BMSGH Search Services

	STRAYS - CENSUS, GENERAL, GUILDHALL APPRENTICES Co-ordinator: Bernie and Mary McLean, 7 Rodman Close, Birmingham, B15 3PE Initial enquiries preferred by e-mail to referencelibrarian@bmsgh.org Fees Ł4.00 non-returnable search fee per surname for up to three entries from the Index. Additional entries 25p each. Cheques should be made payable to BMSGH and a stamped, addressed envelope included for your reply. Also you may make payment using PayPal to account address search.fees@bmsgh.org BMSGH members must include their current membership number on all correspondence to qualify for the members discount of 25%.

	*What is a Stray?* It is a recorded event in which a person is described in the record as being from, or connected to, a place outside the area in which they normally lived. Normally this is interpreted as ‘out of county’, or counties in the case of our Society, but especially in the case of General Strays, there is a much narrower interpretation which can be next parish.

	Census Strays These show people resident outside their county of birth and may, or may not, include family members and can include any of the Census years. There are some 17,000 entries.

	General Strays Any other record except Census, usually baptisms, marriages, deaths but can include almost any event.. There are some 1,100 entries from fifteenth century to the twenty first. Both Census and General Strays are compiled by submissions from other people and because of this can be varied and far flung. It is only the tip of the iceberg when you consider the millions there must be.

	Guildhall Apprentices Apprentices from within our three counties but registered as apprentices at the London Guildhall. These give details of name, date of apprenticeship, father’s name, home address, occupation of father, to whom apprenticed and what Company of apprentices. This is an ongoing transcribing by one of our Members, some 3,000 entries to date. There is no systematic searching for strays. They are sent in to the coordinator by all of you who find them and entered into the database by him. Thank you for your help.

STRAYS - CENSUS, GENERAL, GUILDHALL APPRENTICES