Thursday, May 10, 2018

Spoiled By Online Images

One of the marriage records I ordered from U.K. GRO a few weeks ago arrived yesterday.  (Yes, it's printed on light green paper!)

Marriage record from U.K. GRO



I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered it but I know this is not what I expected.

I see now that I've been spoiled by the clear, clean scanned images available at websites like FamilySearch, Ancestry, and even Google newspapers, where I can enlarge them to read and view details.  This image hearkens to the days and images of microfilm with all their dust particles floating behind the glass.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm grateful to even have an image of a marriage record that was created more than 150 years ago.  Truly, I am.  I just expected a cleaner image.  Thank goodness a photo of this record enlarges and is mostly legible, if not clear and clean.

I'm thankful that U.K. GRO now sends digital images of birth and death records.  I hope they'll begin sending marriage records that way, too.

I've been spoiled by online images.  What about you?  Have you received documents in the mail that are less than you'd hoped to see?

--Nancy.

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2 comments:

  1. Yes, a few years ago (5?) I didn't have an Ancestry subscription and hadn't tried using it at a library. I ordered a few photocopies of death certificates from the Pennsylvania State Archives. They're very nice, and the price is reasonable, but the images were pretty awful. Maybe by now they have a better copier, I hope? It must be tough to work in an office where the copier is so poor.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, yes, I have a few pre-Ancestry Pennsylvania death certificates, too, Marian. They're not very clear. Have you looked at them at Ancestry yet? I wonder if the scanned images for the certificates you have are clearer than the photocopies. I'll have to look up my own to compare.

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