LOOK UP REQUEST - Girvan Registration Office

[q98]

Is anyone able to conduct a look-up on my behalf at the Girvan Registration Office, 22 Dalrymple Street, Girvan where the burial records for Ballantrae and surrounding districts are held?

I seek burial information relating to John McCREADIE of 8 Allison Street, Newton, Ayr who died at 9PM, 2nd August 1879. The location of his death was recorded as “onboard No. 1 tug boat, Ayr Harbour”. John was 31 years of age.

As his father, also John McCREADIE, was informant on the Death Extract, it is probable that the remains were taken to Ballantrae for burial in accordance with the custom of the time; interment in the parish of birth.

Girvan Registration Office has confirmed it holds the burial records for Ballantrae and surrounding districts.

Many thanks and kind regards.

Jim McCreadie
Fremantle
Western Australia

[Anne H]

Hi Jim,

Sorry, I can't help you with a look-up but wondered if Ayrshire Library/Archives might help. http://www.ancestryroots.co.uk/archivehistory.htm

I don't know if they would do a look up for you, but since you have so much information on the death of your ancestor it might be worth emailing them.

Regards,
Anne H

[q98]

Thanks Anne. I've e-mailed North and South Ayrshire Libraries and they both want a fee. It goes againt the grain to pay for something when I supply ALL the information, there's barely any searching required.

Thanks again.

Jim

[paddyscar]

Hi Jim:

As I don't live in Scotland, I'm not sure of how libraries are funded there, but perhaps my work experience may give some perspective on a fee request by the Ayrshire libraries.

I worked in the Canadian public library system for 22 years, latterly in Reference work, with my off-desk time doing inter-library loans and genealogy requests. Following that, I was a Resource Centre Librarian for a Crown Corporation for the balance of my career. I've served on our local library board since 1992.

Provincial funding and municipal funding are our primary sources of revenue, but libraries don't necessarily rank high in politicians' list of priorities.

Anyone who lives outside our municipal boundaries making a request for an information search is charged the equivalent of one hour's wage and this would include up to 10 pages of photocopies/microfilm prints/text pages on disk.

At one time, we did do those kinds of requests at no charge when it wasn't busy on the desk. In recent years the number of quick look-ups and search requests have increased with easy international contacts through the Internet. It was at that point, fees were added. The rational was that local people pay a per/household levy through their taxes annually toward the support of the library. Fiscal responsibility required that we not offer free service to non-residents at a cost to our own rate-payers and it is very common practice.

Also, these are not the type of records that would likely be available at the library itself, requiring staff to travel to the records office and possibly payment of a fee.

I hope I've given you some understanding from the perspective of a library.

All the best,
Frances

[q98]

Thanks Frances, I appreciate your input.

It could be argued that when an enquirer is able to provide most or all of the data required for a successful search, he or she should NOT pay the same fee as an individual who can supply only minimum information.

Of course, the question then becomes "What constitues "most or all of the data required" and how should a fair and equitable "scale" of fees be determined." N'est ce pas?

Kind regards.

Jim

[marilyn morning]

Hi Jim,

In all fairness to our family research around the world, we should expect to have to pay a fee for some of the information which is made available?
Who works for nothing? If you think about the woman/man hours spent with free lookups not to mention the postage. Thank goodness some of these institutions, still provide the information for free, but sooner or later there will come a time where one will need to cough up a fee for their lookup. Its only fair to pay the piper.

Regards
Marilyn