St George in the East IGI baptisms - a warning

[Mythology]

Typing up some of my stuff has reminded me of this, and it could catch people out so I thought I'd give you all something to tear your hair out over.

Baptisms for the Middlesex (East London) parish of St George in the East appear to be on the IGI from 1729 to 1840. They all have a "C" number, they are "extracted" entries, so there is no apparent problem at first sight bar the possibility of transcriber error, which can occur with any transcript.
Hugh Wallis's well-known web site, which lists the batches, and which you will probably look at as a quick check on coverage, has:
C055781 1729-1779
C055782 1779-1810
C055783 1810-1840

That is not the whole story though.

If you *found* your person on the IGI and clicked the source call number in the entry, you'd find that they are not taken from the register, they are taken from the baptism day books. The register was, of course, written up from these, not always faithfully, and if there's a discrepancy (as is the case with one of mine where the birth date differs) the day book is more likely to be correct, so that's a bonus.

On the other hand, if you did *not* find your person, you might reasonably assume that they weren't baptised there. Not having an entry to look at in the first place, you probably won't have investigated any further than the batch list.

So you will quite possibly not realise that the dates shown for the batches are only start and end dates, and there are large gaps - most notably, after 1812, there's nothing until 1829. For those years, you need the parish register, which is not on the IGI.

Have fun.

[Sandra Parker]

Just my luck to have folk at ST G in the E! Oh well, appreciate your advice, as always.
Backwards ever backwards
Sandra

[Guy Etchells]

Good point Mythology, well put.

What should be remembered is the IGI is not and was never intended to be an index of Parish Registers, any appearance to be is co-incidental.

The IGI is an accurate index of the Ordinances that took place in a Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

To use it as an index of Parish Registers is wrong and is similar to using a telephone directory as an electoral roll. Some entries will fit, some will be missing and some will be wrong.
Cheers
Guy

[Ed McKie]

Mythology is correct of course regarding the Day books on the IGI. However I seem to recall that once many moons ago on a visit to Tower hamlets Local History Library that they had a few actual registers there. May be wrong of course, as one ages not only do we forget things, but we also remember some that didnt happen.

Cheers..Ed

[Mythology]

I don't think there's anything wrong with your memory, Ed.
Other than the St George in the East day books, where I had that discrepancy so wanted to check the accuracy of the day book entry on the IGI, I haven't come across anything in my lot in that neck of the woods that I needed which wasn't on film at the LMA, so I've not investigated what they actually have, and I haven't been there for quite while either, but their website does refer to registers.
Without checking the parish notes at the LMA I can't be sure, but it is *possible* that, because we use film copies, there is some duplication. The St Andrew Holborn registers, for example, are on film at the LMA, which can often save me a bus ride, but the actual registers are held at the Guildhall Library.

[helenmsim]

In my family I found James Toudup in the IGi baptised at St George in East in 1754, I knew he had a brother Thomas but couldn't find his baptism until I looked at the St George in East baptisms at Docklands Ancestors and there they both were; James in 1754 and Thomas in 1761, both with the surname spelled Toudup . I didn't know what day books were until I read your message, are marriage day books the same?? Thanks for sorting out a problem which has been bugging me for years.
cheers
Hellen

[Mythology]

"are marriage day books the same?"

I have absolutely no idea, because I don't know what you are referring to.
Outside of the USA, where I have come across "Day book" as a description of what was, in effect, a personal register, kept by an individual minister, I have never seen anything relating to marriages described as a "Day book". If you can point me in the direction of one in this country, I will try and find out, because I'd like to know too!

[Mythology]

Forgot to say...

I'm glad you found your missing person though.
I've used Docklands Ancestors myself now and then, and while I'd hesitate to judge on the basis of a small sample, they seem to do a good job with the transcribing, nearer what I'd call "Family History Society" standard than "You know who across the pond" standard.