Genealogy Research
1891-1841 Census Online
Where to Access the Census Returns
There are several websites that claim to have many of the census records searchable online, however the website I have found to have the most complete online collection is www.ancestry.co.uk. Ancestry contains census transcripts for England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands from 1841 to 1901. The website allows you to search these census records for free. After you have made a search the results that are returned provide you with the first, last name, birthplace, county and approximate birth year of the person. If you want to view all the census details by choosing the option to view record then you will be taken to a new page where you are asked to become a paid member (with the exception of the 1881 census that allows you to view more census information for free). In addition to the information returned in the search results the 1881 census records provide you with the person’s age, relation to head of family, father’s name, mother’s name, gender, civil parish, street address, occupation, registration district, sub registration district and the other household members names. If you wish to view a copy of the original census transcript image then like with the other census’s you will need to become a paid member.
Local Library Access
If you would like to avoid becoming a paid member there are many local libraries that now provide free access to ancestry’s online census collection. One tip is to make your way to your local library download copies of the census transcript images for the ancestors you find to the library computer’s hard disk and then email the image to yourself using an online email account. Then you may download the images to your computer when accessing the online email account at home. If your library does not have access to ancestry’s website then you could check at the library which census returns are available on microfilm.