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| Date Sent | Comment |
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| 23rd December 2011 |
I would like to wish everyone a Very Happy Xmas & Wonderful New year and thank you all for the good work you do with the records you provide. I think it is the best site in the world and use it daily, I live in Australia and boast to people about the hard work you people do from The Isle of Wight Happy Xmas from Patricia Pitman |
| 25th October 2010 |
Thank you for this great site which has allowed me to track my Wearn ancestors from Australia...
I have used your online BMD search to buy transcriptions of birth and marriage certificates... good job!! Linda Mina |
| 25th October 2010 |
I was recommended this site by a fellow searcher A lot of my family was resident on the Island for many years and I have found that this site is the most user friendly site for searching for records that I have found on the internet. I have found out some information on this site that was missed off a major site which has solved a problem that I had been researching on a particular family member. Many thanks for this and keep up the good work. Roy Stratton |
| 20th October 2010 |
I'm very impressed with this website and its resources. My grandmother was from Cowes and later emigrated with my South African grandfather to New Zealand,
because of this I've grown up with no knowledge of my family history. I hope to visit the office to research more when I get the opportunity to visit the UK.
I'd also like to get in contact with any relatives of Isobel/Isobelle (many knew her as Toni) BURTON (my grandmother), she was the daughter of Restel BURTON and Doris PRYER
and sister of Restel, Austin and Doreen (who I think may have been/be known as Josie). Feel free to contact me using this email address
if you have any information. Jessica LaTrobe |
| 5th August 2010 | My grandfather Frederick Archie Hansford was born on the Isle of Wight in 1900 to Alice Medway and William Frederick Hansford.
He was a Barnardo Orphan Immigrant to Canada from entry in 1903 to his leaving his assigned farm labourer position in 1916 and striking out on his own.
Your site is a wonderful mix of current I of W happenings with a blend of both pictures and history to give a flavour of his earliest years as well as the names,
through the BMD index, and existence of his Isle of Wight relatives. I am named after Annie Hansford, also called "Annie Bryce" who died in 1949 or early 1950.
I am still seeking info about her and will continue to comb the site about her thriving bakery/restaurant business-(Cozy Nook Cafe?) and several cottages- to- rent- business
she owned in or near Ryde. Thanks again for all your site provides and for the dedicated volunteers who make my visits possible. I will return to look for other details.
Sincerely, Ann Eichel, Vancouver, B.C. Canada. |
| 17 April 2010 |
I would also just like to take this opportunity to say how extremely useful I have found the website, especially the BMD/ burial index.
I have only been researching my family tree for the past year and the website has been fantastic.
So a very big thank you to you and all your team. Kind regards, Sarah Peare |
| 20 January 2010 | I would like to thank you for providing such a friendly site with so much to offer a visitor from a remote location. In 1988 I was able to visit the PRO IOW and was also impressed with the assistance and resources available from them – so maybe it’s an Island thing. Regards, Jennifer Bell (descended from George Perry, Cowes, IOW) |
| 10 December 2009 |
Hi Val,
Just to thank you and the Isle of Wight Family History for allowing me to search through your records. I have been checking my entries of CADE GRO BMDs for my One-Name Study and I have found that the individual UKBMD project returns by different countiesand/or areas appear to have entries that do not appear to have reached the registers in St Catherine's House, London - well, certainly not in the registers I was using in the 1980s. I found two or three in your BMD - like gold dust :-)) Thank you, again. Kind Regards Jennie Dixon CADE Family History www.btinternet.com/~jennifer.dixon Lincolnshire FHS B0820 CADE One-Name Study GOONS 3891 |
| 10 December 2009 |
Dear Secretary
I am helping a friend to research her family history and searching the web I discovered the IOW site. The main reason I am contacting you is to say how useful and user friendly your Family History site has been for us to fill in some of the 'gaps' we were trying to fill. The BMD and Church burials have provided the information we were keen to obtain. Kind Regards Brian Reynard |
| 28 November 2009 |
Earlier this month I took an opportunity to revisit the Island after a 30 year absence.
I popped into the Resource Centre in Newport on a Saturday afternoon where I received a hearty welcome by Janet Griffin.
She not only displayed an incredible patience in dealing with my erratic needs but she was efficient and knowledgeable in the extreme.
Together with the wonderful staff of the Public Records Office, I was reminded of why I am so proud to boast a caulkhead grandmother as part of my family tree.
To everyone else associated with the IOWFHS, and particularly this website, please keep up your sterling work. Tony Shepherd |
| 28 August 2009 |
Excellent site! Thanks to the BMD index showing mother's maiden names prior to 1911 I have now identified 4 more great uncles who died in infancy that
would have never been identified as the surname involved was popular. I have been seeking this info for over 30 years - so a big thanks to all involved.
