ScotlandsPeople allows expired credits to be reactivated

ScotlandsPeople, the site that gives us Scottish parish registers, civil registrations, wills and more, works on a pay-per-view system where credits expire after 90 days. If you buy some more after the old ones have expired the old ones are reactivated, so you don’t lose them completely.

They have issued an announcement to the effect that you can reactivate old credits on a one-time only basis without buying new ones.

ScotlandsPeople would like to offer all customers who have existing credits in their account the opportunity to re-activate and use the credits at no cost through the use of a voucher code. We are doing this to allow customers who have expired credits to take the opportunity to use these without making a purchase.

All customers who have existing credits can now use the free voucher code SCOTLANDSPEOPLE which will re-set the credit expiry to 90 days in their account. Customers may use this voucher any time until 1.00 p.m. on Thursday 17th June, 2010. The voucher may only be used once in each account.For information on how to use the voucher code, click here.

It’s quite easy. Just log in, click on the Need More link, and enter the voucher code SCOTLANDSPEOPLE. Your credits will now expire in 2160 hours, and no money will have changed hands.

They have made this offer available until 17 June 2010, so do it now before you forget!

Let’s get the England and Wales Probate Calendar Indexes to Wills online!

I’ve received the following email. You can have your vote towards getting the Index to Probates for England and Wales since 1858 online, as long as you do it in the next day or so (allowing for the time difference).

Subject: Re: ENGLAND & WALES Probate Calendar

John Briden HMCS (Her Majesty’s Courts Service) is hoping to get the  Probate Calendar Indexes to Wills and Grants, issued since 1858 in England and Wales online.

The index includes the full name and address of the deceased and date of death. See http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/1226.htm

He has put together a short questionnaire and would like to receive as many responses as possible by Friday 27th March.  I realise that this is very short notice but if you are able to help by responding to John it would be appreciated. 

Copy and paste the questions below into an email, add your answers and send your responses to john.briden@justice.gsi.gov.uk

  • Q1. If the probate calendar was available on the internet, would you use it?
  •  
  • Q2. If you would use it – how often would you use it?
  •  
  • Q3. What probate information would you be interested in seeing online, and why that particular information?
  •  
  • Q4. Would you like to order copies online, and be prepared to pay for them online?
  •  
  • Q5. Would you prefer to access the calendar online, but order and pay for copies by post, or by telephone?
  •  
  • Q6. Would you be prepared to pay a premium to the fee, in addition to the normal cost for a more immediate service?


Original message from:

Mauren Bullows

Archives Liaison Officer

Email: archives.liaison@ffhs.org.uk 

www.ffhs.org.uk

 This email has been sent by: 

The Federation of Family History Societies a Company Limited by Guarantee

Company Number 2930189 (England & Wales) – Registered Charity Number 1038721

Registered Office: Artillery House, 15 Byrom Street, Manchester, England M3 4PF

Just cut-and-paste the questions into an email, add your answers, and send to john.briden@justice.gsi.gov.uk. Let’s add our Australian voices to this issue!

My thanks to Michelle Nichols for drawing this to my attention.


New online indexes for Victoria

The Public Record Office of Victoria has announced the release of  two online indexes -

Wills and Probate 1841-1925

Outwards Passengers 1887-1896

Here is the announcement in their rEsearch 32 – News from Access Services at Public Record Office Victoria:

NEW PROBATE AND SHIPPING INDEXES LAUNCHED
2008 has seen volunteers at PROV achieve major milestones through their work on indexing PROV records.

Volunteers from the Genealogical Society of Utah and the Victorian Association of Family History Organisations have completed the initial stage of a new index to probates in Victoria. The index’s first stage, covering the period 1841-1925, allows researchers to search for the first time 214,000 probates held in PROV’s collection by family name, place, occupation and date.

For assistance in researching wills and probates, refer to: PROVguide 70 Wills and Probate Records; PROVguide 29 Wills and Probate Records 1841-1925; and PROVguide 68 Wills and Probate Records from 1926. These are available online and in hard copy in PROV reading rooms.

PROV volunteers have also completed another instalment of the outwards immigration index. The latest instalment of 290,000 departures covers the period 1887 – 1896, was launched at the volunteers’ end of year celebrations on 16 December.

The new instalment of the immigration index and the new probate index can be accessed online at: < http//access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/PROVguides/PROVguide023/PROVguide023.jsp

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