October 21st, 2011 
Linda Elliott 
The National Archives has an excellent podcast about the 1911 census. The talk is by renowned genealogist Dave Annal. The podcast and many more of interest to family historians are available to listen to or to download, all free of charge.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/podcasts/
Posted in Census, Getting Started, National Archives 
Tags: Dave Annal, Family History, Genealogy, National Archives, Podcasts 
No Comments » May 25th, 2011 Linda Elliott ![clip_image002[5]](http://www.madaboutgenealogy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/clip_image00251.jpg "clip_image002[5]")
Good news! As of right now, anyone with a full Ancestry.co.uk membership can see every page from the 1911 Census. If you’re an Essentials, Premium or Worldwide member, you can start tracking down your family straight away in scanned record images from all over England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.
This is the first stage in our 1911 Census release. We’ve made all the scanned records available straight away, so you can benefit from them wherever your forebears were based.
At present, you can’t search the records like our other censuses. Instead, you need to use other resources, such as the 1911 Summary Books and 1901 Census, to work out where your family were living, then browse the new census records by county and district.
We’ve already started transcribing the records so we can make them fully searchable as quickly as possible. We’ll keep you updated on our progress and give you further release dates are soon as we can.
Until all the indexing is completed we shall just have to search the census like we did in the “old days” ! Actually that is no bad thing as it is amazing how many times you can scoop up other family members living nearby and it also gives you a sense of what the neighbourhood was like. Go and enjoy!!
Posted in Ancestry.co.uk, Census, Getting Started Tags: 1911, Ancestry.co.uk, Census, Family History, Genealogy No Comments » April 23rd, 2011 Linda Elliott 
Got an email from the FFHS this morning about a meeting that they attended regarding cuts at the LMA. Amongst the information given was news about what Ancestry is releasing next from the LMA. It seems that London wills and Electoral Rolls will go online later this year along with the 1911 census. These releases will be followed by City of London Freedoms and talks are being held with the Livery Companies about digitising their records which are held by the LMA.
So good news, plenty of helpful London additions coming our way. It was interesting to note that the 1911 census will be included in all subscriptions not just the more expensive ones. Findmypast has had a good run with their exclusive offering of the 1911 census and I am sure they paid dearly for that right, but it will be good to see the census more widely available and affordable.
April 11th, 2011 Linda Elliott 
If you have family in Manchester then you will know all about the flood damaged 1851 census and how it was unreadable for years. The Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society (MLFHS) some time ago started a project to transcribe what they could of the census.
It was a long project and during the time it took to complete technology has advanced and recently Ancestry.co.uk have produced the best possible images and indexed them. However it is said there is some difference between the 2 indexes, so it is worthwhile checking them both. The MLFHS index is available for free and the Ancestry one is on their subscription site.
April 11th, 2011 Linda Elliott 
The British Library & Findmypast have joined together to bring millions of records to the internet. The records come from the libraries collection of BDM’s from India and the UK Electoral Rolls up to 1932. These records will be of great help to genealogists especially the electoral rolls as they can be used in lieu of census not yet released.
April 10th, 2011 Linda Elliott I expect you all know by know that the 1911 census for Scotland was 
released on 5 April. It can be accessed via the Scotland’s People website. It is pay to view on a purchased credits basis and that isn’t cheap if you have a lot of people to find. I prefer site where you can buy a yearly subscription and you can search during that time to your heart’s content.
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
Posted in Census, Getting Started Tags: 1911, Census, Family History, Genealogy, Scotland, Scotland's People No Comments » March 23rd, 2011 Linda Elliott 
I got this Press Release from Ancestry.co.uk. For just one day you will be able to access the Ancestry Census free of charge, so for those who don’t have a subscription this has to be a good offer at the right price 
27th March will be a historic day, as people all over Britain come together to complete the 2011 National Census. As we fill in details of our homes, occupations and relationships, it?s fascinating to look back at our ancestors who have done exactly the same thing every ten years for more than a century.
