Introduction

Last week’s article on Civil Registration gave you your first look at documents that could lead to further names for your Family Tree.

So I thought that it would be a good idea to carry on that theme with a look at the Census Returns, these will not only confirm some of the names that you already have, but very often will add other names that you may not have been previously aware.

In addition to names, they also give the address of your ancestors, often their occupation and their place of birth.

The Census

These first began on a regular basis for the country on a nation-wide basis in 1801 when they were just a head count taken locally by such people as the parish overseers and local school masters acting on behalf of the government.

This article relates to the census returns which were carried out from 1841, other more specific returns were done over the preceding years.

In 1841, it was decided that more information was needed than just a count of thirty year old or single females over forty, but as this move was unpopular the amount of information was restricted, persons known as enumerators were appointed to obtain the information from each individual household. This consisted simply of:

Name

Age and Sex

Occupation

Whether born in the county of the census or not

When looking at the census returns for this year be careful because ages for adults were rounded down to the nearest 5 or 0, whereas for children under 15 it was meant to be accurate. As always even this was not strictly correct, so care needs to be taken before rejecting a name on age grounds from the 1841 census.

To further compound the problem on this census it was taken on Sunday 6th June. This of course over lapped to the early hours of Monday the 7th. The problem here is that those men who worked on the farms were mainly away from home working on the hay harvest, whilst the better off were likely to have been away on holiday.

The census returns of 1851 asked for a little more detail and for family historians can be quite a help.

In addition to the information previously demanded, the following was also required:

Exact place of birth, unfortunately this sometimes winds up as London, Middlesex.

Relationship to the head of the household, by any other residents.

Age, this now had to given accurately, which it wasn’t always.

Occupation, this was more detailed, children at school had to be shown as scholars.

Again the accuracy of the information depended on the diligence of the enumerator. It was not unknown for them to guess at people’s ages, and under occupation if the head was say, a coal miner, just to put a ditto mark underneath with wife or daughter etc.

Be aware of the spelling, I have found Yole as Gale, Gole and Yale.

The reasons for such changes and variations are many but some could be caused by;

Local dialect.

Poor handwriting.

Illiteracy.

The word guessed at by the transcriber.

The word has a different spelling in another part of the country, but a similar meaning. [As Yole/Yule].

Distortion over the passage of years.

Copied incorrectly onto or from original documents.

The last one might cause one or two raised eyebrows, it does happen, the best example we have come across so far is in the 1851 census for Gunnislake, when Yole appears as Gale! Whilst in the 1881 census for the North East it appears as Yale, and in the same year one our ancestors is shown in Devon as Gole! Fortunately all the other factors led us to the correct surname.

When a person is shown as being a farmer or running his own business, the number of employees is also usually shown which can give an indication as to the prosperity of an ancestor.

Relationships are not always what they seem to be:

A common error is son-in-law when in fact it was a step son.

Census returns up to 1911 only are available for general viewing, under the ‘one hundred year secrecy’ rule. The dates when the census was taken since 1851 are:

March 30th 1851

April 7th 1861

April 2nd 1871

April 3rd 1881

April 5th 1891

March 31st 1901

This does mean that as I write this towards the end of 2020, the Census for 2021 will be released for transcription and use sometime either in 2021 or later. When I have further details of this, I will use this site, to let you know, when and where.

Knowing the dates of the census
is quite helpful when you have information on a person and wonder how old they could have been at a certain census, or which end of the year their birthday fell.

Also, be aware that if in say, the 1891 census, you find James Surname, in your surname family, it all fits except this James, who is shown as being five years old. According to the 1881 he was already seven years old. It is possible that James shown in the 1881 census has died. It was not unknown when a child had died to name a new born after him, or her.

Census are very useful in tracking down where people lived and often show members of the family you were not aware of. They have helped me to confirm and even find maiden names of which I have either not been sure, or have had no knowledge of, simply due to one of the in-laws visiting on the actual night of the census. Thanks to the 1891 census I discovered the birthplace of one of my 2 times great-grandmothers which eventually led to her birth date and the names of her parents. This was after two previous returns had her birthplace given incorrectly, causing a lot of wasted time and effort.

So be warned the details recorded on the census are not always as accurate as they seem

Even if the ages are not totally accurate they can give you a guide in tracing either a baptism in the Parish Register or the Birth Certificate itself. Likewise if you have an entry for a person in one census but they are not in that area or with their family in the next one, either they have moved or died which can also help to guide you in the right direction.

Do not forget that the name could also be mis-spelt.

These records can be consulted in County Record Offices, some libraries, local study departments and family history societies. Most local libraries have copies of local area census returns. Many census returns are now available to view on the internet for a fee.

In some facilities it is possible to obtain a copy of a particular sheet which can then be added to your own records. I have a number that I have downloaded for use in the family books which I have written. Please be aware that these are Crown Copyright, in any books which I have published and sold, I have had written permission to do so, which is annotated in the volume concerned.

Many family history societies have indexed several of the census for their own county and these are available in either booklet or microfiche form. They can prove to be extremely useful for a low cost, as you can check the index for your ancestors and it gives a good pointer to whether they were actually in that area when the census was taken or not. This can reduce cost and wasted time and effort being spent on checking the originals or if you live away paying someone to do it for you.

The 1881 Census has been indexed by the LDS, this is usually available at the same places as the IGI. For those with the ‘bug’ and a computer, a set of 25 CD-ROM discs is available. These enable you to have your own copy in the comfort of your own home, my copy has proved invaluable. Please note some of the spellings copied from the original are inaccurate, however they are somewhat easier to locate with the search system which is used.

The 1911 Census, contains even more information, how long the couple had been married, this is useful for tracing the marriage. Another useful addition shows the number of children born to the couple. This helps where, say, its shows seven children, but just four appear on the census. Did they die? Or where they staying at grandparents/ or other members of the family. All useful aids in your search for missing family members.

My own Grandmother is shown as being in two places on the census, at her parent’s home and at the home of her Mother’s Sister.

Censuses
were taken before 1801, however these are usually localised and selective. Otherwise, they were censuses as we know them today. In so much that they recorded the name of the occupant and the family, but these tend to be very rare and relate in the main to one village.

A form of census was the muster rolls, which contained the names of persons who were eligible to serve in the Army should the need arise.

Other such rolls also exist but are all of a selective nature and whilst they do have their use to the family historian it is obviously limited to those with a connection to those names, which of course you do not know until you have searched the records. Also they are beyond the scope of this article, but I just may be able to find enough information to provide a post further down the line.

Please note that I have decided to cancel giving top tips for the time being, adding such information to the article in which they should appear. (A number being included in this article)

The next article will be 6 – Parish Registers

Be Happy, Healthy and Wealthy

Please do stay safe.

Stuart

https://familyhistorythestart.com