Genealogy Chat

When I worked as an ennumerator on the 1991 census, in the training we were told to reassure people that the info was only to be used for reference. It was the time of the poll tax, and you could tell that some people were a bit cagey about what they were prepared to disclose.

don't think benefit cheats are dim - unfortunately they seem to be pretty savvy!!!!

32 pages long!!! took fifteen minutes to print off

Yes indeed, all is not always as it seems. But nowadays things like that are not hushed up.
Alot of people don't take the census seriously, but it's the little imperfections that make it interesting for us.lol

The information given on the census will only tell the government what people want them to know - people don't always tell the truth!!

On the 1911 census I have my grandfather, grandmother, their son and daughter (their son being my father) - and also my grandmother's younger sister - described on the census as sister-in-law to the head of household - which sounds right.

What the enumerator and my grandfather didn't know - but my grandmother certainly did - was that this younger sister was in fact my grandmother's illegitimate daughter. I don't think my grandfather ever knew the truth!!

So people can say anything they like on a form - it doesn't make it necessarily true.

Kath. x

They do ask alot of nosey questions. They obviously want to find out lots about us. It could also be used to check out benefit cheats if they are too dim to realise.
I did wonder if the research sites like GR/ ancestry etc would take over the census for those that wanted to carry on. They would probably have to go back to the basics though - who lived where and when they were born etc.

I thought the questions on name and address of employers etc were interesting - it made me wonder whether there could be subsequent checks on whether the people on the census are in the country legally or not. There would certainly be enough information on the form to find people who were working in the country who weren't supposed to be.

I think I'm going to make my own census forms if the 2011 one is the last - maybe family historians could do annual ones?

The way things are going in the uk they probably won't need to do a census as they know everything about us anyway.
If they are thinking of cancelling it I may print of a spare copy of the 2011 and use it as a template and start making my own every 10 years to keep with my family tree stuff so my family can see it in the future. Maybe it will be online only and there for people who want to do it.
It will be a shame if it is stopped.

That would explain it then keith

ElizabethA,

I think that is because a few weeks ago the Government was reported as saying that they were thinking about scrapping the 10 year census returns after 2011 to save money!!

Kath. x

On the list of dates for the census anyone notice

2021 Census -- probably cancelled --

Liz

32 pages...OMD's i'll be there all day lol

Jonesey that was something I was thinking about too. They will have to just show main details I suppose.

I wonder how Ancestry and Find My Past (or their 22nd century equivalent) will cope with and display all that information in 2111.

100 years ago they didn't ask how many cars we had, how many hours we worked, if we rented or owned our house and last of all whether we were green/ yellow/pink or white . The country is a lot more diverse than it was back then. One question even asks how many different passports you hold and for which country. I do like the census but there are a lot of questions.
No doubt in 100 years time people will enjoy looking through them.

If they managed to get everything on to one sheet of paper 100 odd years ago you would think that even with asking for extra information they should be able to manage it with no more than 2 pages.

Kath. x

It's probably best to do the online one, however I often wonder how secure things are online. I will only have to print 23 pages and double sided makes 12. I like to keep paper records as I lost everything I had once when my pc died. I don't like storing to disc either.

Well what a waste of paper that is going to be..

I think there is enough room for 6 people and each person takes 3 pages. The doc is 32 pages long so hopefully it won't take too long to fill out if theres only 2 or 3 in the house. It looks like most of it is multy choice so not too much writing. I am going to scan a copy for my records when i have completed it and put in with my paper recods. It saves my rellies waiting 100 years. I am also including a phot of my house, just in case it isn't here in 100 years.

I printed it off so I could get a better look, think I might have to book a holiday from work to fill it out lol.