24 March 2006

An online database of local cemeteries set up by Eastleigh Borough Council has proved to be extremely popular.

Eastleigh was the first council to put such a database on its website, launching the online facility in early 2005.

Since then, people researching their family tree have flocked to the site, including researchers from New Zealand, Australia and Thailand.

The database holds records dating back to 1901 and families can attempt to track down their ancestors by searching for names, address or the date of burial at the Brookwood, Ramalley, Pine Road and Bishopstoke cemeteries.

The computerised online version of the records is intended to avoid the laborious process of manually shifting through records.

David Burton from the council says that he is "amazed" by the number of people who have been accessing the site so far.

© Adfero Ltd

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