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Census Lookups General Lookups => Census and Resource Discussion => Topic started by: JDGen on Tuesday 28 July 09 19:38 BST (UK)

Title: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: JDGen on Tuesday 28 July 09 19:38 BST (UK)
Available soon at selected libraries and records offices:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/stories/337.htm?WT.hp=nf-37818

Jean
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: les_looking on Tuesday 28 July 09 20:10 BST (UK)
lets hope it speeds along FindMyPast to add to a subscription :)
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Gadget on Tuesday 28 July 09 20:33 BST (UK)
Tyne & Wear Archives  8) 8) 8)

That will save me a lot of credits and I have a free bus/Metro pass!

Thanks for the info, Jean  :)
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Necromancer on Wednesday 29 July 09 11:07 BST (UK)
Well, if you live in the South/East you are poorly served.

Quote
Oliver Morley, Director of Customer and Business Development at The National Archives, said: 'The 1911 census has been hugely popular and we are excited to be able to help family historians across the country benefit from this fantastic resource.

Wake up Olly, its our money being spent to provide 'free access' - so share it out equitably.
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Gadget on Wednesday 29 July 09 11:10 BST (UK)
For once, I chose to live in the right place after years of being out on a limb in the South West and the far North West.  I'm at last getting something for all my taxes 8)

No complaints whatsoever.

Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: audrey on Wednesday 29 July 09 11:21 BST (UK)
I agree with Gadget this is a very expensive hobby for me I have spent over £30 in the last few weeks on certs and the 1911 census and its hard to justify that kind of money on the pension but  I think I may get my bus pass out and get off to the Archives trouble is when I went a few years ago it was always packed

audrey
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: kerryb on Wednesday 29 July 09 11:29 BST (UK)
Well, if you live in the South/East you are poorly served.

Quote
Oliver Morley, Director of Customer and Business Development at The National Archives, said: 'The 1911 census has been hugely popular and we are excited to be able to help family historians across the country benefit from this fantastic resource.

Wake up Olly, its our money being spent to provide 'free access' - so share it out equitably.

Past Master

I think you will find according to the Government the South East is covered, SEEDA and SEERA (whoever they are!) probably include Birmingham in the South East  :( ::)

Kerry
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Gaille on Wednesday 29 July 09 16:27 BST (UK)
BRILLIANT!

Manchesters on there!
All I need now is to figure out how to get down there!

Wonder when it will be availible

Gaille
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Redroger on Wednesday 29 July 09 16:48 BST (UK)
Unfortunately not a lot of use to Bournemouth, the nearest in distance is Exeter, 4 hours by bus or train, the nearest in time is Birmingham, 3 hours by train. Strange London didn't get a mention. Are the authorities learning at last?
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Gadget on Wednesday 29 July 09 16:49 BST (UK)

I think you will find according to the Government the South East is covered, SEEDA and SEERA (whoever they are!) probably include Birmingham in the South East  :( ::)

Kerry


I don't think so,   More likely to be Norwich or Devon  :)

Anyway - where's Kew  if not the SE. You do have that.

Gadget

Ps - Audrey and I are going to take our flasks and sarnies and camp out - Pels might pop up for a day out as well   ;)
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Maggie1895 on Wednesday 29 July 09 18:41 BST (UK)
Look everyone I don't wish to sound envious  (OK, I'm envious) because I do appreciate it's frustrating that not all libraries will be involved and some are difficult to get to.
But look on the bright side - at least we can look at it, even on line at a price.    The Scottish Government is sticking to the 100 year rule and it will be 2011 before we can get in to that - and then it will be at Scotland's People rates!
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: kerryb on Wednesday 29 July 09 18:44 BST (UK)

I think you will find according to the Government the South East is covered, SEEDA and SEERA (whoever they are!) probably include Birmingham in the South East  :( ::)

Kerry


I don't think so,   More likely to be Norwich or Devon  :)

Anyway - where's Kew  if not the SE. You do have that.

Gadget


Whichever one, in the eyes of Oliver Morley the South East is covered.  Whether we agree with that or not is probably not that important to him.

Personally I agree with Maggie and for a few pence and some wise searching I'll stick to my computer.  ::) ;D

Kerry
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: acorngen on Wednesday 29 July 09 18:46 BST (UK)
Well I'm not gonna complain even if I do have to travel to Nottinghamshire Archives.  Thing is they gonna be so overwhelmed it will be 12 months before I can get in lol
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Darren S on Monday 03 August 09 14:22 BST (UK)
It's strange the press release doesn't mention that the 1911 census is already free to view at the National Archives in Kew, and has been for some time.

I went there about a month ago; there were literally hundreds of terminals available, and you didn't even need to sign in or anything, just turn up, sit at a terminal and start searching! Apparently they have relaxed their security there recently, you only need reader's cards to get into the reading rooms. They have a large free carpark as well.

You just need to go armed with cash to buy printouts of the sheets, at 20p a go. I got all mine printed out in one day, I think I spent £3.60.

Darren
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Ruskie on Monday 03 August 09 14:35 BST (UK)
Darren,

Are you available for lookups?  ;D

Is it possible to save to a USB drive?

