Reporting a FreeBMD missing page

[Nick_Ips]

What is the best way of reporting a suspected missing page of records to FreeBMD?

The image 1855B3-M-0854.jpg ends with 'Charles Mayor' and the image 1855B3-M-0855.jpg starts with 'Edward Mc anally'.

Between them there should be various others including (from the GRO site) -
   MAYS, HENRY        BULL     
   GRO Reference: 1855  S Quarter in ONGAR  Volume 04A  Page 66

I've reported missing entries before using the Entry correction page, but I wonder whether explaining (as I have above) would be classed as "spirited advocacy or justification supporting the correction" and thus result in the report being auto-rejected.

I'm guessing a page was missed during the scanning process, rather than a whole page missing when originally indexed.

[jonwarrn]

Same on findmypast (free) so probably FreeBMD can't fix the problem.
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record/browse?id=bmd%2fb%2f1855%2f3%2fgp%2f001008

[MollyC]

Who did the scanning?  The GRO must have it in the original format, or the records would not be in their index.

CORRECTION.  I misread the date.
Is this the format which was being supplied to the small number of libraries which received the old GRO indexes in volumes?  Have they got this page?

[MollyC]

Reporting an entry correction usually results in a long delay, so you don't know when to check back for an alteration and eventually you have to infer it has been rejected.

You could try using the mailing list to pose a query:  https://www.freebmd.org.uk/lists.shtml
 - on the FreeBMD Advice or Discuss group.  You can view recent posts towards the foot of the page. (Corrected)

Note this on the View Images page:
(How long ago was it written, and do they have a list of what is missing?)

   "Please note that FreeBMD does not presently have images available for all years and events, and some images are unclear.
   "We are unable to respond to queries about when any particular year or event might become available, or when clearer images might be available."

[Nick_Ips]

Thanks jon and Molly.

Reporting an entry correction usually results in a long delay, so you don't know when to check back for an alteration and eventually you have to infer it has been rejected.

This^.  There was a time where FreeBMD would send an email to confirm a correction had been accepted or rejected, but that seemed to stop.  Understandable that emails which need to be manually sent take someone's time to send, but if an automated system is being used to reject corrections then it would help the user to get some feedback on that.

I've got the information I needed from the GRO site, so only wanted to report the missing data to FreeBMD to help improve the accuracy of the database and maybe help someone else in the future.

[MollyC]

You could try reporting multiple missing entries as instructed, by working from the last entry in the preceding image (Mayor, Charles) and ticking the "Missing entries" and "Multiple entries" boxes.  Fill in the details for the first missing entry.

Looking at the GRO index, it seems the first missing entry would be:
MAYOR, GEORGE  WILLIAM           BELL 
GRO Reference: 1855  S Quarter in KENDAL  Volume 10B  Page 539
(The only female Mayor in the quarter is Annie Laura)

Use as few words as possible in the "Source" box. e.g. "Entries are in GRO Index".

It would be helpful if FreeBMD would publish a list of what they know to be missing and explain what can be  done to obtain them.  I daresay a few existing volunteers would be willing to go to the libraries, mentioned previously, to copy or enter the missing pages.  I think those would be considered reasonable extracts for copyright purposes and FreeBMD is not making money from it.

[jonwarrn]

Is this the format which was being supplied to the small number of libraries which received the old GRO indexes in volumes?  Have they got this page?

A key question, Molly.
The missing page is not on findmypast, which of course began as 1837 online to provide BMD images.

How many times could the indexes have been filmed? It would have been a herculean task back in the day.

[jonwarrn]

Actually, dredging my memory, I think I remember reading that the LDS had filmed the registers before some the handwritten ones from the earlier years were replaced with typed ones by the GRO. Which was in the 70's?
In which case there would be another version out there.

[MollyC]

Findmypast probably obtained the same set from the LDS as did FreeBMD, but it may depend on the date when received.  Presumably the GRO still has any handwritten ones which existed, but not available to check.  If the LDS had filmed them, they should have reached both databases, so if both have the scan missing perhaps it was never scanned.  Having watched the LDS at work doing some filming (of card indexes) in the 1980s it would not surprise me if they missed the odd one!  This comes to light in FamilySearch occasionally.

I think there is more than one version of some scans on FreeBMD but I have never checked systematically.  I just try to avoid the very pale ones.  There would always be room for errors when indexes were typed or typeset.

Some of the worst seem to be when they filmed a carbon copy of a typescript, 1920s & 1930s, and nobody had cleaned their typewriter keys, so they filled with paper fluff.  (Requires methylated spirit and an old toothbrush!)