The National Archives' authoritative guide to its most popular set of records. The census has long been an important resource for family, local and social historians, yielding key information about our ancestors including their names, addresses, ages, family relationships and occupations. When the 1901 census went online in 2002 the demand from researchers was phenomenal, and the 1911 census planned for release from 2009 to 2012 - the first to feature our ancestors' own handwriting - is set to be still more popular. This one-stop guide covers everything you need to know about the 1841-1911 censuses in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, from the days of the enumerators knocking on everyone's doors to the modern privilege of internet access. Much of the book focuses on getting the best results from online research, given issues like competing websites and variable index and image quality. Other ways of accessing the census - from original records to microfilm, CDs and DVDs - are covered in full. Complete with illustrations, photographs, screenshots and case histories, Census is essential reference for anyone seeking to tap this unique resource, whether researching an individual or a locality.
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Subtitled 'The expert guide' - this is no idle boast considering the book's pedigree. Co-authors David Annal, key census expert at The National Archives for the last ten years and the renowned The Genealogist's Internet author, Peter Christian, are both strong contenders for the title of leading expert in the field. --Family History Monthly
The definitive guide to what the census is, what it was meant to do when it was created and its value to family historians. --Who do you think you are magazine
This is a fine book, handsomely produced with much of interest --Ancestors
Peter Christian and David Annal have written what appears to be the definitive guide to UK census records...Not only is this book a time saver, but Census: The Expert Guide is also a great reference book. This book will help you discover how to get the very best from online research, selecting the most useful websites and best quality images, as well as the experts' techniques for searching original records, on microfilm, CDs and DVDs. --Dick Eastman, Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
This is a fine book, handsomely produced with much of interest --Ancestors
The definitive guide to what the census is, what it was meant to do when it was created and its value to family historians. --Who do you think you are magazine
This is a fine book, handsomely produced with much of interest --Ancestors
Peter Christian and David Annal have written what appears to be the definitive guide to UK census records...Not only is this book a time saver, but Census: The Expert Guide is also a great reference book. This book will help you discover how to get the very best from online research, selecting the most useful websites and best quality images, as well as the experts' techniques for searching original records, on microfilm, CDs and DVDs. --Dick Eastman, Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
This is a fine book, handsomely produced with much of interest --Ancestors
About the Author
Peter Christian is highly regarded in the world of online genealogy and has published many books and articles on the subject. He is the author of The National Archives' market-leading title The Genealogist's Internet, which has sold over 100,000 copies. David Annal was originally a professional genealogical researcher. Since 1998 he has worked at the Family Records Centre and The National Archives, where he has been a key expert on census records. He is the author of the highly-successful Easy Family History for The National Archives.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have been working on family history for 36 years and during that period I have purchased a number of books on the subject. Most of them have been disappointments, but this one is an exception. It is well written, timely and - so far as I can determine - accurate. Within the first half hour of opening it I had found some information about the 1841 census that cleared up a puzzle that had been frustrating me. The only complaint that I have is that this book will probably cause me to buy others, which won't be as useful as this one.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A useful addition to my collection. Quite a lot of the book is spent covering specific individual family history websites. This means that unless you are using them those particular chapters are not going to be relevant to you. Comparisons between the sites are perhaps useful in helping you decide which to use but some of the data (eg prices) will probably quickly date.
The history of the census is one of the best aspects - bringing home how it was completed and the resultant limitations in the records now available to us.
The history of the census is one of the best aspects - bringing home how it was completed and the resultant limitations in the records now available to us.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By R. Blanshard
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book which gives a comprehensive guide to understanding the various census returns and gives excellent advice on interpreting the different levels of information that are given from the earliest to the latest available census returns. I would highly recommend it for both serious genealogists and those who just want to dip into the census to find their grandparents.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have been researching my own and other ancestries for fifteen years but have still learned much more than I expected from reading this publication. It is full of useful guidance on the different ranges of information in each of the available census years, and to the numerous places they can be found. This has been a very worthwhile purchase.
BillRob.
