Society of Genealogists - Members' Area FAQ

SoG Data Online : Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I am a member but my search results have a £ sign in each results row?

A: You should login to MySoG before using SoG Data Online ... more details

Q: Is the search criteria case sensitive?

A: No. There is no need to worry about the case when entering details into the search screens.

Q: I am not a member - how can I view the actual data?

The only way to view the actual data is as a member of the Society. Details of membership, including all the other benefits, can be found here.

Q: How do I know if I've found everything that is relevant for a name?

A: If you think that there may be an entry in a database and it hasn't been found then look at the following FAQs below:

Q: I searched for a place name including "Saint" but there were no results

A: "Saint" is abbreviated to "St" throughout this database, so search with "St".

Q: OK, I've found what I want, but what does it mean?

A: In order to understand what the dataset is about it is best to look at the details contained on the website. These can be found in the link above the title.

Q: Can I email the details of some items to someone else?

A: No. Sorry but the information is for members only so there is no facility to do this.

Q: OK, I've found what I want but how do I see the original?

A: If there is no digital image of the original source on this website, you will either need to come to our Library in London to look at it yourself or pay for a copy to be sent to you. Click here for details of our Search and copy service. Note that if the source is a transcript of a parish register we may not have a copy of the original register. Check our on-line catalogue for listings of what we hold in our library.

Q: The Society's Library has a lot more material than this. Why isn't it online?

A: Material must be SoG copyright or out of copyright (the author dying 71 or more years ago) or donated by the transcriber for this purpose.

Q: How can I donate my own transcript to the Members’ area for the benefit of other members?

A: Contact the Librarian with details of the dataset and the format (eg. Excel spreadsheet, Word etc.). Spreadsheet templates and guidance can be supplied if you need them.

Q: Can I use a wild card in the person search?

A: Yes you can. However unlike a lot of other sites the system uses % character to represent any character

Q: Does the Person Search allow for variants?

A: Yes it does but only on the surname field and it uses Soundex as the basis for that search.

Q: How can I search for all variants of a first name?

A: There is no synonym facility in the system as yet. By default the system returns all matches starting with the search term. So "W" will return Wm, Willm, William but also Wilberforce.

Q: The Society has a large collection of parish registers - why aren't they online?

A: Whilst the Society has an extensive collection it can only use the material for which it holds the copyright. A large part of the collection of registers is in microfiche/microfilm or book format and therefore not the Society's copyright