| Author |
Message |
    
Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 1848
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 5:56 am: |       |
Hi Folks
Recently I have been looking up births, marriages and deaths, and census records, both for personal family tree and JTR reasons. Although I'm a complete novice at this game, I've found I actually enjoy it.
There are now complete birth, marriage and death records available online on a pay-per-view basis - which saves having to keep visiting the FRC - and the 1881 and 1901 censuses are also available online. The big problem is the 1891 census.
As I understand it, the only complete index is by street. That means that if you're looking for a particular person, you might never find them!
There is a partially complete name index available on subscription sites like Ancestry.com. Would this be a good bet?
The purpose of this thread is to try and garner tips from the seasoned researchers on these boards - pitfalls to avoid, etc - for me and for other beginners.
For instance, I think Chris Scott once said that names of witnesses are sometimes included on the marriage pages at Free BMD - something I'd never have suspected in a million years!
Any advice much appreciated.
Robert |
Peter R. A. Birchwood
Sergeant
Username: Pbirchwood
Post Number: 32
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 6:30 am: | |
Robert:
Ancestry.com has a complete surname index to the 1891 census so it's worth subscribing.Free BMD does not have a witness index although that might come someday perhaps from another source. All of the census sources which rely on transcriptions have to be checked carefully because of faults and mistakes in reading the originals. The 1901 census was done on the cheap, the transcribers being prisoners and people whose first language was not English. |
Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 1849
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 7:03 am: | |
Hi Peter
Thanks for that. A friend of a relative has the 1881 census on a box of CD Roms, and may let me borrow it.
I do tend to opt for the transcriptions on the 1901 site for eyesight reasons, but from what you say it would be safer to view the original images.
Robert |
Jennifer D. Pegg
Inspector
Username: Jdpegg
Post Number: 195
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 2:41 pm: | |
hi
i would stay away from ancestry as it can be a rip off.
try family search for the 1881 and early ish data. this is the mormum sute. free bmd is fine but not everywhere is indexed the site is free and run by volunteers and states what has been done on it.
if you are in eng? there are local history socities most places with the st catherines index, leic group has a fantastic library!
there is a very good decoder for the 1901 census which helps you know whos living together.
eg put in pegg and leicster or whatever and add them and it can sort them to family groups.
remember tryuing to second guess the 1901 census is fun!
douglas lees for eg is indexed as donglas whilst muriel is down as murnia finding one name can lead to others its worth paying for the transcription if you aren;t from the area
hinckley was hmickby for one of my ancestors, will get the websistes and post below
they are
www.familysearch.org
www.censusdecoder.com
jennifer |
Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 1852
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 4:13 pm: | |
Thanks, Jennifer. I knew about the LDS, but was unaware of the decoder.
The Free BMD site seems to have a strange characteristic (or else my machine has). When I try a search for an event, and narrow the search as much as I can, I'm often timed out. But if I just make it general - by choosing an event and a surname only - up come 400+ records and I just sort through them.
Robert |
Natalie Severn
Inspector
Username: Severn
Post Number: 216
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 4:35 pm: | |
Hi there Robert,Good Luck with your research-I enjoy it myself from time to time but have always done it at the GLR re history etc.Have my husbands computer for a little while but need to give it back in a few minutes.I think I had withdrawal symptoms and it aroused some compassion. Natalie |
Suzi Hanney
Inspector
Username: Suzi
Post Number: 281
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 4:56 pm: | |
Natalie
Hide that computer somewhere safe where husband can't find it!! This is soooooooooooooooooo addictive isn't it!! I used to get up really early to go to the public library before work before i persuaded my husband to buy me this for Xmas!! (he's spent all of one hour on it since then..despite buying lots of wargames to play on it!) life's tough 'eh!!
Get back on email or on this thread!!
Cheers
Suzi |
Chris Scott
Chief Inspector
Username: Chris
Post Number: 842
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 5:17 pm: | |
Hi Robert
Census searching certainly can be addictive, also frustrating and exhilarating!
The 1881 census (familysearch.org) is very good and is free, the 1891 census at ancestry.com is extremely useful and the 1901 census at www.pro.gov.uk (pay site) now has a useful address function which can be cross related to the other sites.
One thing to bear in mind with any census search online is that the search will use an index that has been transcribed and thus is subject to error. You have to think pretty laterally sometimes especially when it is the surname (the usual identifier) that has been transcribed wrongly. As an example, the finding of Roslyn D'Onston in the 1891 census (at the Triangle Hotel). His record in the 1881 census was still under his birth surname of Stephenson but I knew from other sources that he was habitually using the surname of D'Onston by 1888 so it was reasonable bet he would be doing so in 1891. However, a search of the 1891 census under Donston and D'Onston yielded nothing. I had two alternates for place of birth from the 1881 and 1901 censuses (Hull or Sculoates) and an approximate age (50 in 1891). The main advantage here was an unusual forname, Roslyn, so I searched under forename only using in turn the two alternate places of birth and found him. In the surname indiex his surname had been transcribed as D'Custon!
Free BMD definitely has its uses but the comment on wedding details means sometimes it is very difficult to isolate which of the names listed is the actual spouse.
The other paysite I use now and then is www.1837online.com. The main limiting factor here is that you must know exact year you are lloking and the search is limited to first three characters of surname.
Hope these are of use in your endeavours. If you have a specific query I can help with feel free to mail privately
Chris
(Message edited by Chris on January 14, 2004) |
Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 1854
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 5:41 pm: | |
Hi Chris
Thanks very much for that. Yes, I'll probably give Ancestry.com a try, also the 1837 online.
I must say the way you ferret people out is amazing. I remember once you found Winslow listed as Winston!
And thanks for the offer.
Robert |
R.J. Palmer
Inspector
Username: Rjpalmer
Post Number: 268
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 10:31 pm: | |
Peter--Hi. If you don't mind fielding another question...
Are passenger lists for UK arrivals generally available for the years 1875-1905? I mean for well-known ports: Liverpool, Falmouth, Glasgo, etc.? Or have they been largely lost? Many thanks for any help, RP
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