Genealogy Chat

Hi everyone, I have just had my first adventure with the IGI. I found 2 birth records which I have downloaded. But when I tried to open the files I had a message saying Windows cannot open this file. I clicked the box for Windows to find a suitable programme, but it couldn't. Then I clicked the box to choose a programme for myself, I have tried Acrobat Reader and Windows picture viewer, which were the only two sensible options it gave me. Can anybody tell me what to do? I am pretty thick with computers I'm afraid! Duncan

Duncan There is nothing to download, other than what is on the screen. The download facility is really only a useful way of storing what you have found to your PC. I never use it personally. If you want any more detail for a record you will have to look in person at the church record. (You should anyway, to check for errors of transcription, etc) OC

Thanks Sam. This may sound a bit stupid, but I don't know what it is either! I found the record and it gave me the option of downloading it, so I did because it sounded like a good idea. If it is only what's on the first screen anyway then I could just use a pen and paper! All I know about what it is is that the file is a gedcom. Duncan

I'm not sure what you are trying to download. I know you get the option to tick the box and download the record but you get no more information than is on the first screen anyway. Maybe if you said exactly what it was you were downloading it would help. Sam x

Thanks OC. You have answered another question already, I was going to ask if the IGI showed the same as a parish record. I have another puzzle with it.The two births I found (actually christenings, Thomas Still, in Portslade in 1819, and Elizabeth Hards, in Steyning in 1818) married at some point. The christening record for their first daughter Harriet in 1842 shows the parents as Thomas and Elizabeth Still, but I can't find the record of their marriage. Is this simply because the IGI is not a complete record, or am I missing something? Duncan

Duncan The IGI is by no means complete, (and rarely has much after 1837 anyway.) Of course they may not have married....but you need to look at the Parish Records really, if it was before 1837, and the marriages on Ancestry, if it was after 1837. OC

Thanks Marie, I'll give that a whirl. Duncan

Thanks OC, I hadn't thought of that, it was probably after 1837, so I can look it up elsewhere. I will go an look at the parish records one of these days, maybe using the IGI first will save me some time when I am there. Thanks for your help everyone. Duncan

Duncan I can't find any of these people on the IGI - can you say what information you input to search, please? (I'm puzzled now!) OC

Sure thing OC. 1) Christian Name - Thomas Surname - Still Date - 1819 (2 year variance) Event -All Region - British Isles (He is the one shown as Portslade) 2) Christian Name - Elizabeth Surname - Hards Date - 1818 (2 year variance) Event and region as above, she is shown as Steyning. Duncan

WELL I NEVER!!! I have just discovered something I didnt know about the LDS site. If you search 'All resources' this baptism does NOT show up. But if you search only IGI, it does! Something to bear in mind for future searches. However, back to your problem. He is unlikely to have married before Civil Registration (but he could have) so I would look on bmds Ancestry for a marriage for him first. OC

Duncan The marriage is on FreeBMD: Marriages Sep 1839 CHAPMAN Sarah Ann Steyning 7 499 Hards Elizabeth Steyning 7 499 MILLS Thomas Steyning 7 499 Still Thomas Steyning 7 499 Also, the download from IGI saves the file as GEDCOM. This is a file format designed to be read by family history programs such as FamilyTreeMaker and Legacy. You should be able to open the files with these programs - but as mentioned above, it won't give you any more info than you can see on the screen (by clicking on the person's name). Cheers Richard

You can also do IGI through this way if you know location http://freepages.*genealogy.*rootsweb.*com/~hughwallis/IGIBatchNumbers.htm#Page also http://www.sussex-opc.*org/Database/parisheslist.*php?k=443 remove *

Thanks again, to all who helped after I went to bed, I do appreciate it. Duncan

Hi all, Just a note - LDS IGI info downloads as a Gedcom file - this can be read in wordpad if you don't have a Gen. Program. I have given up trying to open in FTW as I go 'round in circles. Bernie