BillRob.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book has three aspects: chapters one to three contain very interesting and informative accounts of the history and carrying out of the censuses of 1841 to 1911. I found these chapters very useful and well written, and they make this book worth having, though at £14.99 an expensive option.
They were illustrated with case studies,aspect two: always readable,using some well known families, the Darwins and Thomas Hardy, as well as less illustrious lineages .
The third aspect of the book is concerned with an introduction to the various on line census websites, followed by chapters about CD ROM and microfilm.This major section occupies chapters four onwards, from page 80 to the end of the book. Whereas the first chapters are a 'good read', this later part is not so readable, and is already dating, in 2012.A chart of the various sites would cover much of the same ground more accessibly.If someone was really stuck as to which of the sites to honour with a subscription, a read of this section might be one way ahead. However, it might well be better to go along to the local library and have a play with whatever they have, Find my Past, perhaps, or Ancestry.These sites do have introductory packages before the money demanded becomes too great.
Personally I find a mix of Ancestry and The Genealogist a good combination.
Although expensive if you are only going to have lasting use from the first 80 pages, I was fortunate to be bought the book as a welcome birthday gift!
They were illustrated with case studies,aspect two: always readable,using some well known families, the Darwins and Thomas Hardy, as well as less illustrious lineages .
The third aspect of the book is concerned with an introduction to the various on line census websites, followed by chapters about CD ROM and microfilm.This major section occupies chapters four onwards, from page 80 to the end of the book. Whereas the first chapters are a 'good read', this later part is not so readable, and is already dating, in 2012.A chart of the various sites would cover much of the same ground more accessibly.If someone was really stuck as to which of the sites to honour with a subscription, a read of this section might be one way ahead. However, it might well be better to go along to the local library and have a play with whatever they have, Find my Past, perhaps, or Ancestry.These sites do have introductory packages before the money demanded becomes too great.
Personally I find a mix of Ancestry and The Genealogist a good combination.
Although expensive if you are only going to have lasting use from the first 80 pages, I was fortunate to be bought the book as a welcome birthday gift!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have been researching my family history and this book is full of so much advice, tips, and research information giving you research contact addresses, websites in fact everything you need and more is in this little book. Highly recommend, value for money , you'd be losing out if you don't invest in this book A********
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are various reasons why people cannot be found in the censuses, sometimes because they were not enumerated, sometimes because they were incorrectly enumerated, and in other cases because they were enumerated in a non-standard format. The latter mainly applies to people in institutions, such as workhouses and lunatic asylums, who were often not enumerated under their full name, but under first initial and surname or just initials. After discovering this (long before reading this book), I was able to find an individual in a lunatic asylum (as they were called at the time) in one of the censuses listed only under their initials, who I had previously been unable to find. However, there seems to be no information on this topic in this book, and there are no entries for 'lunatics' or 'lunatic asylums' (or their modern 'politically correct' equivalents) in the index.
Although this is a detailed description of the censuses from 1841-1911, there is perhaps too much detail on the characterisitcs of various online services (which very soon gets out of date) and insufficient or no information on how the various censuses dealt with 'unusual cases' that can result in people not being found (the criteria for which varied from one census to another) such as soldiers, sailors, merchant seamen, pauper lunatics and inmates of workhouses. This book is a good comprehensive introduction to the censuses, and the online services that were available at the time the book was published, but cannot really be described as 'the expert guide'.
Although this is a detailed description of the censuses from 1841-1911, there is perhaps too much detail on the characterisitcs of various online services (which very soon gets out of date) and insufficient or no information on how the various censuses dealt with 'unusual cases' that can result in people not being found (the criteria for which varied from one census to another) such as soldiers, sailors, merchant seamen, pauper lunatics and inmates of workhouses. This book is a good comprehensive introduction to the censuses, and the online services that were available at the time the book was published, but cannot really be described as 'the expert guide'.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Helpful reference
Usefull for beginners or experts, have used for reference several times. Would recommend, good value for money. Will use again.
Published 5 months ago by DiJoy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!
Not only does it do 'what it says on the box', but its really readable, so you learn as you enjoy. I've been using the census records, sort of, for years, but not really thinking... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ms. A. L. Goodall
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