following on from the article detailing the Browse GRO BMD Image tool I’ve included an example below on how to use the indexes on FamilySearch / FindMyPast in combination with the GRO Image Browse tool to locate correct images for entries either not found on the IrishGenealogy website, or where the image link is missing or invalid.
Note – the browse tool currently only works FireFox browser
The example birth is that of a Catherine Lafferty father’s name Patrick born July/September Quarter 1887 in Stranorlar Registration district. A search of the birth indexes on FamilySearch and FMP shows two likely results the first in volume 2 page 319 and a second in the same volume on page 322.
There’s no sign of matching entries on the IrishGenealogy website under Lafferty..
The key details to note are the year/quarter, district volume and page (the folder, image & film references are FamilySearch internal references)
Lafferty birth index on FamilySearch
Lafferty birth index on FindMyPast
The next step is to do a generic search of all births during 1887 in Stranorlar district using FamilySearch or FindMyPast and look for births with the same year/quarter, ideally with a distinctive name – I picked a Mary Ann Ramsay :
Name Mary Ann Ramsay
Event Type Birth
Event Date Jul – Sep 1887
Registration District Stranorlar
Volume Number 2
Page Number 320
A little luck with this because her birth entry is on page 320 so close to our two possible matches. Look for this name on IrishGenealogy, leaving off the middle name which they dont usually index, and just 5 turn up for all Ireland, including just one in Stranorlar district.
Birth entry for Mary Ramsay 1887
Open the record and select the image link option to view the image and confirm that Mary Ann Ramsay is shown on the page, and that the page number is correct (320 top left of the page) . Copy the URL for the pdf page image from the browser address, and then open the GRO Image browse tool.
Copy URL from register image page on IrishGenealogy
Paste this image url into the textbox and click submit – the same register image should be shown – click the ‘< Previous link, at the top of the page to show page 319 and look for the first possible match, it’s entry 41 and father’s name is Stephen, so not the right one.
Catherine page 319
Click the ‘Next >’ link three time to get to page 322 and the right one.
Catherine page 322
Sometimes you have to repeat the steps as there can be several different books and sub-districts in use at the same time with overlapping page numbers.
The same basic steps can also work when you get an entry on IrishGenealogy without an image link. There are also some genuine mis-indexed records – where the page matches the index reference but there’s no sign of the record in question, these sometimes turn out to be misreadings of the page number – e.g. 515 vs 518 etc.
Some image links show a page in an incorrect volume, e.g. the incorrect registration district or county at the top, where these occur note the page number and try the images for other index entries with the correct district and similar page number.
p.s. it turns out that both these births have been indexed on IrishGenealogy as LAFFENTY.
Births indexed as Laffenty