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The PRO: England's Public Record Office
Here's a book that will assist you in finding your ancestor's birth records in England (while you're living in the US). With this book review and its ISBN you should know where the next place to go when looking for records in England.
- R. Houston
"Genealogical Research in England's Public Record Office: A Guide for North Americans", by: Judith Prowse Reid
Format: Hardcover, 164pp.
Pub. Date: June 1996
Publisher: Genealogical Publishing Company, Incorporated
ISBN: 0806315040
Synopsis
This book discusses genealogical material at the Public Record Office in London--a collection of "documentation resulting from legal, marital, civil, military, religious, and other decisions that have affected the lives of British citizens. . . . {It} offers a list of document codes, such as the AO group (Exchequer and Audit), the PROB group (Prerogative Court of Canterbury), andso on. . . . The bulk of the text is made up of general descriptions of the various kinds of documents within each grouping--emigration, censuses, births, deaths and marriages, army,
prisoners, wills, etc. There are also maps of thecounties, both before and
after the boundary changes of 1974. An appendix lists addresses, by county,
of local record offices. . . . Finally there is an index to all the records
in the PRO, arranged by code letter and number." (Booklist) Bibliography.
Reviews and Commentary
This book review is from Barnes & Noble Online. We love reading reviews-and the more of them, the better. We didn't write the reviews below (other people did), but we thought you'd be interested in their comments.
This Book was reviewed by: BookList, Booknews and Library Journal
From BookList:
This inexpensive and clearly written guide will save Americans who travel to England for genealogical research many hours of frustration. It constantly emphasizes the need for preparation before visiting and warns about the delays that may be experienced in the delivery of documents. After extolling the vast quantities of material to be found, it bluntly states that, "However, the PRO is not the place to begin a genealogical enquiry."
What is the PRO? It is a collection, somewhat similar to our National Archives, of all documentation resulting from legal, marital, civil, military, religious, and other decisions that have affected the lives of British citizens
The book starts with helpful details on how to reach the new building in Kew by Underground, bus, or private car and adds details about getting a reader's ticket, photocopying, and the like. It then offers a list of document codes, such as the AO group (Exchecquer and Audit), the PROB group (Prerogative Court of Canterbury), and so on. There is also a list of guides (some of them only leaflets) that should be read before arrival. The bulk of the text is made up of general descriptions of the various kinds of documents within each grouping--emigration, censuses, births, deaths and marriages, army, prisoners, wills, etc. There are also maps of the counties, both before and after the boundary changes of 1974. An appendix lists addresses, by county, of local record offices. An extensive bibliography gives full data for all titles cited in the text as useful guides.
Finally there is an index to all the records in the PRO, arranged by code letter and number The author advises her fellow Americans that much of their work in pedigree hunting has been done for them by the Mormons and published in the Family History Library series by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). She urges them to make use of the International Genealogical Index (IGI) and the Ancestral File, both of which cover all of England and are on microfiche or CD-ROM at Family History Centers throughout the U.S. Appropriate use of these should be made before attempting the masses of PRO documents in England The book is still very useful, particularly for the specialist who has exhausted the LDS sources in the States, or for whom perhaps a date in the IGI is suspect--too young, or too old--or two persons with the same name. A military record, an emigration roster, or the probated will in the PRO may solve the problem.
From Booknews:
A guide to using the Public Record Office (PRO) in England for English or
Welsh genealogical research, providing an introduction to PRO record classes
of interest to North American researchers and identifying PRO records
available in North American institutions. Includes advice for finding
sources of emigration and immigration records, with appendices on local
record offices in England and Wales and useful addresses. Annotation c. Book
News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
From Library Journal:
Library of Congress reference librarian and LJ reviewer Reid provides a
thorough guide for North Americans wishing to investigate genealogical or
historical information in the Public Record Office (PRO) in Kew and London,
England. (The PRO is the English equivalent of the National Archives in
Canada and the United States.) Though it has rich holdings and unique source
materials, it is not the place to begin a genealogy inquiry. One of Reid's
objectives is to help researchers identify many of the PRO records that may
be available from other, more convenient institutions. After helping
distinguish the "when" and "why," she gives helpful logistical information
for consulting the PRO. From then on she focuses on areas of particular
interest to North American researchers. She covers records pertaining to
emigration and immigration along with other principal record classes. Anyone researching British heritage will find this a helpful book in planning the investigation. - Scott Hightower, New York Univ.
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If you wish to contact Rhonda Houston you may do so through the following ~eMail address:
-> "Subject address to R. Houston" dmac44@rogers.com
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