Research

All new members receive details on what services are available from the society.  One of the key reasons our members join is the help available to progress their research into their own Metcalfe family tree.

Getting Started

To help new members get started ...
* We hope to find you 'relations' you never knew you had
* Research on your behalf to see if any of the Metcalfe Society records holds additional information you may not have.

To help us to help you, we will supply you with a proforma (Birth Brief form) to enter the family details you already have.  Our archive team will then research our vast range of databases for additional information and then send you updates to your Metcalfe Family Line and details of any members that you are connected to.

The Archivist will also prepare your Birth Brief for publication in the next newsletter.  You can update your Birth Brief with any significant discoveries by submitting a copy directly to the Archivist.  Should you prefer to keep your family details confidential, a request to the Archivist will ensure that nothing is published without your permission.

Research directly to the society databases

With the improvement in access to data over the Internet, The Metcalfe Society is able to offer you the ability to search directly into our databases from the comfort of your own home, all in a secure environment.  Our data is our greatest asset so it is vital that access is controlled to restrict large data downloads, but to also enable easy to access for you, our member, via the Members Room.   New members are given log-on details and clear, simple instructions to enable you to logon to the Members Room  and take a look.

What Data does The Metcalfe Society hold?

The Metcalfe Society prides itself on both the quantity and quality of the data that is held.  Not only do we hold a vast quantity of data as per the information below, but most important of all is the quality of that data. It has all been checked and verified so that we can substantiate the source of that data - which is just as important as the data itself, especially when it comes to a situation that can often happen where a new member has sent their family details and a mistake has been made.  It can be done so easily, especially with so many of the 'family' have the same forenames over several generations,  and we are there to help resolve that too!

Here’s a taster of the Metcalfes (and all spelling variants) databases we can offer our members :

  • The Metcalfe Society index of over 111,000 records
  • Index of the England Births, Marriages and Deaths from July 1837 to 1940 and beyond,  (also available in chronological and alphabetical order if required).
  • 1881 Census Returns Indexes for the whole of England, Scotland, Wales & Channel Islands
  • 1891 Census Returns for all of the northern counties of England
  • IGI (International Genealogical Index compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints - the Mormons) 1992 edition, covering the whole world
  • Overseas records include Australia BMD Indexes 1841-1920, New Zealand BMD Index 1848-1899, Tasmania Pioneers Index 1803-1899, Canada Manitoba Census Returns 1891.
  • Metcalfe Wills - a list of the wills that are available can found by clicking here
  • Index of Lists - this is essentially a list of lists, which comprises full details of those individual records recorded by our members from any one source - parish registers, census returns etc.  For example ‘Ripon, North Yorkshire, Cathedral baptisms 1821-1900’.  See more details about what Lists of Lists are available.

For instance, did you know there was a Metcalfe in every county in England except Huntingdonshire in the 1881 Census Returns?  Find out more by browsing our database

 

Mecca's Lament

The kitchen sink is full of dishes
I mostly ignore my family's wishes
Under the bed, mice are nesting,
And up in the corners spiders are resting.

Beneath the carpets I've swept the dust,
The cooking pans are starting to rust.
Windows all are dark and greasy,
To look outside is far from easy.
The pantry is empty, not a cake to be seen,
Potatoes moulding in an unwashed tureen.

My husband glares and tears his hair,
For on his shirt not a button is there.
My daughter says it's like Peyton Place,
With Mum uncovering the human race.

At night I lay me down to sleep,
I'm counting Metcalfes instead of sheep.
"Where did James marry his mate?
Why did Alice leave it so late?
Could Anthony be the son of John?
Why was Lister's boy called Washington?
Was Booth Hay named for a General?
Alas, he only made Lieutenant Colonel.
Did William Pitt win his Brief,
And did he defend old Fagin the thief ?"

Poor Isabella orphaned at eleven,
Sent into service, it can't have been Heaven.
Then she wed Grandpa and to my Father gave birth.
And that is the reason for all this mirth.

I spend all my time in the C.R.O.
And down the Archives I must go .
Census and P.R.s are all grist to the mill,
I've dozens of notebooks still to fill.
To St. Catherine's London I am booked
YES, IT'S FAMILY RESEARCH AND AM I HOOKED?!!

By Dorothy Pope (M055)
First appeared in the Mecca News Edition 8, December 1982