GeneSA, launched 2012.
A few thoughts:
You've allowed for the Latin spelling of their names?
Do they appear in the older CDROMs by Gould?

Apparently the Gould data was hand-gathered (using a blunt term), from many sources. And the new online GeneSA database was loaded directly from the Govt. BDM, instead of the in-house SAGHS - this according to the information SAGHS gave me.

Maybe, at the time the established socio-religious habits stuck fast. Another baby arrives, it is registered when the next RC father visits your locality - miles from anywhere!!

I've been told that the visiting clergy (any faith) were to send into Adelaide (or other Civil Reg. centres) a return of the registrations on some periodic basis. In short the clergy were voluntary collection agencies and clerks for SA Govt BDM. I should read up on that, somehow, to see what the arrangements were.

[sarra]

What a great way to cross-check. Good thinking.
I assume you're checking against the online index GeneSA, launched 2012.
A few thoughts:
You've allowed for the Latin spelling of their names?
Do they appear in the older CDROMs by Gould?

At the moment (or when I have more time I will check the others on these two sheets of baptisms I have) - this is the link to the Online Index I'm using at present....
http://www.genealogysa.org.au/

When time permits I will check at my local Library, they have or had the  (SA) CD-Roms - which they have put onto Computers in the Genealogy section.

These CD - Roms would be from MacBeath Genealogy Services (Digger Indexes). Probably sold through 'Goulds' too.
The names are all in English  'no Latin spellings'.

I was really happy to receive the Baptisms for my two rellies, because it recorded the names of their sponsors.

Sarra

[mcgesc]

Hi again . Yes the GeneSA site is the new look SAGHS with the v. useful online search. Their logo of a jig-saw puzzle the shape of SA is very clever, I feel.

When I first saw the 1862 register from St Patricks Nth Ade, I thought I been sent the wrong family!! Jacobum - Who?!
Which church for your relatives? 
I've not yet seen a Baptism register, can you explain "names of sponsors"? Thanks

[mcgesc]

Sorry. forgot to mention - Yes the CD ROM I meant is the MacBeath, as you gave the full and correct name.

[majm]

I've not yet seen a Baptism register, can you explain "names of sponsors"?

I have quite a collection of Baptismal records, including Baptismal certificates.  My own certificate lists my sponsors.  These are my Godparents, chosen by my parents.  The Early Church Records (ie pre civil registration) that NSW BDM holds often include sponsors on their baptismal records where these were noted on the parish registers.   When you order an ECR from NSW BDM there is provision to include sponsors.  I have seen similar details noted on parish registers from other colonies and from other countries.

Cheers  JM