Q. I have seen the coverage lists for your 1851 Census and baptism indexes and the notes on your Nonconformist index on your website. What are your fees for "stand-alone" searches in these?

A. Specific searches in my 1851 Census or baptism indexes, or in both the other two indexes which I have created myself (these last two taken together), are currently £10.00 for the first search, plus £5.00 for each further search requested at the same time. The two smaller indexes - a general index and Nonconformist and late baptism index - only include about 35,000 references each. Therefore, for the purposes of this offer, I treat these two smaller indexes as one entity, although they are in fact separate. I can also search either of these two smaller indexes individually, for which the minimum fee is £5.00. As they are smaller than the 1851 Census and baptism indexes, it is naturally less likely that a given entry or family will be included.

Q. These fees seem very high for searches in what are, by today's standards, very small indexes?

A. I have always tried hard to make my indexes accurate and have spent many years creating them. I normally give full details of any entries found, so that (unless they prefer to do this for their own peace of mind) enquirers will not need to examine the original sources in question. For instance, I will give full details of whole families (living in one household) in 1851 Census entries, or of all baptismal entries which may appear in my index for children of a given couple, from copies of the relevant original sources. This can then provide a wealth of detail, which takes some time to note and carefully check to ensure the highest possible degree of accuracy.

Q. Why can you not simply supply printouts from your indexes, for instance of all entries for a surname?

A. This is not possible because, having been started in 1976, all my own indexes are card indexes and not computerised.

Q. I know that you have your own index for the 1851 Census of the area in which you are particularly interested. Do you have other Census indexes for the area?

A. It is important to note that I do not have my own index for any Census year other than 1851, and (as can be seen from its coverage list) even my 1851 Census index, although quite large, covers only part of West Kent and a small part of Northern East Sussex. I do though have copies of almost all of the available printed Census indexes for Kent and East Sussex, while I also regularly make use of the wide range of Census indexes and returns available on "Ancestry.co.uk". I do have copies of the national and regional 1881 Census index CDs (now also available online).

Q. Do you specialise in research into Nonconformist ancestry?

A. No, I do not. Although I do have an index with some details of various Nonconformists, mainly in Kent, I certainly do not claim to specialise in research into Nonconformist ancestry. This can be a very difficult field and I prefer to leave it to those who are more expert in this area than I am. However, I do feel that my own index, within its obvious limitations, can make a useful contribution.

Q. Why do you not provide full coverage lists for your general or Nonconformist indexes?

A. In view of the nature of these two smaller indexes, with odd entries from a variety of sources, it is not practicable to produce full coverage lists for them. However, I can if required send descriptive notes (rather fuller than the notes available on my website) about the Nonconformist index, preferably as an email attachment (Word document). As these two indexes are so much smaller than the 1851 Census and baptism indexes, it is naturally less likely that a given entry or family will happen to be included.

Q. Your Nonconformist Index includes a few Kent Nonconformist registers. Why have you not indexed all those which are available and made your index more comprehensive and hence more useful?

A. When I started indexing back in 1976, I did originally intend to index all available Kent Nonconformist registers, but gave up on that not very long after, on discovering that many such registers - mainly of births and baptisms up to 1837, deposited at The National Archives (TNA) and so readily accessible - had been added by the LDS Church to its International Genealogical Index (IGI). To avoid duplicating this coverage and wasting my time and effort, I then decided to concentrate more on other areas of indexing and research.

Matthew Copus
307 Dale Street
Chatham
Kent ME4 6QR

Email: info@mcopus.co.uk
Web Site: www.mcopus.co.uk