Hi All,
There is an important consideration in using Hugh's search feature that I
have not as yet seen reported. In entering the controlled extractions to the
IGI, the LDS chose to retain the patron-submitted entry, if there was one,
and not enter the controlled-extraction entry, if the patron-submitted entry
was correct. Therefore, if there was a patron-submitted entry, and it was
correctly entered into the IGI before the controlled extractions for that
interval of the church records were entered, that event WILL NOT BE REPORTED
in a search of the IGI based on the batch number for that period of time for
the controlled extractions for that church. So, CAREFUL, you may not be
"playing with a full deck" if you use this approach.
I think that this has turned out to be an unfortunate choice of which entries
to keep, but I can understand why it was made. And, as anyone who has used
the IGI to any extent will tell you, the second "I" in IGI stands for INDEX,
and, if you care at all about that entry, the original record(s) should be
examined in any event. The baptism of my 3g-grandfather at Ancrumbridge in
the parish of Jedburgh in 1787 recorded: "George Cairns the child's uncle and
Robert Cairns the child's grandfather witnesses to the baptism." You don't
normally get that sort of detail, but you never know unless you check.
There is also another little qwerk to this particular story in that the other
5 children in this family were all baptized at Wilton, and this child would
have been missed, at least temporarily, if the search had been restricted to
the parish in which the family was living. As best I can tell, the
grandfather was living with his youngest son, "Uncle" George, and the father
(incl. possibly others in the family not recorded) took the child to
Ancrumbridge where the grandfather for whom he was named could be a witness.
Two months later, brother/uncle George had his own son who was also baptized
Robert for the grandfather.
I should note that this comment is not meant to be in any way critical of
Hugh's procedure. Just be sure that's what you want to do and that you
understand the limitations involved.
Don Asquith