Family tree research questions about the UK census
The British Isles census collections can very often be a brick wall for newcomers to family tree research. I remember it well myself. I'd paid to search on a commercial site and entered my ancestor's name. Clicked to download an image and saw for the first time the census enumerator's book in which the handwriting was difficult to fathom and there were all sorts of black slashes or strokes of the pen that seemed to be crossing through some of the data.
Lets start at the top!
The Header.
The Header includes the location. That is broken down into sub sections, for example: the administrative county; the civil parish, etc. Boundaries were constantly changing and although it may appear that your ancestor has moved between the census, it could just have been a change in administrative division that had taken place. Also beware of house number changes or street name changes. I had one in my tree where 2 Densham Terrace, was 80 North Road and is now 199 North West Road, Plymouth!
Schedule Numbers.
A common mistake is to think that the column on the far left of the document gives you the house number - it is in fact the Schedule number! With the exception of the 1911 England 7 Wales census, what we are looking at, when we download a census, is a page from the Enumerator's book. The far left column, then, lists the number of the original schedule filled in by the head of the household. These schedules are not available any more with the exception of the 1911, which is why you can get to see the handwriting of the person that filled it in!
Names.
Beware that ancestors can vary their names across census! My Great Aunt Winnie appears as Eveline Winnifred and Winnifred Eveline on different census. A middle name could sometimes appear once a mother has died and then we have the cases where a person was know by a nickname or pet name, like one of my grandmothers, in cases like this it can often be written down instead of her actual name. One more thing, north of the border it was usual for Scottish widows to revert to their maiden names.
Professions.
We all like to exaggerate a bit and so did our ancestors. A carpenter may become a Cabinet Maker or a merchant seaman a master mariner. Another thing to think about is where your ancestor had two or more jobs. Which would have been noted in the schedule?
Place of Birth.
This could change depending on your ancestor actually knowing it. You should give some consideration to the fact that when some counties changed their names or their boundary lines moved, that your family member's place of birth has been changed.
If Deaf and Dumb; Blind, Lunatic, Imbecile or Feeble Minded.
Don't fear the worst as this covers a variety of medical conditions with little option for degree of ailment. The options offered are a bit stark to the modern politically correct twenty-first century dweller.
Double strokes.
As you scroll down the page you will notice someone has inserted two parallel lines next to the names of some people. What does this mean? This mark shows us the start of the next household unit. So every name that is listed in between the two sets of parallel lines are part of the same household.
So, the downloadable census collections are a great tool for the family historian, providing us with fantastic insight into our departed family, but the information has the ability to confuse as well as to inform.
About the Author
Nick Thorne, The Nosey Genealogist, has been successfully investigating his own family tree for six years now. Nick's family history tips and tricks, as used by him to to break down brick walls in family tree research, can be accessed at his website. Also on offer are free weekly emails, audio CDs, pod-casts and more: http://www.NoseyGenealogist.com/blog
Tell others about
this page:
Comments? Questions? Email Here