Genealogy Chat

Can someone please tell me if 1837 online is a site worth joining ,i am trying to trace family in East London around 1884s.

At least you can try it out with as little as a fiver. If you dont like it, then you need not spend any more. I spent quite a lot on it and bought about 2000 credits, and with the larger amounts, it works out cheaper per credit. All a matter of personal opinion, some people like it, some don`t. Just give it a try and see for yourself.

Hi Brian, 1837 is the GRO index for births, marriages and deaths and it's pay-per-view as opposed to subscription. It would work out expensive if you didn't have a rough idea of what you were looking for, in which case you'd be best to try free sites first like LDS, FreeBMD or even the Ancestry free trial. Saying that, it's still a brilliant site and I've used it a lot. I started off by buying £5 worth, but then bought in bulk! Not only do the credits work out cheaper, but they have a longer finish date as well. Hope this helps, Mandy :)

As has been said, the site is a pay per view rather than a subscription. With the improved search ability, and the addition of overseas records, it can be worthwhile in finding references. That is if they were registered in the first place!?!?!? Paul

I think it's good, if it wasn't for that I'd never have found out about my Granny's secret sister!! Most of us have no chance of going to the Kew records centre. Jacquie

I have found it very useful. Though as other people have said, it is no good for looking if you don't know at least the year or those credits get gobbled up in no time! mind you, they don't cost that much. but it also takes a while to load each page too if you haven't got the benefit of broadband.

It is, as said, pay per view, so can be expensive, all depends. However, for BMDs, I prefer anyway to personally search through fiche at a records office, or main library, or the big books at the Family Records Centre in London - very satisfying if, I mean when you find someone. Joy

I would say that it certainly worth joining. A friend of mine managed to trace her half-sister that she did not know anything about through this site. I have done some research on my own family with good results. This site is well worth every penny.

Am I correct in assuming that basically the results I find there just tell me whether the incident I'm looking for actually occurred in that year or not and that another benefit is that it gives me the index no. I need to order the actual certificate? Or are there any other benefits that I haven't uncovered yet? I read that some people found new relatives via this site, how would that work? When I saw the sample image they have of the births, I was a bit disappointed as it only shows a row of names. Couldn't I just order the birth certificate of an ancestor directly from gro.gov.uk if I know the name and birth year? Sorry if that questions sounds stupid, but I just want to make sure what 1837online can offer before I spent money there. Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi Heike, Yes you can, but it costs £11 without the full GRO reference, only £7 with it. Debbie

You're better off spending a fiver to find two (or more) exact references yourself than spending than paying £3 or £4 a time for them to find it. (Also, there is a certain triumph in finding something for yourself!)

Good point, thanks for your replies. I completely agree, just wanted to make sure I understood the benefits. So I'll start some happy searching now. Thanks and best wishes, Heike