Genealogy Chat

Like everyone else, my tree grew bigger. Do I print out all census or just the one I needs. Or it is better to save it on computer? What is the best way to keep track of who I got on my tree?
Thanks Valerie

First of all get yourself a tree program such as Family Tree Maker. As far as census or other document images are concerned you can save them to your computer if you wish and print them off as and when you need a paper copy.

Printing direct from Ancestry or other website can be very costly in terms of ink, especially if there is a large black border, so save the image and crop using a simple photo editing program.

To keep a record of what's on the censuses,, do add it to your tree.
You can say "censuses" on the source bit, and then list in the notes the census with date, and the information you got from it - address, occupation etc.

It is really helpful to put the source of all information so it can be double checked by any of your friends and fellow researchers - I also try always to identify the tree and provider of any information passed to me.

I do like to print out some of the more interesting census pages - but it isn't really necessary to have them all.

To add to what Elizabeth has said, for census information I have my own notation on FTM which makes use of two new "Facts" recorded against a name.

Occupation and Census Address. Both facts also show the date and the narrative in seperate fields.

i.e.

Census Address 1881 22 Church St, Durham
Occupation 1881 Coal Miner

For GRO references I use the free format Notes page, again with a standard format.

i.e.

Births Sep 1925
Leeds 9a 362
Batty Jeffrey (Armitage)

Mother's maiden name in (), where quoted on GRO

Deaths Sep 1929
Leeds 9a 342
Batty Jeffrey
Age 4

Marriages Jun 1918
Dewsbury 9a 601
Goffin Edna (Edwards)
Edwards Joe (Goffin)

Spouses surnames in () where quoted on GRO

What I do, with census records, is to look at who is in the same household, make sure I have got them all noted on my family tree programme and then I use the notes section

For instance, this is part of the notes I've got for my 3xgreat grandfather Joseph Grayson on my Reunion file:

"2 Sep 1849 address - Aughton (Joseph Grayston’s baptism)
29 Dec 1850 address - Aughton (Ann Grayston’s baptism)
1851 address - Bowker’s Green, Aughton
27 Mar 1853 address - Aughton (Robert Grayston’s baptism)
13 Apr 1856 address - Aughton (Henry James Grayston’s baptism)
1861 address - Bold Lane, Aughton
1871 address - Moss Lane, Aughton, Lancashire"

The census year ones are the ones with just a year on, but the "odd" dates are addresses as described in the parish records when Joseph's children were baptised. There is a separate section on Reunion where you can include occupation notes, so that one for him reads:

labourer (1849, 1853, 1856) farmer (1850) agricultural labourer (1851, 1861) butcher (1871?)

I then copy and paste each relevant address detail into the boxes for his wife and whichever children were alive and at home on each particular census night.

Many thanks to you all for giving me idea etc of how to keep records of census without using too many paper work.
Making note of cenus number is good idea.
Many thanks, Valerie