Ordering Certificate/Films

[smudwhisk]

You have to order in advance on the website https://familysearch.org/films/ and pay the appropriate fee.  If you are in the UK, I think it is still £7.50 for three months but its worth bearing in mind that they take about a month to arrive at your requested centre (and that is included in the three months initial loan period).  You will then get an email when its marked as delivered to the centre and you can then view it when the centre is open.

I'd check how close your local LDS centre is before ordering and what their opening hours are.  Many of the UK centres don't have very long opening hours and often aren't open at weekends if you work.

It may be worth checking with Cambridgeshire Records Office if you just want to see a copy of that entry as to how much they charge for a copy (assuming the details are the same on both entries on familysearch).

Also Cambridge Family History Society have transcribed most if not all Cambridgeshire records pre 1837 (and later) so worth a look if you want to narrow down where to look, albeit I don't think you'll find all information on marriages necessarily transcribed (such as witnesses).  There website is http://www.cfhs.org.uk/.

[carol8353]

So do we now we go to an LDS centre, give them the reference to the film, they order it and we come back another time to see it? Or is it orderable in advance? Or available on demand at the centre?

Yes exactly that Steve- you go there complete a form pay yer money (used to be £5 for a months usage) and then they ring you and you go back and view the film,as many times as you wish during that month.

If the film is in this country,they usually get it within a couple of weeks-if not and it has to come from USA then it can be about a month.

[smudwhisk]

Yes exactly that Steve- you go there complete a form pay yer money (used to be £5 for a months usage) and then they ring you and you go back and view the film,as many times as you wish during that month.

If the film is in this country,they usually get it within a couple of weeks-if not and it has to come from USA then it can be about a month.

Minimum is 3 months now not 1 month, changed a few years back (either 2009 or 2010, I forget which) when they went to online ordering.  You can't now order in the centres, this changed again a few years ago.  Something to do with the Tax Man wanting to charge tax on orders made at the centres.

In the UK most of the films are delivered from Germany, it used to be Garratts Green in Birmingham but that closed a few years ago and everything was moved to Germany.  Hence it now takes about a month to arrive.

One exception is the London LDS Centre which is now at Kew, where they do hold a lot more films so can be viewed at the centre without ordering.

Its worth checking with your local centre to see what they hold locally as I know of one in the Birmingham area which holds a lot of copy parish registers for Northamptonshire and transcripts for Bedfordshire and some for Kent.  It depends on how proactive they were prior to the change in ordering.

When they originally went to online ordering, I think most centres didn't start the three months loan period until after it was received at the centre.  Now the return date is controlled centrally and I believe they will charge extra if the film isn't marked as returned (by the centre) in time.  So now you don't get three months for your money, which isn't really fair if it takes a long time to arrive at the centre.  From experience in the UK, it does take about a month to turn up.

[carol8353]

Thanks Smudwhisk- seems I'm a bit out of date- I used to go to the Northampton LDS centre but thinking about it it's been a few years,they always seemed very old fashioned.

So they order online now do they......WOW!!

 

[KGarrad]

I would first look at FamilySearch, and other online sources!

The question to ask is: What are you trying to see on the film, that isn't available online?

And try your local FHC (LDS Family History Centre) first to see what they have available. It may not be necessary to order any films?!

[StevieSteve]

Thanks very much for the info, everyone, it was very helpful

[carol8353]

the information that i have was through ancestry.
I have Saint Martin In the Fields, Westminster - marriage 1890 between Thomas Christopher Bodger and Elizabeth Mitchell

Find My Past have the Westminster one (you can pay per view )

http://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=gbprs%2fm%2f492452178%2f1&highlights=%22%22

Thomas Christopher Bodger 24,bach,groom of 30 Chandos Street ,father William Bodger Farm labourer.

Married ...at St Martin's in the Field on 30th Dec 1890.

Elizabeth Mitchell,25,spinster,of 14 Brook Street,father John Mitchell labourer.

Witnesses James Jones and Christiana Bodger- all signed.

[smudwhisk]

Thanks Smudwhisk- seems I'm a bit out of date- I used to go to the Northampton LDS centre but thinking about it it's been a few years,they always seemed very old fashioned.

So they order online now do they......WOW!!

 

The prices went through the roof just before they went to online ordering too.   They appear to charge 7.50 everywhere, its just £7.50 is far more expensive than $7.50 in the US and AU$7.50.

Not surprisingly, the number of films ordered in the UK has now dropped through the floorboards, partly because more records are now available on commercial sites and partly because of the severe increase in prices charge.

[StevieSteve]

Back again...

So I'm in Croydon, the nearest centre is Kew. Looking at the website, it appears that they have the film already on site.

So I just sit down at a terminal, plug in the film number and up it comes? No £7.50 to pay? Maybe a cost if I want to print it or can I get a scan of it?