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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: Shaztoni on Wednesday 05 April 06 12:49 BST (UK)
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I am one of the 4,200 census enumerators for this years Irish census, I'm wondering should I mix up all the names and addresses just to give the genealogists of the future something to really hunt for ;)
Sharon
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Ooh Sharon I want your job! My dream job would be to be a registrar of births deaths and marriages, but in the meantime I'll nick yours if that's OK!
;D
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No I'll keep it for myself thank you very much, although you can have the leg work if you want, my poor calves :'(
Sharon
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So you have to knock on people's doors and ask them questions about themselves, do you? Or do you just have to make sure they've filled in their forms and return them?
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Can you check if they are telling the truth? I think people are much more inclined to lie these days unfortunately.
I would love to work in one of the Archive Centres (especially the one at Canterbury Cathedral) but I'm sure their salaries wouldn't cover my bills! If I could just win the lottery and be able to work for fun....
I'd be run ragged doing lookups all day ;D ;D
Steph.
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I've to give each house a code, make sure each has got a form, understands how to fill it out, collect the form, helping those who couldn't fill it out do so, and finally enumerate some of the information.
And all that has to be done in triplicate ::)
Steph, if they lie they lie, there's nothing I can do about it........ or may be there is *rubs chin*
Sharon
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When I did my Red Cross First Aider training, they told me I could only advise people to go to hospital, I couldn't actually make them go. But I thought "I can make them THINK I can make them go!"
Make them think they have to tell you the truth or else . . . . say thinks like "ve vill ask ze qvestions!"
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Sharon, you don't need to bother as I can guarantee that something bad will happen to them in the future -
Flood damage, fire - herd of rampaging rhinoserous trampling the bits that my descendants want to see etc.
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Yep the day the Zoo visits the Dáil, Nostradamus predicted that one himself.
Sharon
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And don't forget to write so badly that no-one can decipher what's written. That'll be good for a laugh in 100 years time!
Glen
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Hi Sharon,
I don't know if you will be working on rural or urban. Here's a good tip if it's rural. Lots of "small farmers" are very cagey about their acreage....so if they are not forthcoming with an answer just put on your most supercilious face and look around and say "oh well I suppose that must be 2 acres". Believe me you will gety acres, roods perches and quite likely even square feet!!! This does work as mt sister was an enumerator one year.
Mary.
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Hiya Everyone,
This site is for the Central Statistics Office Ireland. The Census Day is Sunday April 23rd! If your Census
form has not been delivered yet, don't worry! Sharon and the other Census Enumerators are on their way!
http://www.cso.ie/census
All the Best, Chris
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Hi all,
Sincerely hope somebody will list occupation as "Rootschatter" :)
for future generations
Tony
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Ooh Sharon I want your job! My dream job would be to be a registrar of births deaths and marriages, but in the meantime I'll nick yours if that's OK!
;D
My 3x cousin 6x removed, Robert Screaton, was the Registrar at Wigston Leics on the 1871 census. I have family certs with his signature as registrar.
Paul
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We're not due another one till 2011 are we? I had to help my mum fill hers in. What I would really like with the next census would be an optional section maybe called Notes, where I could voluntarily clear up any potential mysteries, provide extra information such as "In the last census I was Elizabeth X married to Keith X. We were divorced in December 2004. We have no children." Imagine how much help that information would be to someone in 100 years time - all the work it could save them.
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And don't forget to write so badly that no-one can decipher what's written. That'll be good for a laugh in 100 years time!
Glen
I was just going to say to use your worst writing ever but Glen has beat me to it.
What about spelling thier names as you would say it? That would cause loads of fun in 100 years wouldn't it?
Carol
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Yes it would be a great help Mrs Lizzy but think of all the fun you would be depriving them of.
Look at all the "fun " we have had trying to match everyone up :-\
Carol
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I'm already having great fun with all the polish, spanish, french, russian and chinese names :o :o :o
Sharon
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We're not due another one till 2011 are we? I had to help my mum fill hers in. What I would really like with the next census would be an optional section maybe called Notes, where I could voluntarily clear up any potential mysteries, provide extra information such as "In the last census I was Elizabeth X married to Keith X. We were divorced in December 2004. We have no children." Imagine how much help that information would be to someone in 100 years time - all the work it could save them.
