The IOM, along with everywhere else, is now online. You can pick up quite a lot free from the index using the 'advanced fields' search - you can swop the names between the 'other members of the household' box and the main person box to see who's living together, you can narrow down likely people with a stab at their occupation or relation to head. I had someone come up as niece but still need to work through all the likely aunties/uncles she could be with! If a living person doesn't show up at all, putting their first name only, year of birth and birthplace will often show up a rogue spelling of the surname.

At the moment I'm compiling a list of heads of households, (copying the index entry exactly) so that when I get to Kew I can go straight to the images of the family I want, and hopefully not waste time from my allotted hour (or if at home it would be money as well).

At the moment I'm compiling a list of heads of households, (copying the index entry exactly) so that when I get to Kew I can go straight to the images of the family I want, and hopefully not waste time from my allotted hour (or if at home it would be money as well). It'll cost me about £45 on the train and underground so how many do I have to see to make a saving - 13 or 14? The time consuming bit is copying all the entries of big families!

[By the way, the common name for the London underground is apparently 'naughty language' so be warned!]