1911 British census released!
Jan 13, 2009
British census: A new foothold on the family tree
By JENNIFER QUINN
Associated Press Writer
LONDON (AP) -- Britain's National Archives released the 1911 census
online on Tuesday, giving historians, genealogists and people
interested in their family trees easy access to records containing the
details of 27 million people.
The release of the data means that amateur historians could discover
new information - maybe their grandparents lived next door to Virginia
Woolf, listed with her brother on Fitzroy Square in central London -
or help nail down the missing piece of a family puzzle.
The census also shows football star David Beckham's great-great- great
grandfather John Beckham was employed as a scavenger, or junkman, and
that one of singer Amy Winehouse's ancestors was a fruit seller.
The Web site, http://www.1911cens us.co.uk , has information on more
than 80 percent of the people living in England on April 2, 1911, and
also provides an official look at Britain before the outbreak of World
War I. The census gives an individual's age, occupation and place of
birth. It also lists how many, if any servants, they had.
Information on another 9 million people in England and Wales, as well
as members of the British military serving overseas, will be released
over the coming months.
The site is a partnership between the National Archives and
findmypast.com, a family history Web site.
When the full set of data is online, details of 36 million people who
were born on or before that day in 1911 will be available. And for the
first time, the site includes scanned copies of the original forms
filled out by householders.
While searching is free, viewing the records is not: Credits must be
purchased to look at the information, and it costs 30 credits to view
an original household page. Sixty credits cost 6.95 pounds ($10.15).
"These records shed more light on our ancestors' day-to-day
lifestyles, providing a snapshot of a day in their lives, with details
of their occupations, housing arrangements and social status," said
Elaine Collins, the company's commercial director.
A census can provide researchers the missing name of a
great-grandparent or previously unknown relatives who can be
researched further in other records.
In Britain, a census is taken once every decade. British law says that
data in the census is kept private for 100 years, but the 1911
information was released early because the Census Act only came into
effect in 1920.
"Census records are fantastic because they tell you so much, and you
can cross-reference them," said Sue Hills, who worked as a producer on
the British Broadcasting Corp. television show, "Who Do You Think You
Are," which traced the ancestry of celebrities, including Jerry Springer.
Hills, who also runs a travel company that traces the genealogy of her
guests, said the fact that data on marriage and children are included
in the records is very helpful. That information can help amateur
historians find even more genealogical information, such as marriage
and birth certificates.
She said that people tracing their ancestry back to Britain are
particularly lucky because there is a wealth of British material on
the Web. Census data going as far back as 1841 is available online.
She said it can be more difficult to trace ancestors in places like
the U.S. and Canada.
"They're so spoiled when they have ancestors in England, Scotland, or
Wales because there's so much available," Hills said. "There's so much
on the Web."
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Patricia Moore
Lollipop0329@...
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