Census records Part 2

The Importance of Census Records When Researching Your Family History

This is part 2, click here for part 1.

The 1911 Census

Three questions added to the 1911 Census have proven to be invaluable to family historians; the questions are “How Many Children Born”, “How Many Children Still Alive” and “How Many Children Died”. All three questions were to be answered by women who were married at the time of the 1911 Census and the questions refer to that marriage only.

The answers to these questions enable you to keep better track of the children born into the family and help you to trace the births of those that you had missed.

Using the 1911 Census to Start Your Search

It’s easier to start tracing your family tree backwards. Since the release of the 1911 Census, the most recent one made available to the public, the best way to go about it is to find an ancestor who was alive at the time of the1911 Census.

The 1911 Census was taken on Sunday 2nd April 1911. Speak to an elderly relative who could give you information about someone in the family who was born by the beginning of 1911, perhaps their parent or an older sibling. You will need to know the name, approximate date of birth and the place of birth of your ancestor. Once you have this information, you can start searching for them on the 1911 Census.

If the ancestor was a child or young adult in 1911, the chances are that they were living with their parents. This of course benefits your research because you will have information on the previous generation there on the same record. If you’re very lucky, sometimes three generations would be living together under one roof. By looking at the information provided for the household members, this should provide you with more possibilities to follow up, whether it is for a previous generation or another set of records, such as birth, marriage or death.

Because the census is taken every 10 years, anyone who is in the 1911 Census aged 10 years or over should be in the previous census.

When were the censuses taken?

The dates of the censuses were as follows:

Information taken from The National Archives – www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Census Records at County Records Offices

The Census Records are available at the various County Records Offices. Before you visit, it is best to look up the particular Records Office you need on the Internet. I know from personal experience that, at the Carmarthenshire Records Office, you have to book a visit in advance. The Records Office staff at Haverfordwest advise that you book a visit in advance only if you wish to use the computers available.

If you are using the many written and printed records available there, it is not necessary to book a visit. You will only be allowed to take a notebook and pencils in to the Records Offices; no files, folders or bags are allowed. Neither are pens. These have to be left in a locker outside the records room.

The different counties usually have all the information regarding their particular Records Office on their websites. These will give you information such as what days and hours they are open to the public; directions to the office, parking facilities and also, what records are held there. These are the links to the sites for some of the Records Offices in the surrounding counties:

archives@carmarthenshire.gov.uk

record.office@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

http://www.glamro.gov.uk

http://www.powys.gov.uk

http://www.familytreeresources.co.uk (Cardiganshire)

Census Records Online

The census records are widely available online. There are quite a few ways to view the records you want to see. The websites usually offer you the choice of either:

• Taking out an annual subscription, with one yearly payment.
• Subscribing on a month to month basis. This works out to be more expensive than taking out an annual subscription, but has the benefits that you can cancel your account anytime and a smaller sum monthly is more manageable for some than one large annual payment.
• Pay per view using credits or vouchers. By using this way, you decide how much to pay and when you can afford it. These schemes can start from as little as £5 for 50 credits but beware, 50 credits doesn’t mean 50 views. Depending on the records you are accessing and on which sites, some records can cost 25 credits! There is usually a time limit for any credits bought, such as 30 days. This means that any credits not used within 30 days are then invalid. Some sites will reinstate any unused credits if you buy more credits, but that is something you should check on before buying

With most sites, the initial search is free but if you want to see the record, you have to pay.