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1911 Census
We’ve added millions more transcriptions for the 1911 Census this month. That means that over 75% of the census is now searchable.
So, most of you can now search for your ancestors across England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands just as you would in any of our other census records. Simply type in your ancestors’ names, provide your best guesses for details like their birth places and dates, and see what you can discover.
Don’t forget, these are the first census records where you can see the actual householder forms that your ancestors filled in. You can read their entries in their own handwriting and look for any extra notes they may have added.
The 1911 Census also includes key details not provided in earlier records. You can discover how long couples had been married, how many children they’d had, and how many of those children had survived.
For a complete list of the areas that are now searchable click here
We’re continuing to work on the remaining transcriptions. In the meantime, you can still find your ancestors in the rest of the records by browsing. Find out how
The 1911 Census is available as part of all our existing memberships. Renew your membership now
Top tip
New Census Viewer
As an added bonus, we’ve created a brand new way of viewing the 1911 Census that brings the records to life like never before. Find out more in this month’s Have You Tried feature.
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New Warwickshire records
Warwickshire’s history includes both triumph and disaster, from the glory of William Shakespeare’s plays to ruinous Civil War battles. Now you can discover the good and bad in your family history, with six new record collections from the county.
You can start with your heroic ancestors.Warwickshire, Militia, 1776-1825, reveals the brave men who protected the West Midlands during the Napoleonic Wars. Read all about these local soldiers in service certificates, account statements, commission notices and promotion qualifications.
Then discover less celebrated characters in Warwickshire, Bastardy Orders, 1816–1839. This is a collection of court orders forcing absent fathers to provide for their children. It reveals both parents’ names and home parishes, plus often the child’s gender and birth date – you could then search our parish records to discover their name.
Go back to the 18th century, and measure your ancestors’ wealth by looking at how much land they owned. Warwickshire, Land Tax, 1773–1830, includes both landowners and tenants, and reveals their names, home parishes, and how much tax they paid. There are different records for each year, so you can follow the changes in your family’s fortunes.
And come back to the modern era with Warwick, Burial Slips from Warwick Cemetery, 1859–1968. Thousands of our ancestors have been laid to rest in the graveyard – these records reveal their names, ages, occupations, dates and places of death, and details of the burial.
Our final two collections haven’t yet been transcribed,
so they’re currently only available to browse. Warwickshire, Parish Poor Law, 1546–1904, reveals our less fortunate ancestors, whether they received help from the parish or moved into a workhouse. Warwickshire, Occupational and Quarter Session Records, meanwhile, includes a range of sources, shedding light on everybody from freemasons to gamekeepers.
All these Warwickshire records are available to Premium and Worldwide members. Renew your membership now
Top tip
As you uncover your ancestors’ lives, compare the dates with local events on our exclusive Warwickshire timeline. See the timeline now
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Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2012 — show review
We’re feeling particularly inspired this month, fresh from the biggest weekend in the family history calendar. Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2012 exceeded all our expectations, thanks to a perfect mix of top tips, great fun and new discoveries.
We met thousands of you on our main stand and were overwhelmed by your enthusiasm. Our expert advisors were able to help most of you discover something new from your family’s past — or at least point you in the right direction. A special thank you to our Ancestry Advocates, who worked tirelessly all weekend to help their fellow members.
Tony Robinson’s talk at Ancestry Academy was undoubtedly one of the show highlights. There was barely room to move, let alone a spare seat, as he provided his unique take on parish records. Our other Academy workshops were also extremely popular, as family history beginners and experienced members alike flocked to learn more about our records and pick up some vital hints.
The live demos weren’t restricted to the Academy, as our software experts showed off Family Tree Maker 2012 on the Ancestry Shop stand. The new TreeSync™ feature — which lets you update your family tree with FTM, online or from your phone — was particularly well-received.
Upstairs, many of you took some time to relax in our Members’ Lounge. Our team really appreciated the chance to speak to many of you in more comfortable surroundings. -
Have you tried... our 1911 Census viewer
The 1911 Census provides a rare opportunity to learn more about your close relatives — you may even have parents or grandparents who were alive at the time. To help you pick out every last detail, we’ve created a unique census viewer that brings their records to life like never before.
The new viewer is currently in beta, which means that we’re still improving it and looking for your feedback. However, it already provides a range of innovative features.
When you discover one of your ancestors in the census, you’ll find that their entry is highlighted in yellow. So, rather than scanning through the entire page, you can jump straight to their details. The rest of their family is also highlighted — in green — so you don’t even have to go looking for other relatives.
As you zoom in and move around the document, all their names are ‘frozen’ on the left. This means you don’t need to keep panning left and right, or running you finger along the screen, to work out whose entry you’re looking at.
Perhaps the most exciting additions are the census tips. Hover your mouse over any part of an entry, and you’ll be given an explanation of exactly what that piece of information is telling you. For example, hover over the word ‘drover’, and you’ll be told that was your ancestor’s occupation.
The added bonus is that these tips use the text from the record transcriptions. So, if you’re having trouble reading a particular word, you can hover over it to see how our team interpreted it.
The census viewer also brings new controls — for example you can use the scroll wheel on your mouse to zoom in and out. Plus, a new Actions menu provides access to options such as Print and Share.
The 1911 Census is available as part of all our existing memberships. Renew your membership now
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Ask the experts
Welcome to our Ask the experts section. This is where we answer your questions on all things genealogical, so if you have any pressing queries, send us your questions now*.
If your question doesn't appear here, you can email our Member Services team at support@ancestry.co.uk or call 0800 404 9723, and they'll help you with your research.
This month’s question is answered by Paul Reed. Paul is one of the UK’s leading military historians. He has written books on both World Wars, and works as a historical consultant for the BBC on programmes including Who Do You Think You Are? and My Family At War.Boer War
Q. My great-grandfather doesn’t appear on the 1901 Census, but by his wife’s name it’s noted that he was ‘away at front’.
I’ve traced him on the 1911 Census so I know he survived, but I’ve been unable to trace his Army record.
His name was George Henry Young, born April-May-June 1872 in Upton, Wiltshire. His family was in Salisbury, Wiltshire, at the time of the 1901 Census, and he died on 18th October 1951.
Are you able to give me some idea of where he may have served and where I can find his Army record?
Sue Stacey
A. If he was ‘away at the front’ in 1901 then this can only be the Boer War (1899–1902), and it is likely he was in the Army, as the Navy only played a minor role. A quick way to check his details is to use the pre-World War I Medal Rolls now available at Ancestry.co.uk, although with a surname like Young you may have a few hits.
Service records for the period are available at The National Archives in class WO97, but if he saw later service in WWI his record may not be there. So, it’s also worth checking the WWI Service Records at Ancestry.co.uk to see if it is there.
The site also has a Boer War casualty roll. Again, with a name like Young it may be tricky to find him, but it’s worth looking in case he was wounded or went sick.
Paul Reed
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