Terry Bridger |
| 30 July 2009 |
I would like to congratulate I.O.W Family History Society for the burial records that have been transcribed, recently, I spent many hours on the site, and really appreciate the information I
am able to find Thank You, Patricia Pitman |
| 2 July 2009 |
I stumbled on your site whilst researching my grandmothers
family. I have found that my great grandmother I believe was Elsie Hunt
and her mothers maiden name was Sothcott. I have found your site very
interesting and informative. Thank you for allowing me to look.
Regards, Jane Hodder |
| 27 April 2009 |
Thank you for your wonderful site and the opportunity to join your society. I have managed to find a lot of relatives through your site and am very excited about the prospect of obtaining more information. Yours truly, Dana Mills (British Columbia) |
| 27 April 2009 | I love this site especially the photos... and live in hope that I might recognise someone by name one day... I have family links with LOWE and HASELL, but as all my ancestors seems to have spent time as paupers /work house inmates/ on parish relief etc I doubt they will ever appear... I always show my Dad the pictures as he was born (1923) and bred in Carisbrooke only moving away on marriage in 1953 apart from the war years - Hazel Swain |
| 27 April 2009 | I have just received my first copies of your magazine and have been researching Grant ancestors on the site. I should just like to say how impressed I am with the information available both in the magazine and on the web. I have found out more information in an hour than I had in 3 months investigating other sites. Please pass on my congratulations to all of your committee. - Carroll Gifford |
| April 2009 |
Roy Stockdill has recently published this on Roots Web :
I am not a member of the IOW FHS and I don't know precisely how long the BMD Index has been online, but I must commend the FHS for a quite outstanding resource. -- Roy Stockdill Professional genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html Thanks Roy ! - perhaps you'd like to become a member of the Society ! - Geoff Allan, Webmaster |
| 22nd January 2009 |
I would also like to express that I still think this is the most user friendly and informative
Family History Website that I have used so far. I think it is one of the only ones that gives
free Internet access to the BMD indexes. I can imagine that some would say that it is unfair to
give free access to all and sundry when others pay a subscription, but I have to say after using
the BMD index on your website several years ago, I was so impressed that it actually inspired
me to join the Society.
My sincere thanks to yourself and all the other people that put in so much time and hard work for the enjoyment of so many. Kind Regards Miss Lee Thomas (member 2341) |
| 8th March 2009 |
I suddenly had inspiration in trying to find my grandmother's brother Anthony Farrow who moved to the Isle of Wight at some point before WWII.
Family knowledge was a bit sketchy so I eventually found the IOW FHS site and it's been a great help in tracking some of the basics of that branch of the family.
Thank you for all the hard work you've all put it. It's paid off for me.
Thank you again. Mark Butcher |
| 10th August 2008 |
I have been tracing the family history for about twenty five years now. I have just started on my brother-in-law's side of the tree. Butt, Cool and Edmunds. I have had the most marvellous time on your website putting together the information on the Butt & Cool names from your wonderful indexes for births marriages and deaths, for the Isle of Wight.
Thank you to all who contributed in indexing these indexes, they truly are amazing, and no charge, wonderful. Many thanks. Joyce Sampson (WSFHS) |
| 18th July 2008 | This has proved a very much appreciated site for me.
The help that I received from FHS Members of this site has been
unlimited. I now know so much about my grandfather Morris (and his half
brother) who was born on the Island but left to become a policeman in
Winchester late 1800's. I and my siblings never had any idea of where
grandfather came from let alone that he had any connections to the
Island. Thank you to all who freely gave their time and help to me. Also
to Beki who took photographs of the Morris headstones in Wroxall
Cemetery and those connected to the Morris family with a kind husband in
tow. Many, many sincere Thanks to all April Clark |
| 13th May 2008 |
I am not yet a member but use the website quite a lot, as most of my ancestors come from the Island (Snellgrove family). I am always amazed at how good the site is, it very rarely lets me down. For example, it has taken me half an hour to find the children of a marriage, their marriages and their children. Fantastic! Thank you all. Mr K H Day |
| 10th May 2008 |
Many thanks for this most helpful service. (The BMD Index). A chance comment by an IOW resident visiting Northumberland has enabled me to trace my brother's death on the IOW in 1965.