(I must say that I am most surprised by the free carpark  :o).
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Darren S on Monday 03 August 09 15:04 BST (UK)
Hi Ruskie,

Afraid not - I took a day's holiday to go to Kew as a one-off. I live about 35 miles away, it actually took me 2 hours to get back on the afternoon I went due to problems on the M4!  >:(

I would have preferred to email the census images to myself (as I have done with the 1841-1901 censuses when viewing them at the local library), but the computers are very locked down at TNA, there's no access to a hard drive or USB devices, so no ability to save an attachment, also all email sites are blocked, so they've done a good job there. Plus the T&Cs clearly state that you mustn't use the system for any of those purposes. I am a fairly techy person who works in IT, and there was definitely no way around their security, even if I had dared to use it...

I went purely to view the scans, having already found the records I wanted through the 1911 site without spending a penny. I had already established most of what I wanted to know; I was mostly interested in seeing other, more minor bit of information, such as occupations, children born/died/total/years of marriage, etc.

Darren
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Darren S on Monday 03 August 09 15:16 BST (UK)
Hi Ruskie,

Afraid not - I took a day's holiday to go to Kew as a one-off. I live about 35 miles away, it actually took me 2 hours to get back on the afternoon I went due to problems on the M4!  >:(

I would have preferred to email the census images to myself (as I have done with the 1841-1901 censuses when viewing them at the local library), but the computers are very locked down at TNA, there's no access to a hard drive or USB devices, so no ability to save an attachment, also all email sites are blocked, so they've done a good job there. Plus the T&Cs clearly state that you mustn't use the system for any of those purposes. I am a fairly techy person who works in IT, and there was definitely no way around their security, even if I had dared to use it...

I went purely to view the scans, having already found the records I wanted through the 1911 site without spending a penny. I had already established most of what I wanted to know; I was mostly interested in seeing other, more minor bit of information, such as occupations, children born/died/total/years of marriage, etc.

Darren
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Ruskie on Friday 07 August 09 00:41 BST (UK)
Hi Ruskie,

Afraid not - I took a day's holiday to go to Kew as a one-off. I live about 35 miles away, it actually took me 2 hours to get back on the afternoon I went due to problems on the M4!  >:(

Darren

I wasn't really being serious about you offering lookups. Can you imagine how many requests you'd get! It's be a full time unpaid job ...  ;)

PS Welcome to rootschat Willow!  :)
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Redroger on Friday 07 August 09 18:21 BST (UK)
Two hours for 35 miles on the M4. Surely you can do better by train!
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Gadget on Friday 07 August 09 21:15 BST (UK)


I wasn't really being serious about you offering lookups. Can you imagine how many requests you'd get! It's be a full time unpaid job ...  ;)



I know the feeling  ::) ::) ::)
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Darren S on Friday 07 August 09 23:40 BST (UK)
Two hours for 35 miles on the M4. Surely you can do better by train!

Actually, given that I live 4 miles away from the nearest train station, and that Kew is nowhere near the lines from London to Reading, it would have probably taken longer than that.  ;) The journey normally takes about 50 minutes by car, but as I said, there were big problems on the M4 that Friday afternoon.

But we digress..  :D
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Redroger on Saturday 08 August 09 17:01 BST (UK)
Point taken Darren, We moved south 2 years ago from Doncaster, and so far I have not become used to the time taken to get to Waterloo, 1hour 45 min from Bournemouth for 108 miles, when we could travel from Doncaster to London in approx 90minutes for 156 miles.
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: acorngen on Sunday 09 August 09 09:47 BST (UK)
Roger when I lived in hastings it was 1.45 for a 46 mile journey by train

Rob
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Redroger on Sunday 09 August 09 18:24 BST (UK)
As a northerner now living in the South of England, I am frequently surprised at the lack of infrastructure down here, and where it exists it's low quality. The Weymouth to Waterloo line has a 3 rail electric system which is over 70 years old. A problem with this type of installation is that it will never wear out, it is already obsolete. Straying again from the original topic, which was of course Free 1911 census access, and I caused the straying! Smack! Smack!
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Lydart on Sunday 09 August 09 19:48 BST (UK)
I wonder why Wales only has Aberystwyth ?

Surely Cardiff is more accessible for the largest number of people ??   North Wales has easy access by train to Manchester ...



Oh well ... I'll just continue to wait ...  :'(
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: ozlady on Monday 10 August 09 00:33 BST (UK)
What about us poor devils overseas? Imagine how long we'll have to wait! As I said on another thread, I've failed completely to access FindMyPast....... something to do with cookies and being in the wrong time zone??????? Also paying for credits is quite expensive.
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: Redroger on Tuesday 11 August 09 14:59 BST (UK)
Ruskie mentions the risks of offering lookups, I have posted two groups where I have information which is worth sharing, with considerable fear of being overwhelmed by demand. So far my fears are groundless, I have had three requests for information, two from the same person on one post, and one only on the other. This over a period of about 8 weeks. Probably this post will open the floodgates!
Title: Re: Free 1911 Census Access
Post by: JDGen on Tuesday 11 August 09 18:41 BST (UK)
Think this has now strayed a bit off topic so I'm locking it.

Hopefully free access will gradually be extended to all areas.

Jean