This practical handbook shows you how to interpret the records to discover intricate details of your ancestors' lives, but also explores how and why information on names, addresses, family relationships and occupations was gathered. Intriguing case studies reveal why problems occur and what may be hidden between the lines, while photographs and screenshots illustrate the records themselves and the websites which provide access to them. This new edition of Census has been updated to cover: * the many innovations on the main census websites, which have all added new census data and made changes to their facilities in the six years since the first edition; * the complete records of the 1911 census for England, Wales and Scotland, now available on both official and other commercial sites; and * all the surviving Irish census records, which have now been digitised in their entirety. Hands-on and incisive, Census considers online access to the returns in detail, covering both free and commercial sites, along with discussion of search techniques and the problems of transcription errors.
A tour of key census sites reveals the most useful facilities and best quality images, as well as offline sources in the form of microfilm, CDs and DVDs. Census is an invaluable guide to this unique historical resource.