I now hope to trace his unmarked grave and visit where it is located... Neil Milburn, Northumberland |
| 16th April 2008 | Just to say thank you for such a helpful website and society. I asked for help in tracing a relative on your "Help wanted" page and have been contacted about him by another relative. Thank you for being the means for putting us in touch with each other -- Sue Lawrence. |
| 13th April 2008 | A very useful site. Now looking forward to visiting. Particularly intersted in Horace Colyer of Denbigh House, Ryde. Dental Surgeon, born in London.-- C. Houselander. |
| 16th March 2008 | I am tracing my maternal side of the family in the name of LIPSCOMBE. I have looked at this site and have found it very helpful, have even found my own birth! I am also interested in the HAYTER family and have obtained numerous links to the Island including the murder of Percy Hayter at the Barracks Field in Newport. Thanks for all your hard work. Unfortunately I don't live on the Island otherwise would be a volunteer. This is a good site, easy to use, thanks again.-- Valerie Hayter |
| 17th Febuary 2008 | I am not a member of the IOWFHS but have used this web site on many occasions to research family members on my mother's side who lived on the island. I have found this site to be absolutely brilliant and very easy to use. Thank you all. -- Mr K.H. Day |
| 11th January 2008 | have used this BMD index to trace relatives born on the Island. I think it is fantastic, and gives so much information. I wish all counties used your system. Keep up the good work -- Frances McMeeken |
| 31st December 2007 | A most impressive web site! Just back into family history again after a long absence. Visited IOW about 20 years ago very briefly and found the PRO the most helpful and organised of the many UK PROs visited during that trip. I will get a bit serious about the research in the near future. -- Jennifer Bell |
| 10th December 2007 | This is a very well laid out site. Easy to find what you are looking for. Thanks to the volunteers who entered all the data in the BMD index. Even though I did not find what I was looking for, I was impressed with what you have transcribed. Thanks -- Margaret Mundy |
| 18th November 2007 | Your site is fantastic - I love anything like this that records the history of not only the families but the area. I live in Southampton and the IOW is my second home - i still have the fondest memories of family hols in Shanklin as a lad in the late 60's/early 70's (when caravans were caravans not mobile homes like today). Keep up the great work - Regards Cliff Mould. |
| 18th November 2007 | Both my Great Grandfather and Grandfather were born on the Island and I have found the your site very useful. The oldest relation goes back to 1794 and was a Thomas Wheeler.-- Brian Wingfield, Coleford, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, formally of Bournemouth. |
| 9th November 2007 | A first class website.-- Dennis James Winsor |
| 7th November 2007 | Once again, I have reason to use your site...............and again, I find it one of the easiest and most informative sites I have visited, concerning geneology. I wish they were all as easy and straightforward as yours. Well done.-- Gloria Hearn |
| 28th October 2007 | As the daughter, grand-daughter, g.g.daughter & g.g.g.daughter of Islanders (The TILBURY & SHARP families of Cowes) I really enjoyed visiting your site. I have added it to my favourites and will look at joining your society in the new year to help in my search for my IOW roots -- Nicola Sharp |
| 7th October 2007 | Congratulations on your excellent website. I was really stuck with my family history research but think (fingers crossed!) that I may have made a breakthough thanks to your brilliant site. Many thanks.-- Trish Pickford |
| 30th September 2007 | One of the best FHS sites I have used. Everything easily presented. Looking for Dyer,Osmond, Clarke. Have found some of them;expect others will turn up in time.-- Alan Brown |
| 22nd September 2007 | Great site, am tracing my grandfather's (my mother's father) family who came from Isle of Wight, and Gosport, name of Orchard. My great great grandfather Francis Orchard went to Isle of Sheppey, then to London. My grandfather went to Australia in 1892.-- Rosemary Eden |
| 13th September 2007 | Excellent BMD Index! Thank you.-- Godfrey H. Broad |
| 2nd September 2007 | Thank you for an excellent web site - so easy to use and very informative, thanks.-- Peter Nobbs |
| 11th August 2007 | As someone who spends a lot of time trying to trace my families histories I would like to say that of all the websites I visit and use, this one is the best. Firstly, it is broad based and easy to follow and secondly, although I imagine you could use the money, you do not demand money for access to information. Thankyou from a member "down under" and please keep up the excellent work.-- Margaret Gallen |
| 5th August 2007 | What a brilliant web site. My grandfather was born in Mottistone so researching my family using your site has been amazing. Thank you so very much for all the help you have given me.-- Maria Osman |
| 14th July 2007 |
I read about this site in the Family Tree (Aug 2007) magazine and I am very impressed with how organised and user friendly it is. Thank you! -- Frankie Maclean |
| 14th July 2007 |
