Request for opinions on Emerald Ancestors website

MJayne · Post by **MJayne** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:31 pm

I have just started researching my grandfather's side - Smith

- and have got a bit of wrinkle. My GGGF only went off and got married to an Irish lass didn't he! Can't research this line any further until I see their marriage cert and get the names of his parents. From GGF's birth cert I get the following information:

Father - James Smith, Joiner Journeyman
Mother - Annie Smith m.s. Sweeney
Marriage - 26th December 1899 Belfast, Ireland

To say Irish research has me baffled would be a gross understatement. The majority of sites I have looked at so far are not particularly user friendly. Plus my knowledge of Irish geography is pitiful - I'm not sure whether Belfast falls under Co Antrim or Co Down!

One site I thought was quite good was Emerald Ancestors. Using their free search, I found a 1899 marriage with groom = James Smith and Bride = Anne in Antrim. Before I shell out £9.99 for one month's membership , I thought I should ask you guys what you think of Emerald Ancestors. Are their records complete/accurate? Will the membership be a tenner down the drain? I do have other Irish rellies to research but they are mainly in the South so I will essentially be paying a tenner to see one record.

I have my first ever booking at the Geneaology Centre in Glasgow on the 22nd of this month, and would like to do some Smith research whilst I am there so need to find this record first.

Any opinions/advice very welcome.

Cheers!

Jayne

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 10:19 pm

Hi Ajyne

One site I thought was quite good was Emerald Ancestors. Using their free search, I found a 1899 marriage with groom = James Smith and Bride = Anne in Antrim.

Just a thought - try the search the other way round and see if it still turns up i.e. search for a marriage of Anne Sweeney; does she marry a John (surname obscured by irritating little lock thing!

) in 1899, Antrim?

Best wishes
Lesley

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 10:44 pm

Hi Jayne (not Ajyne as typed earlier!

Brain works faster than fingers...)

It may also be worth considering, since you have a location & date for the marriage, that it might be worth circumventing Emerald Ancestors in this case and going straight to GRO
http://www.groni.gov.uk/

Full certified copy of an entry of marriage £ 11.00
Form is at:
http://www.groni.gov.uk/marriage_app.pdf

I don't think you will find out more than you already know at Emerald Ancestors:
Northern Ireland Marriages
http://www.emeraldancestors.com/databases/

This collection contains records from a variety of Parish Baptism Registers (1823 to 1901) along with over 500,000 records from Civil Registrations (1845 to 1920) for Counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone. Entries included in this database typically include name of Bride and Groom, date and place of marriage.

I take this to mean that you are not going to see all the details on the cert - as far as I remember you then have to pay extra for the full transrciption. ( I did this with a probate record and census record from there - it was not cheap....)

Look-up requests
Often original sources contain valuable information on a specific record that it has not been possible to transcribe into our databases. In such cases, Emerald Ancestors offers a “look-up” facility, whereby we will obtain a full transcript of the entry from the original source and email this to you.

To avail of this service, simply find the record you are interested in through the advanced search facilities. If additional information is available, a button will appear at the bottom of the details page. By clicking this button you will be advised of the likely information available in the original source and guided through the ordering process.

The cost of this service varies depending on the type of record being ordered and ranges between £4.00 and £12.00.
The Look-up facility is available to members only.

Looks to be cheaper in this case to go to GRO (just hope your couple gave the place and date accurately!)

Best wishes
Lesley

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 11:02 pm

Forget the above...I forgot...!!
Marriage registers are only available for marriages on and after 1 January 1922 at GRO in Belfast - it will need to be Roscommon you apply to:

http://www.groireland.ie/

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 11:25 pm

Also if you use the search link at the top of the page and search for Emerald AND Ancestors you will find some mentions of that site from our members.

MJayne · Post by **MJayne** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:47 pm

Lesley,

Many thanks for the info. I faxed a request off to Roscommon today.

I think I may have found my James Smith's birth cert and see him on a couple of census returns - his parents look to be William Smith and Ann m.s. Hamilton. The marriage cert will hopefully corroborate and I am trying to track down a death cert too.

Thanks again.

Jayne

MJayne · Post by **MJayne** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 9:06 pm

Lesley,

Just thought I would let you know that I got the marriage cert from Roscommon and the info on it backed up my little leap of faith and let me get a bit further back in this line.

Thanks for your advice and help!

Jayne

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:00 pm

Hi Jayne
Great to hear that some progress has been made, always good to hear...especially with those Irish lines.....

Best wishes
Lesley

ninatoo · Post by **ninatoo** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:01 am

Hi Jayne,

How long did they take to send it to you? They say it will take a week on the website, but I have now been waiting for two weeks with no contact.

Nina

MJayne · Post by **MJayne** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:17 am

Nina,

I got my cert a week to the day that I faxed the application (it just took me ages to post my message of thatnks!). I had a date and place of marriage so they were maybe able to track it down really quickly. Maybe your rellies are proving to be a bit more elusive.

Hope they get back to you soon.

Jayne