Genealogy Chat

Hi, There is another petition to try to get the early release of the 1911 census. This attempt is citing three additional key reasons for a review of the usual policy ( Release 1 Jan. 2012). Please --the more the merrier -- your support would be really welcome. . To sign the petition visit : www*cookgenealogy*com/phpPETITION/index*php UPDATE. There are three new arguments being used this time around. 1. Freedom of Information Act 2005 being ignored 2. 1911 census for Northern Ireland made available in the Republic of Ireland in 1960. 3. Prior to 1901 the release period was 80 years. I signed the last one and have done so again on the basis of nothing ventured nothing gained. It costs you nothing, and it is signatures only, no messages . Jay.

This petition has been doing the rounds for ages and ages. The 1911 census will be released on the 1st Jan 2012. That's if it is filmed and transcribed in time. Have you any idea how big it is? If they started tomorrow they would be pushing it to release it before the due date.

Petition or not it is not going to happen sooner. The last I heard is that the overall condition of the census is not quite as bad as first thought, and work has already started with looking at how the records can be indexed. I heard that the format of the documents is different from the previous censuses as it consists of the individual pages completed by the households, rather than the enumerator's pages that we have been used to. This allegedly makes things much more difficult to index and computerise. Does anyone else know any more?

It was made quite clear in a letter from the relevant dept forwarded to me by my MP that this is not going to happen before 2012. Please remember what happened with 1901. That crashed on its first day and took months to get working properly - not to mention the standard of transcription which is fairly bad. Most of the relatives i've managed to find have had their names or birthplaces (or both) mangled in transcription. I'd rather wait longer and let them get it right. It is a mammoth task.

Sorry Jay, I'm absolutely convinced you will be wasting your time. We will be lucky if they manage to get all the scanning and transcribing done by the 1st January 2012, let alone any earlier. Kath. x

Sorry but no chance! This is what the National Archives (the custodian of the census) has to say on the matter: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/stories/110.htm Online release of 1911 census The National Archives is committed to making census data available online. We know from our own experience the huge excitement generated by the release of any new census and recognise the great historical and research value of census information. So we are already making plans to make the 1911 census available online in just under six years´ time, on the first working day of 2012. The release of the census returns after 100 years is determined by long-standing government policy. The 1911 census form included the following emphatic assurance to householders: ´The contents of the Schedule will be treated as confidential. Strict Care will be taken that no information is disclosed with regard to individual persons.´ In 1966 the Lord Chancellor determined that ALL decennial census returns should be closed for a period of 100 years, on the grounds that they contained personal information supplied by citizens about themselves. Since then successive governments have consistently maintained this position, and from 1981 onwards there has been an explicit assurance on census forms that they will remain closed to the public for 100 years. This is the assurance that we all receive when we provide sensitive personal information in our completed census forms. The Government continues to believe that the 100-year closure period strikes the right balance between protecting confidential data about us as individual citizens and releasing the information, which is so valuable to researchers and historians alike. Under the Freedom of Information Act, The National Archives considers requests for access to information contained in the 1911 census returns in consultation with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as the department that transferred the record to us. On the specific enquiries received to date it has not been possible to release the information that has been sought, on the grounds that it is exempt under section 41 of the Act, which relates to information provided in confidence. The 1911 census is a huge document – more than 12 times the size of the 1901 census, with 35,000 volumes containing the details of our 35 million ancestors and occupying some 2 kilometres of shelving. They are in good condition and suitable for scanning, with less than 5 per cent requiring more extensive conservation work to be scanned safely. In addition there are also 38,000 volumes of enumerators´ summary books that are in excellent condition. These are likely to be included in the online project as they contain useful and unique information that supports the census information. However, they do not provide the level of personal details that can be found in the actual census schedules. By far the best option for providing access to the census is online delivery, making the returns available to the widest possible audience and preserving the integrity of the original records. Proposals are well underway to find the very best company to work with us in order to provide a good reliable service for millions of potential users. We have published our requirements in the Official Journal of the European Union and over the next couple of months will seek to create a shortlist of potential suppliers. Learning from previous experience and building on our current plans, The National Archives is eagerly looking forward to launching the 1911 census online in January 2012, which we are confident will rapidly become a major resource for family historians of British descent throughout the globe.

Hi Everyone, Does anyone know about the Scottish 1911 Census, is that going to be available on time?? Betty

Betty, Yes, GROS will release this material in 2012. Denis.

Hi Dennis, Thanks for the information, everyone says the English 1911 census will not be in good condition, hope the Scottish one will. Betty