Family Histroy and the 1911 Census

The eagerly anticipated and long awaited 1911 census of England and Ireland is now available to view.
As, of today, 13th January 2009, (census launch day), not all counties are available to view. Durham, Yorkshire (North and East Riding), Cumberland, Northumberland and Westmoreland will be viewable soon, as will 13 Counties in Wales, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Royal Navy and military establishment records. If your family history is centred on any of these areas, you will have to be patient for a little longer.

The 1911 census of England and Wales will be the first census where we will be able to view our ancestors’ own handwriting, discover how long they have been married and how many children have been produced from this marriage. All are invaluable aids to increasing our knowledge of our family ancestry.

With the tremendous popularity of family history research and discovering our genealogical roots, the 1911 census is the first census that has broken the 100 year rule. The 1920 Census Act required that census information was not to be viewed by the public for 100 years following the event. For this reason, the 1911 census that is viewable today does not contain all of the information that will be available to view on 3rd January 2012. Information, such as, disabilities or infirmities are considered too sensitive to be released before that date. The government have steadfastly maintained that the 1911 census will be the only census that will ever be made available before the 100 years mark has been reached.

Whilst that is not good news from a family history research standpoint, the information that is accessible to genealogist, professional and amateur family historians, from today will be a valuable step forward in helping us locate those elusive ancestors of ours.

 The Discover You Past researchers are extremely excited about the launch of 1911 census, from a personal and professional perspective, as it allows us, not only, to increase the knowledge of our own English and Welsh ancestry, but, to help our clients learn more about their own ancestry.
Unfortunately, if you have Scottish family ancestors, you will not be able to view the 1911 census of Scotland until Spring of 2012, which seems a very long way away from now.