OK then, but at least we could have a whole new section with details about pets and THEIR ancestries! My cat Duchess would be able to be really snooty then because she says she's much better bred than either of us - especially Daddy, who's a Baptist, still we don't talk about that . . . .
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I am one of the 4,200 census enumerators for this years Irish census, I'm wondering should I mix up all the names and addresses just to give the genealogists of the future something to really hunt for ;)
Sharon
Just got back from Ireland and i've missed the census by a day, i could have really confused the descendants with being there when i should have been here :) Saw three of your colleagues at work, one in a pub, one who called at the cottage we rented and wouldnt let me fill in a form anyway :( :( :( and one who seemed to be collecting irish car registration numbers at the port.
cheers
Tony
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Fascinating Tony :D A census enumerator collecting Irish car registrations at a port :D He/she would be in some predicament if an Irishman was driving a car with either an English registration or a personalised plate. Would he/she have missed those Irish people in the count. I remember collecting car registrations as a kid but dropped that interest as they had very little collectors value :D
Chris
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I am going to sound really thick now, i didnt know we still had census'! I cannot recall ever being asked to fill in details of who lives at my address. The only thing i have ever filled in is the form for the electoral register which only has myself and husband on. I will be amused from my grave if anyone tries to find me in the future!!!
??? ;)
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Hiya badgirl,
There have only been two or three census in your lifetime. You have probably forgotten them :D
It is difficult enough to remember what happened yesterday never mind what occurred ten years ago. :D
Chris
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Thanks for that, it makes me feel a bit better. Ten years ago i had my own house though and i definitely didnt fill a form in then but the one before it may of been filled in by my Grandparents. At least i will be on one of them! My husband is in the Raf so maybe they do it for us as we had to give details of ages and all sorts when we moved in here, unless the form has gone to my own house!!! I know that my husband is not allowed to go to a poll station either so that may explain it.
;)
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The last was in 2001, badgirl. Can you remember having a really long form to fill in which asked for details of all kinds of things including your religion? I recall there was a lot of talk in the papers at the time about that, as many people were treating it as a joke and putting their religion down as "Jedi Knight"
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Thanks for that, it makes me feel a bit better. Ten years ago i had my own house though and i definitely didnt fill a form in then but the one before it may of been filled in by my Grandparents. At least i will be on one of them! My husband is in the Raf so maybe they do it for us as we had to give details of ages and all sorts when we moved in here, unless the form has gone to my own house!!! I know that my husband is not allowed to go to a poll station either so that may explain it.
;)
Hiya badgirl,
Maybe you were away on holiday at the time of the Census. When you came home you probably had a quick glance at the form. thought "Ah well..nothing can be done about that now" then threw the form in the bin.
I have not been able to find anything about members of the armed forces being excluded although the Home Office send circulars to each Ministry of Defence and Prison Service establishment advising members of the forces, prison officers and presumably prisoners, how to complete the forms. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/census2001/definitions_chapters_1_5.pdf
All the Best, Chris
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Hmmm, not to my knowledge! Maybe i was missed somehow or maybe i threw it away not realising what it was. In 2001 i moved houses and that was in the April so maybe the form had been sent back for the house i moved into and the other was never sent back as nobody lived there for ages!Oh well never mind, i will do it next time and make sure i am not down as a jedi or Klingon!
;)
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Nothing wrong with Klingons that a little therapy wouldn't put right!
