Genealogy Chat

i have a large family who come from the bethnal green and stepney area.does anyone have any addresses that would be useful for me to visit as i'm quite new to this, but am planning to travel to london soon but i don't know the address for the records office,also does anyone have any advice on kew gardens as i've been told thats where military records are kept and i was hoping to go there aswell, any help will be gratefully appreciated

Christopher, you aren't looking for the names Leary and Kimberley, to name but two, are you? I'm in the same situation. Glenys.

no glenys,i'm looking for donovan, reed downes,cash,neale any idea where i should look i can't get to london til the new year as i'm serving in the falklands and am normally in germany so will be using some leave in january to go to the records offices and i'll be visiting city of london cemetary

Two websites for you: National Archives and LMA http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/searchourcollections/ http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_heritage/libraries_archives_museums_galleries/lma/ You can download information leaflets from the National Archives site which will help your research. If you have limited time, check which items are on the open shelves and which you need to order in advance. It can take ages, waiting for documents, but if you ask in advance they can be waiting for you when you arrive. Also, make sure you have the required proofs of identity at Kew to enable you to look at documents. Happy hunting Brenda

Brenda - thank you for the info, which I'll put to use. Christopher - I'm planning to go to London soon with my family, and do some "Miss Marple"-ing for my Tree, so will let you know what it's like there. In the meantime, good luck with your searching! Glenys.

Chris, you dont actually have to go to the Records Office in London to look up info. You can go to a local familysearch site run by the Mormon Church. If you go to the familysearch website, you can check out the addresses for their offices and that may make it an easier job for you. Depends on what info you already have to go on really. Have you done checks on familysearch and ancestry? Kew does have the military records, I think someone else has suggested you look at the National Archives website for more info. Good luck.

Christopher Military records are at Kew. (This is vast and you need to pre-plan your visit. Check out the website at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/) Bethnal Green is in London Borough of Hackney. Check out their archives website: http://www.hackney.gov.uk/index/council/departments/communityleisure/archives/archives-guide.htm You may also want to visit the London metropolitan archives http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_heritage/libraries_archives_museums_galleries/lma/ They are just round the corner from the Family Record Office, in Islington. nell