Suffolk parish registers to go online?

[Trevor Rix]

At the RootsTech London conference last week I spoke to the FamilySearch person in charge of liasing with UK county record offices to digitise their collections.

He said that FamilySearch digitise record office collections, including parish registers, for Ancestry and Findmypast for free. And work with them to index those collections. FamilySearch digitise more county record office collections than Ancestry and Findmypast are currently interested in.

He said that he is in discussions with Kate Chantry of Suffolk Record Office to digitise their collections for free, but no decisions have been made yet. SRO would be able to moneytise those images when they decide on which platform to use to provide access to those images online.

All in all I was encouraged by what I heard.

[sharonmx5]

At the RootsTech London conference last week I spoke to the FamilySearch person in charge of liasing with UK county record offices to digitise their collections.

He said that FamilySearch digitise record office collections, including parish registers, for Ancestry and Findmypast for free. And work with them to index those collections. FamilySearch digitise more county record office collections than Ancestry and Findmypast are currently interested in.

He said that he is in discussions with Kate Chantry of Suffolk Record Office to digitise their collections for free, but no decisions have been made yet. SRO would be able to moneytise those images when they decide on which platform to use to provide access to those images online.

All in all I was encouraged by what I heard.

Sounds hopeful, thanks.

[coombs]

Just have to wait and see. Genealogy is getting like shopping, lots of it done online. Only shopping is delivered to your door if you buy online, but with genealogy it is nice to search online databases (I prefer scans of original registers) and not have the rickety old microfilm/fiche machine which has blobs on it, is always changing focus and what not, and film which has been wound on upside down or not rewound.

FreeREG Suffolk coverage is getting bigger, so a bonus.

I await Suffolk and Durham registers to be released in bulk online.

[Trevor Rix]

I have this morning received this reply to my 4th request for an update on the progress of digitising Suffolk parish registers. My first three requests were ignored.

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Subject:    Re: Digitising Suffolk parish registers
Date:    Mon, 18 Nov 2019 11:05:14 +0000
From:    Paul West <Paul.West@suffolk.gov.uk>
To:    Trevor Rix <xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Dear Trevor

First please accept my apologies for the delay.

I have spoken to officers and would advise that the Archives Team have not recently had the capacity to return to the project as we had hoped. They have recently completed a staff restructure to prepare for when The Hold becomes operational next year. The work associated with this has consumed resources.

We will not be in a position to make any further progress on the Parish Register Digitisation until after the move to The Hold has been completed in the middle of next year.

I realise this is disappointing news and hope we can get back on track next year.

Kind regards
Paul West
County Councillor for Bixley Division
Cabinet Member, Suffolk County Council
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[Trevor Rix]

Here is the latest update. Zero progress.

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From: Paul West (SCC Councillor) [mailto:Paul.West@suffolk.gov.uk]
Sent: Friday, September 11, 2020, 5:19 PM
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Digitising Suffolk parish registers

Dear Trevor

I’m afraid there has been no further progress on digitising the parish registers.

The service has been focussed on the Hold building and resources and now making sure it is all fitted out.

Kind regards

Paul West
County Councillor for Bixley Division
Cabinet Member, Suffolk County Council
-------------------------------------------

[Greensleeves]

I really don't know why they don't put the project out to The Zooniverse or some such 'people-powered' research platform.  That way we could all volunteer to do our bit and the records might be digitised in our lifetime.  It is ridiculous that they hold these precious resources and are doing nothing to make them available digitally.  I feel very cross and let down by Suffolk in this.  Has anyone told them I wonder about the amazing projects from all over the world that are being digitised by volunteers on platforms such as Zooniverse or Heritage Helpers?

https://www.zooniverse.org/about

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects?discipline=history&page=1&status=live

[Trevor Rix]

FamilySearch have offered to digitise Suffolk parish registers free of charge, but that offer has been declined for years.

FamilySearch would then no doubt index those images for free too.

If FamilySearch digitised the parish registers and made those images available to Ancestry or Findmypast, Ancestry or Findmypast would index those images in double quick time.

Has any calculation been made of what must be a substantial loss of income for Suffolk County Council by not providing worldwide online access to high quality colour images of Suffolk parish registers by subscription? Over the last decade that sum I estimate could be be six or seven figures by now.

[Greensleeves]

I agree with you absolutely.  It's not as if there are no options other than them doing it in-house which clearly they are never going to have the capacity to handle.  It infuriates me.  I am fortunate in that someone many years ago digitised the Rattlesden PRs which I now have a copy of and the Woolpit PRs are also online.  And of course we have the wonderful work of the late Ray Long in his 'Ray Long's Cosford Database' which is still available through The Wayback Machine albeit that some of it is now broken.

But as you say the amount of revenue Suffolk is losing by not addressing this issue must be staggering.  Clearly they are never going to have the resources to do the digitisation themselves and the sooner they admit this and pass it on to people who can the better.

[coombs]

It is frustrating that there seems to be zero progress in the digitisation, but saying that, I noticed today that FreeREG transcribers have added a few more Suffolk records in recent weeks such as Thwaite, Thorington, Blundeston, Chillesford and Redisham and 2 or 3 other parishes. I salute the transcribers for Suffolk FreeREG. Every little helps. This is probably the nearest we will get to more Suffolk records online seeing as the digitisation is just being delayed, and Covid means I have not been to Lowestoft RO since March this year. As I said on the "get it off your chest" my next aim is to look at Clare marriages 1754-1800 for Newman's and look at witnesses.