Buffnut453 Posted 21 January , 2019 Share Posted 21 January , 2019 (edited) Not sure if this is the right place to put this thread but while researching a relative's service record, I came to the realization that the digital versions available on Ancestry are considerably lower-quality than the version I can access on FamilySearch. To highlight the difference, this first image is a page from my relative's service record. I've darkened it to make it as readable as possible but there are still plenty of gaps, particularly on the left side of the image: Now here's exactly the same page downloaded from FamilySearch. For this one, I had to resize the image so I could post it to GWF but, when zoomed in, the entire text of the note is readable: I throw this out there in case anyone else finds it useful. I'm not saying that every "burnt record" image accessed via FamilySearch will offer such tangibly improved results but I think it's worth checking in case more information is apparent in the higher-quality images available from that site. Kind regards, Mark Edited 21 January , 2019 by Buffnut453 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 22 January , 2019 Share Posted 22 January , 2019 Where were you viewing the FamilySearch record, on your home computer (and if so are you a Mormon church member) or at a FamilySearch Centre or a FamilySearch Affiliate Library? https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2125045 I am not a church member, and the message I get when I try to view an image, is that I would need to view the images at a Family History Centre (also known as a FamilySearch Centre) or at an Affiliate Library. I am aware that there is a Family History Centre located within the National Archives at Kew. Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rksimpson Posted 22 January , 2019 Share Posted 22 January , 2019 Same here, not able to be viewed unless as stated above. regards Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffnut453 Posted 22 January , 2019 Author Share Posted 22 January , 2019 (edited) Ooops...sorry folks. It never occurred to me that data access might be limited. Yes, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka "crazy Normans"...misspelling deliberate! ) which likely explains why I can access the records and you can't (yet). However, do not despair. I suspect accessing FamilySearch at local public libraries may well let you see the records. If that fails, you may find there's a Family History Center not too far from where you live. Try this link to find the nearest to you: https://www.familysearch.org/locations/ Note that FHCs are run by volunteers and only open on certain days at certain times...so double-check before you drive long distances. If all that fails, I'd be happy to do a look-up of specific pages providing I don't get deluged with requests! Hope the above is of use. Also hope the better-quality images help in your research! Kind regards, Mark Edited 22 January , 2019 by Buffnut453 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith_history_buff Posted 22 January , 2019 Share Posted 22 January , 2019 I seem to recall a similar post, made a while back, which showed that FMP images were better than the Ancestry ones for the "burnt images". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffnut453 Posted 22 January , 2019 Author Share Posted 22 January , 2019 7 minutes ago, Keith_history_buff said: I seem to recall a similar post, made a while back, which showed that FMP images were better than the Ancestry ones for the "burnt images". Maybe so but FMP charges extra for service records. The above service is free which might be attractive to some people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 22 January , 2019 Share Posted 22 January , 2019 4 hours ago, Buffnut453 said: Maybe so but FMP charges extra for service records I think not. They are surely included in their basic UK annual fee. Still obviously more expensive than a free service, but they and Ancestry run fairly similar charges. Members of the WFA can now access the Medal Index Cards as well as the growing uploads of the pension records as part of their WFA membership without having to pay for an additional Fold 3 subscription.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffnut453 Posted 22 January , 2019 Author Share Posted 22 January , 2019 5 minutes ago, keithmroberts said: I think not. They are surely included in their basic UK annual fee. Still obviously more expensive than a free service, but they and Ancestry run fairly similar charges. Members of the WFA can now access the Medal Index Cards as well as the growing uploads of the pension records as part of their WFA membership without having to pay for an additional Fold 3 subscription.. Good point...I may have mixed up access to service records with some of the other records. That said, I seem to have a harder time finding service records on FMP. Probably just me being inept! Once I get settled in my new gigs in Germany, I'll likely join the WFA so I can duck out of some Fold3 charges. I don't resent paying for services but some of the genealogy vendors are looking more like satellite TV providers where the only way to get everything you want is to pay for the premium package (or lots of add-ons). It's not a business model I admire...but horses for courses, I s'pose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted 22 January , 2019 Share Posted 22 January , 2019 15 minutes ago, keithmroberts said: I think not. They are surely included in their basic UK annual fee. Still obviously more expensive than a free service, but they and Ancestry run fairly similar charges. Members of the WFA can now access the Medal Index Cards as well as the growing uploads of the pension records as part of their WFA membership without having to pay for an additional Fold 3 subscription.. They are not included in the FMP "Starter" package, only in the two more expensive versions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 23 January , 2019 Share Posted 23 January , 2019 My apologies. I have always used their "12 Month Britain" package, and didn't even remember that they had a more limited offering. I see that some of their offerings have been renamed. I thinkl I argued last year to avoid a price increase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busterfield Posted 15 March , 2019 Share Posted 15 March , 2019 Hello, it seems that over the last few days familysearch are now showing the service records, and not telling you to go to a familysearch centre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted 15 March , 2019 Share Posted 15 March , 2019 (edited) In my experience... Quality of images on FindMyPast better than Ancestry.....but More likely to find the service records on Ancestry than FindMyPast. FamilySearch is starting to show service records for a series for the UK that were previously only available to view at a familyhistory centre, as opposed to ones where they linked to FindMyPast as a partner site, but they don't appear to have all of them up and visible as yet. I've not seen anything in the monthly newsletter that relates or gives a timescale as to when they will all be available. Still it's a free site so has to be worth a check and I know in the past that I have found the odd soldiers records there when both Ancestry and FindMyPast have drawn a blank. Cheers, Peter Edit - forgot to say the quality of the images I've seen so far on familysearch have been good. Edited 15 March , 2019 by PRC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 15 March , 2019 Share Posted 15 March , 2019 I can confirm that I can now view these images on FamilySearch, which is a change from my post 2 above in January, when I couldn't. This is a positive change by FamilySearch, although I haven't seen this change mentioned in any FamilySearch blog or other information. Thanks for advising busterfield, or we wouldn't have known about this change. Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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