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Fascinating Tony :D A census enumerator collecting Irish car registrations at a port :D He/she would be in some predicament if an Irishman was driving a car with either an English registration or a personalised plate. Would he/she have missed those Irish people in the count. I remember collecting car registrations as a kid but dropped that interest as they had very little collectors value :D
Chris
Yeah, I was fascinated by that, how do you tell if the driver is English or Irish ??? apart from the bad driving :) and i've left that question open ;)
Cheers
Tony
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Despite the fact that there is a Jewish Community in Ireland, in their wisdom, the Irish census people decided to exclude a box asking whether or not people were members of the Jewish faith because the number of members of that faith was so low. How will genealogists of the future assist Jews to trace their Irish ancestors at the beginning of the twentyfirst century ??? http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2006/04/15/story470060040.asp
Chris
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Hmmm, not to my knowledge! Maybe i was missed somehow or maybe i threw it away not realising what it was. In 2001 i moved houses and that was in the April so maybe the form had been sent back for the house i moved into and the other was never sent back as nobody lived there for ages!Oh well never mind, i will do it next time and make sure i am not down as a jedi or Klingon!
;)
The 2001 had quite a high non-completion rate. Not as high as in 1991 when many 'de-numerated' because of the poll tax fiasco. The OPCS (as was then) had to 'size it up'. I did quite a lot of statistical analysis on it about poverty, etc. and it was even worse in the very deprived areas.
In 1971, husband and I invited the enumerator in and queried him for 1/2 about the census, just to see how well he had been briefed. In 1991, someone I knew was the enumerator for our area (not here). When he came to collect ours (already sealed 'cos we knew him!) he regaled me with how there were 3 women living at xxx, who had yyy children, etc., etc.
Now don't you be doing things like that Mrs AndyPandy :o :o :o
Gadget
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I don't and I wouldn't, people keep asking me if I'm snooping into them, and I can honestly say I can't be bothered, all I want is the numbers so I never have to do this darn job again, all my hope and wishful thinking at the beginning is gone now :(
Sharon
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Hiya Gadget,
I understood census information was private.
Census enumerators regaling people with information from other people's census forms should be reported
Chris
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That is right Chris, and that is what you should have done Gadget. If I tell anyone anything about the actually census information I can be fined 25,000. So I'm keeping my lips shut.
Sharon
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That is a steep fine Sharon. I looked in Google but could not find chapter and verse. Where should a person go if they wish to report an enumerator who discloses private and confidential facts about one's neighbours. Gadget, if the enumerator was telling you about other people then what on earth could other people have been hearing about some of the things that you entered on the census form about your household ???
Chris
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Over here you'd report it to the police as it is illegal, I'm sure it would be the same in England/Scotland/N Ireland/Wales.
Sharon
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Thanks Sharon,
It is probably the same in Northern Ireland too
Chris
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oops I forgot that extra strick will go back and amend it :-X
Sharon
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oops I forgot that extra strick will go back and amend it :-X
Sharon
The Welsh might get upset :D
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I told him I didn't want to hear about it and said it was confidential information.
Why do you think we put our forms in the envelope and sealed it? I'm surprised he got the job.
By the way, it was in England not Wales.
Gadget
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Only another five years till we get to see the 1911 census! 8)
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I've been wondering how all the purveyors of info will survive until then ;) And we'll be sitting around twiddling our thumbs soon ::) ::) ::)
I'm sure the pressure from commercial interests will be too great soon and it will be released before the due date - £££s seem to speak louder than all those letters/e-mails to MPs and early day motions etc.
Further comment on Irish census - just heard from my cousin in Wexford that her son and granddaughter are staying with them for the weekend, so that's extra info for their descendants in 100years time - if they read this, that is ;) ;) ;)
Gadget
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Filling out my own I made sure that I put in all four of my names, to make it as easy as possible for those great grand children (hopefully I'll be around to meet them)
Sharon
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Now I understand where all our relations went, they couldn't have been bothered filling in the forms. Maybe it was different when the constabulary were doing it but for us lay people it is a pain in the ***
Never again >:( never again :-X
Sharon
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I am searching for this family , my mothers side, in nottingham
Dave
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Hi Dave
You really need to make a new post on the Nottinghamshire board,
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/board,29.0.html
as your post will probably get overlooked here.
give as much detail as possible of what you are looking for.
Good luck!
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At the next census, if you can, scan or photocopy your census form. Add any background information you feel relevant.
Keep it with your research data (either disk or paper copy) for your future family genealogists to easily locate and enjoy :)
Ask your wider family to do the same.
(Am assuming this is legal)
Let's make it easier for our descendants for once!
Mrs. T.