What a brilliant site !! Very useful and wel constructed.-- David White |
| 11th July 2007 | BMDs is great. Thanks very much. Got site from Family Tree August 2007. Well done.-- Sheila Middleton |
| 7th July 2007 |
What a fantastic web site and so valuable to someone like myself who lives so far away (New Zealand). I thank you all for your hard work as I know the hundreds of hours all of this information must have taken.-- Anna Arrol, New Zealand Researching Coape - COAPE-ARNOLD and ARNOLD |
| 30th June 2007 |
This is a great site with so much information, which has helped us enormously in the reseach of our family on the Isle of Wight. Thank you so much - Jill Picton - grand daughter of Major Sydney Charles Picton |
| 8th June 2007 |
I have found your web site extremely helpful! Thank you very much. I have found out an awful lot about my family that was lost to me before. -- Joy Hunt |
| 16th May 2007 |
What a fantastic website, in particular I was able to find the dates that many of my ancestors had died, with very little effort -- Alison Trelfa |
| 16h April 2007 | Thank You for the Great Website! Keep up the good work. I live in the united States and have been told that my Great Great Grandfather was from Isle of Wright, England. I never knew if this was true or not. But with what little hints my family gave me I might have found my ancestor by browsing your site. I will keep checking back. I found this site by going to Cindi's List. com. Thank you once again.-- Marlene Petty Polster |
| 7th April 2007 | Many thanks for a really good website; assisting me with my research into the Gregory branch of our tree! -- Lynda Cairns |
| 8th April March 2007 |
Excellent website, I am a decendent from the rather Large NEWNHAM Family I now live in Australia with other Newnham Decendants who I found. My great Gran was called Helen and lived on Pan Estate, My Grandfather was one of the eldest siblings named Frank Newnham.-- Jamie Lyones |
| 24th March 2007 | I am a LOWE by birth and have traced the family tree back to the 1700s around brighstone /chale.have found the site useful..and love the photo identifiv=cation section...wish I had some to help hazel21@hotmail.co.uk -- hazel swain |
| 21st March 2007 |
Great Web Site, I visited the Isle in 2001, and found some information on our family, but now need to dig further, so hope you can help, keep up the great work. -- Keith Woodford |
| 16th February 2007 | I have just discovered your web site, whist trying to find information on part of our family that went to the Isle of Wight. In fact I remember visiting them in the 60's when I was a child. Your informtion is well set out, and I have found it really helpful. Thankyou to all who have put in so much effort. Many thanks. -- Gloria Dean-Hearn |
| 21st January 2007 |
Great Web Site, I visited the Isle in 2001, and found some information on our family, but now need to dig further, so hope you can help, keep up the great work. -- Keith Woodford I keep coming back to your website. This is a wonderful site. I have got many of my husband's names from it (Salter's) keep up the good work - from down under in New Zealand. -- Margaret Carroll |
| 13th January 2007 | Excellent website just wish there were more like this one in other parts of the country - it has helped me enormously. Keep up the good work.-- Jenny Wade |
| 11th November 2006 | Extemely helpful site. It has helped me considerably to locate unknown Grt-grandparents and grandparents that I never about. Thanks to all concerned -- April Clark (nee Morris) |
| 8th November 2006 | I would just like to thank you for the information on Births, Deaths,and Marriages. This has allowed me to trace my family on my mother's side back to 1823 and seven generations. It was great and I have now been able to produce a file for my daughter to keep and add to which she can show her children.-- Jane Wavell |
| 10th October 2006 | This web site is the best I have ever used. It is very user friendly and it is setup to make tracing relatives easy also the links to other sites is helpful. Thank you.-- Myrtle Padfield |
| 10th October 2006 |
The best FHS site I have come across,supplying most comprehensive and interesting information. It has proved most useful in my research of my husband's Woodford/Beck families (as was Ann Barrett when I hit a brick wall! Thanks again, Ann). Will be joining soon, and hope to visit your island next year. Congratulations and keep up the good work! -- Margaret Woodford |
| 8th October 2006 |
I stumbled accross this site by recommendation and have passed the link onto some one I know who is tracing their family from the IoW. It is a very good site and I know they will join the IWFHS. Keep up the good work. -- Bev |
| 5th September 2006 | I have found this site very very useful in tracing my IOW ancestors thankyou for making it available. -- Anthony Brown |
| 30th August 2006 | Thank you for a very, very helpful site and very helpful researchers. I appreciate very much all the kind assistance I have been given to locate family ancestors that I never knew existed on the I-of-W or Mottistone. I'm sure there are many others who appreciate the BDM section too. -- April Clark (nee Morris) |
| 25th August 2006 | I managed to spend quite a lot of money on other Web history sites before discovering this one. The BDM Index has been of immense value to me, and it is with a guilty conscience that I hand over a few pounds as a membership fee. -- Edward Edmunds |
