Metcalfe Society Main Index

The Early Days of the Index

The Metcalfe Society Main Index was begun as a card index in 1980 by our first President, Helen Offer (M4), and eventually held over 20,000 cards. This became too unwieldy and difficult to transport so the decision was taken in 1989 to 'computerise'. We used IBM PC's and IBM Filing Assistant to hold details of over 80,000 individuals which are taken from family trees, parish registers, census returns etc. Individual entries, which may have multiple sources, contain all known facts such as Christian names, birth/baptism/marriage and death details etc. Over the years this has been maintained and updated by various Metcalfe Society members. Consequently, whilst the information was stored in fields up to a point, dates were not separated, so searching +/- a specific date is not possible.

Where to send New Data / Information

If you have any corrections/additions for the database please send them to the Archivist (see Contacts).

Guidance on Searching the Database

To search the database, type your search details into any of the fields, and then click 'Search'. The more details you enter, the less records you will find. If you cannot find what you are looking for, widen your search by typing in fewer fields and/or using a wildcard.

Please note this database was created with a view to merging all the data we had when The Society was formed - however our archives have grown considerably over the years and you may find what you are looking for by using one of the dedicated database searches, such as for Births, Marriages, Deaths etc.