Parish & Chapel Registers on microfiche

[scorpioleah]

I've got to the point where im in the 1700s with my research, which means parish records are a much needed source.
I emailed a lady at glamorgan as i need parish records for neath, she said their building where the records are being kept, as they are currently closed due to a move, so i wont be able to access them. She did say i should think about getting Parish & Chapel Registers on microfiche which can be bought here:

http://www.genfair.co.uk/product_list.php?sid=52&page=10

can anyone tell me what it is exactly and what info will it give and if its worth buying?
I do have alot of ancestors in the neath area so if it does give me for example a baptisim, with the parents name on it, it may be worth it? what does everyone think

[Darksecretz]

they will tell you on a bapt: childs name (sometimes you get a DOB as well as a bapt date) Parents names and fathers occupation and where they lived. if you dont have your own personal fiche reader then usually you can take them to your local library and use their machines (if they have them there).

the other alternative is to see if they are available on CD, sometimes they have been transcribed onto cd, I have some of these and have found them very easy to use.

[Uncle John]

What Julie didn't say is that the images on microfiche are really tiny so the reading machine has huge magnification like a microscope. But many bigger libraries have readers that you can use for your own microfiche as well as the records they hold themselves.

[Olde Crone Holden]

I would check before you buy though, that your library DOES have a microfiche reader - the only library which still has a reader in my area is 25 miles away. Not exactly convenient for a quick flick through!

OC

[scorpioleah]

thanks. im glad i asked now before getting as i have no way of reading it. i will check my local library.

Julie, Where did you buy the ones on CD?

[Cloggie]

Parish register transcriptions on CD-ROM, if available, can usually be obtained from the same sources as those on microfiche, so through Family History Societies and sites like GENfair and Parish Chest. At the moment, you're likely to find more available on microfiche than on CD-ROM though, although more and more Family History Societies seem to be producing CD-ROM versions of their microfiche publications. Also, GENfair and Parish Chest may not be as up to date as the FHS sites themselves in terms of new releases. I found a parish register CD-ROM on the Huntingdonshire FHS site yesterday which is not yet available through GENfair.