On Census Day, you can uncover generations of your family, and read key details of their lives, with FREE access to historical censuses at Ancestry.co.uk. Access all UK census record indexes from England, Wales and Scotland, for free for one day, so you can uncover the part your ancestors played in history. Find out more
Key new questions in this year’s Census cover how long migrants intend to stay in the country, whether residents can speak English, and same-sex civil partnerships. This shows how the questionnaire reflects important issues and attitudes of the time it’s taken.
In 1891 and 1901, the focus was very much on employment, with the effects of the Industrial Revolution hitting home around the country. Everyone was specifically asked if they were employed, and whether they worked at home.
Before that, the 1871 Census reveals concerns about the health of the nation. This is the first record to show any serious medical conditions our forebears were suffering from.
The very notion of a national census has its roots in politics and current affairs. In the early 19th century, the British Government was keen to find new ways to monitor its growing population. Alongside the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths, the census was one of its most important solutions.
The census records at Ancestry.co.uk provide snapshots of the entire country at these key points in time, and let you uncover the role your family played in shaping our nation’s history.
Posted in Census, Getting Started Tags: Ancestry.co.uk, Census, Family History, Free Census, Genealogy No Comments » July 12th, 2010 Linda Elliott
Got this release from the FFHS about free access to the Canadian Census online…….
Hope this helps those with ancestors who emigrated to Canada.
The Canadian census indices are very comprehensive and they are all free to access (except 1861 and 1871 – see below notes). The earlier census years are very important for research on UK people who migrated to Canada before 1911.
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) (http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/) has the images on-line for the following:
1851/52 for Canada East (now Quebec)
1851/52 for Canada West (now Ontario)
1881 for all of Canada
1891 for all of Canada
1901 for all of Canada
1906 for the Northwest Provinces – Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta
1911 for all of Canada
Only the censuses of 1881 and 1891 are name searchable. 1881 uses the sometimes difficult Utah index: inspires creativity. The Catalogue of Census Returns on microfilm 1666-1901 digitized on the LAC site gives a list of what years are available in any given census locality.
The 1861 and 1871 Canadian censuses are particularly valuable for gaining an insight into how one’s ancestors lived. These census forms asked many questions other than the basic ones. Especially in rural areas, which comprised much of early Canada, one may learn what crops were harvested, how much land was under what cultivation, what farm animals the family owned (and even slaughtered), what farm equipment they owned, what kind of houses they lived in and much more. 1871 had up to 9 schedules. Needless to say not all questions were pertinent to each family.
1901, 1906 and 1911 can only be searched by the geographic area not the name. However, as stated in the previous email, the website Automated Genealogy has had a large number of volunteers index these records by name. Their site links to the images on Library and Archives Canada.
June 25th, 2010 Linda Elliott
Regular readers of Madaboutgenealogy will know that I managed to get details of my parents and grandparents from the 1939 Enumeration Register before the NHS decided it was a good little money spinner!! If you didn’t managed to get in at the very start, but really want/need the information from this database then it has just got easier to achieve.
If you go to http://www.ic.nhs.uk/1939 you can print off the forms required, fill them in and then post them off with a cheque for £42. The website says they will endeavour to supply the information within 20 working days.
June 24th, 2010 Linda Elliott
The 1901 census for Ireland is now completely available online. Four and a half million people are documented on this census and the census is searchable by name. Images of the original forms are also viewable.
I understand that background information and some contemporary photographs will be added in the months to come. All this is available free of charge by courtesy of the National Archives of Ireland.
http://census.nationalarchives.ie/
Hi, I am Linda Elliott, a genealogist with 30+ years experience in ancestor hunting. I work as a professional family historian and have helped many people with their family trees. My aim with Mad About Genealogy is to share with you, the many website links, information and the latest genealogy news that I come across. I hope you enjoy your visit to my website and will come and visit on a regular basis.
