Genealogy Chat

I may have an opportunity to get to Kew at the end of next month. However, looking at their website, I'm still none the wiser about how and what I can look for there. Does anyone know the procedure and can explain to me in 'Noddy' language? How much info can I expect to get in one visit? What do you do if you can't use a pen in the reading rooms? If I go there I'm determinded to make the most of my time and don't want to waste it. I will also offer to do look ups for others as long as I know what I'm doing! Can anyone help a rather green resercher? Thanks

Hi Trudy You need a readers ticket, but you can obtain one at the front desk. It is valid for 3 years. They do hold a lot of Government Archives, but if you are after War Records, then I dont think they have them, but they give you the address of where you can find them. They hold passport application indexes from the 1850s, apprenticeship indentures, WW1 Medal Card indexes etc. Ben

Kew can be a bit intimidating, but once you get the hang of it you will be hooked! You need to pre-register on the site and order up to 3 documents in advance. That way its quicker to get your reader's ticket (take ID with you) and get your first set of documents. Once you have collected them you can order the next 3 and so on. If you aren't sure, you can phone them to ask about what you want to look at. Layout Ground floor - security men will check your bags. Excellent bookshop, small internet cafe, exhibition area, cafe and locker rooms. Lockers are free. You need a clear plastic bag - take one, though they will provide them if you haven't got one. You can only use pencils and NO sharpeners. Your reader's card needs to be swiped to allow access to the research rooms upstairs and there are security guards to help you swipe the right way and check you aren't sneaking in any pens (or Mars bars, Fi!) First floor has the enquiry room with staff to help you and lots of finding aids. There's a room to the right which has war records, the GRO indexes on microfiche and the 1901 census. Off this room is a library with lots of useful info arranged by county. To the left is the area where you find your locker (the locker number corresponds with your desk, which is allocated when you order a document). Collect your document(s) and go through to the reading room to find your desk and take notes etc. Upstairs is another document room with large tables to help you with big documents like maps, or older material, which might be loose. Don't try to do too much. Write a priority list of what you want and take a bit of time to familiarise yourself with it all. nell

How much you can do in one visit depends on what documents you want to search, whether they are indexed etc. What are you hoping to find? nell

Thanks Benjamin and Nell It sounds like a real adventure! I was hoping to be able to find some answers to missing maiden names in my tree - marriage records, perhaps or find out how to access them. I also would like to find out about my grandad's part in the war. How do you get a clear idea of what documents to order and isn't it a waste of everyone's time if the ones that come out turn out to be the wrong ones?

Marriage records UNLESS your ancestors were non-conformists, you won't find marriage records at Kew. They have the GRO indexes on microfiche, but they are available online on Ancestry for free so its a long journey just to get the index number. If you don't know the maiden name you have to order the cert to find it out. War Records Approximately 60% of the WW1 records were destroyed in WW2. The surviving ones are known as the burnt records. So its chance if your relatives' record will be there. The war medals index is searchable online and you can download a record for £3.50. You can get a copy at Kew for 25p which is cheaper, but you have to get there. Or you can just copy the details yourself which takes a few minutes. Ask if your journey is really necessary. Kew is not the first port of call for family research. It's useful if you have ancestors in criminal trials, or in the Metropolitan Police, or who were in the merchant navy. But it sounds as though you aren't too sure what you are looking for in which case it may not even be at Kew. nell If your relative

Examples of info I have found at Kew to give you an idea: Medal Index Card for grandfather Metropolitan Police service records for 4 great uncles and pension details for one of them. Details of judge, jury and witnesses in murder trial involving a gt gt gt uncle. Layout of country house in which gt grandfather was a manservant. ************************************************************** For births, marriages and deaths, and census info, you'd be better off online on ancestry or visiting the Family Records Centre, which is an off-shoot of Kew, based in Islington. nell

National Archives at Kew do not hold parish registers. The information they hold was collected nationally, by government departments. If your grandfather was in WW1, then the microfilm are on open access. There are at least two series to search: WO 363 and WO 364, plus some smaller groups of records. Anything on Documents Online is free to look at, both at Kew and at the Family Record Centre in Islington. You can also get free online access to Ancestry's censuses (not 1901) the Times Newspsper and lots of other useful websites (but the only place you can access GR at Kew is in the cyber cafe near the entrance) The FRC (and probably Kew, but I can't remember where it is) has the index to wills from 1858 to about 1840. So, there is plenty to look at, even if you don't find what you originally hoped to discover. TNA's website is pretty rubbish at the moment: they are in the process of updating and reorganising it and it doesn't seem to work the same way twice. However, if you go to family history, find the research guides, put a word in the search box to find the one you want, and then print it off, you will have some guide to the sorts of documents to look at. Kew is a wonderful place. The records it holds have been compiled by thousands of different people over hundreds of years and all those different people had their own ideas about how records should be organised. Nobody is an expert on all the records and few people manage to do very much on a first visit. Just enjoy yourself (and if it all gets too much, pop over to Kew Gardens and admire the flowers!)

Whats the car parking like at Kew? Gerri.

i appologise if someone has already said this, i went to kew for the first time on friday. in noggy terms lol you can order 3 documents in advance & 3 when you get there, total of six best way is to phone, explain you have tried to use their website but couldnt work it out...i had a lovely guy who looked up and booked my documents. when you go, take a pencil and paper..no pens allowed, and some kind of ID to get you readers card..i used a bank card as id enjoy we had a great day on friday ps i went on train but there was a sign post for parking, didnt see what it was like though

Thank you all for giving me a clearer picture. I'll be staying in London for a couple of weeks and thought I'd treat myself with a day out down in Kew. I can now decide what I need from the NA and order appropriately. The last time I went to Kew gardens I sprained my ankle and had to buy a pack of frozen peas to put on it! Regards and good wishes all, Trudi.

Gerri, car park is large and free. Carol

Nell and Colleagues, What an excellent explanation you have all given on how to use the records at Kew. I know the only time that I visited I tried to do far too many things and really didn't make much progress. The Merchant Navy records that I needed to see were at the Guildhall in London but that was a long time ago. Thank you for so much usefull information I have copied it and saved it in Word for future reference. Cheers, Margaret N

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