Oxfordshire online records - Genealogists' Forum

Phoenix · #1 27-10-13, 06:45

About a year ago, I thought that I saw an announcement that records would be put online, though no mention of the provider.

I checked the record office's website recently and there is no mention of the project. I also note that the archivist has retired.

Does this mean that the project has been abandoned?

ElizabethHerts · #2 27-10-13, 06:52

Phoenix, I have been researching ancestors in Oxfordshire for the past year or so. I have been buying wills from the Origins website, but when I started they weren't yet on there and I contacted Oxfordshire archives. I was told this was a transitional period and they supplied me with a couple which weren't on Origins for some reason. The person I communicated told me that they were putting the PRs online, but couldn't divulge with whom. I was expecting to have heard by now. Perhaps it's FMP dragging their heels again?

Phoenix · #3 27-10-13, 07:23

It just seems odd that there is no headline announcement, which I thought was there a year ago. I try not to be cynical, but so much goes on behind the scenes in archives at the moment that we never hear about, apart from things let slip accidentally.

It would not surprise me if, with a change of regime, things have stalled or been put on the back burner.

ElizabethHerts · #4 27-10-13, 07:28

I have exchanged e-mails regularly with a member of staff there, who is always most helpful, and it was she who told me the records would be going online. Perhaps I could elicit some information from her?

Phoenix · #5 27-10-13, 08:44

It would be helpful, Elizabeth. Best mate's daughter has just produced premature twins, so this area of search is on hold at the moment, but a large branch of the family come from the county and sooner or later we will take up the challenge.

ElizabethHerts · #6 27-10-13, 08:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phoenix

It would be helpful, Elizabeth. Best mate's daughter has just produced premature twins, so this area of search is on hold at the moment, but a large branch of the family come from the county and sooner or later we will take up the challenge.

I hope the twins are OK, Phoenix. How early were they?

I only started researching Oxfordshire recently, and have bought a few parish register transcription booklets from the OFHS as there's precious little online. Origins has been great for wills. I send my transcriptions to the OFHS.

Phoenix · #7 27-10-13, 09:18

Twins were two months premature. Born by caesarian, as one was not growing. They are alarmingly small, but seem to be doing well, fingers and toes crossed.

We can kid ourselves we are doing all the research for them!

ElizabethHerts · #8 27-10-13, 09:23

I hope they do well, Phoenix. It's amazing what they can do with premature babies these days.

OH is an identical twin and he and his brother were 3 weeks early. His Mum didn't know she was expecting twins - OH's brother was born and she got the shock of her life when she was told there was another one there about to make an imminent arrival!

Kit · #9 01-11-13, 07:44

FMP announced years ago they would be releasing the India Office records of the British Library. The announcement I saw was they would be released in Feb 2012. They are now only saying that they will be coming sometime in the future. So anything could be happening with the Oxfordshire records.

I think they underestimate the time required so projects seem to disappear but they haven't really. (not saying it is FMP just using them as an example)

BlueSavannah · #10 01-11-13, 08:03

I was told over a year ago that FMP were putting the Sheffield anglican PRs online 'soon'. I even messaged them on Twitter a last month to ask if there was truth in it and they said yes and they were imminent. I got all excited until I was speaking with a member of the Sheffield FHS at an event last week and she said that people from FMP had only just arrived at the Sheffield Archives to start the scanning of the PRs. Not sure how long they take to complete that kind of process and then transcribe them for the site.