| 11th August 2006 | I would like to say how wonderful the isle of wight sight is I have made several visits on the net and have found so much information for Family History I just wish it had the Father and Mother's christian names for Births, but the help I have received has been really appreciated. I have been doing Family History research for 4 years and this is the best site I have ever visited Congratulations -- Patricia Pitman from (Australia) |
| 9th August 2006 |
I think this website is very good. I love to look up my husband's Groves relations. It is a brilliant site for all sorts of data. When I receive more Groves connections to my husband's family i usally go straight to this website. Continue the great work with thanks from me.-- Pamela J Groves |
| 29th July 2006 |
This is the BEST FH site I have had the pleasure to visit. Thank You! -- Lainy |
| 25th May 2006 |
I'm very impressed indeed with the work that is represented and accessible via this very user-friendly and convenient website, and I'm absolutely delighted that a distant relative (found through Lost Cousins) recommended it to me - it has totally transformed my knowledge of my Cooper ancestry in the 19th Century. Mind you, I'm a beginner - but what a boost to my researches and enjoyment. If only every area where my ancestors lived had a resource even half as good! Needless to say, I've posted my subscription to the Society. My sincere thanks and congratulations to all who must have worked so hard to make all this possible.-- Andrew Saunders |
| 10th April 2006 | Thank you for all the hard work put in to making this website and research information the best I have ever seen! Keep up the good work. It's a brilliant site. -- Liz Barsdell |
| 10th April 2006 | I am new to tracing my family history and find your site one of the most user friendly I have come across. My grandparents lived at Sion Cottage, Sandown in 1904 and I am still trying to find evidence of what their life on the island was like. I may even try to visit Brading and Sandown for more about their past thank you. -- Myrtle Padfield formally Gray |
| 8th April 2006 | Just started to trace the family of my husband and this site has been a godsend - in particular the BMD indexes that show women's maiden names. For those who have taken the time and trouble to index all these, rest assured your efforts are much appreciated. -- Mrs Chudley |
| 29th March 2006 | This site has been sooo helpful and I have found lots of relevant information. Thank you.-- Anne Jones (nee Wyke) |
| 28th March 2006 | An excellent web site you have here. You should be very proud of your efforts. Many thanks or all your hard work, and for making it available.-- Richard van Rooijen |
| 5th March 2006 | Best FHS website I have seen. Thank you. I will be joining as soon as I can. -- Maz Lewis |
| 27th February 2006 | BRILLIANT,I have just traced the Births of 9 aunts /uncles in approx. 2hrs. EXCELLENT web site THANK YOU -- W.T.Somerset |
| 27th February 2006 | I often have a search in your pages & find it of great interest in my research. I wish you luck in your quest for commitee members. I would hate to see such a wonderful org.close. My daughter Celia has just returned from 2yrs in U.K.but to my disappointment never visited the Isle.of Wight where my grandfather was born, but she did aquire his parents mar.cert.from you. Best wishes & thanks for your site.-- Frank Hunt |
| 24th February 2006 | I would just like to take this opportunity to say what a great site you have, it's so helpful and informative. I've been to many fhs site over the years and yours by far the best that I have come across. You should congratulate yourselves. I will be joining the society as a memember and hopefully make a trip to the IOW in the spring to further my research and visit the towns and villages of my ancestors.-- Keith Britten |
| 13th February 2006 | I find your site very well done and easy to get around in. It is nice to see that there are people who are willing to help those from around the world with their search. Your Family History society deserves a pat on the back and a big thank you. -- Billie Friesen |
| 6th February 2006 | Would just like to say how useful I am finding the website. Used a few times a couple of years ago, but have done so more lately. It is easy to use and has so much useful information. The BMD index is your biggest asset I think - it saves searching through all the Welsh Jones in the GRO index. If only all FHS had something like it. I also emailed some one listed as looking for Jones on the members' interests and had a very prompt reply. Thank you for such a good website.-- Jose Gibbs, Member 1270 |
| 5th February 2006 | Well done on a splendid website. A budding genealogist is being spoon fed! It has certainly made the long dark evenings of winter more interesting and informative! I have been able to place more of my Isle of Wight ancestors into the family tree without moving from my home on the mainland. My maternal grandfather came from a long line of islanders based in and around Porchfield, Shalfleet, Brighstone (Brixton) and Whitwell. I will be joining the IWFHS soon for even more information. Thank you.-- Di Whitelock |