The 1921 Census results have been published

[tectonicplates]

Interesting stuff!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59879470

Lots of women were widowed after the First World War.

Several people gave their opinions on divorce.

And I love that one of the census workers complained that children had used the form to play noughts and crosses.

I wouldn't presume anything: this is the first time ever the census records have been made available for free in this way other than at the National Archives in Kew, London.

Also the 1931 census was destroyed in a fire and the 1941 census scrapped due to the war so it's potentially 30 years before we next get to see the information gathered.

My county council belongs to Ancestry so I was able to do loads by going to the library and using Ancestry and Freebmd. Certificates cost me quite a lot but I kept on telling myself that if I belonged to a gym or had another hobby that would also cost. I will not rush for 1921 but it will be good to see it in due course.
As Spooky says , it's all so flipping interesting. I like the censuses up to 1901 where you could see everyone else in the street and their households and occupations.

I have been waiting for this census since 2005. DM asked me to look on the internet and find out whether her father had children from his first marriage, as she was convinced she had a memory of her mum (who was extremely secretive) talking to a man called Jack about his father.

Sadly, my grandfathers whole family was missing from the 1911 census, but on the 1921 census he is there, and there are 4 children from his first marriage, including a boy called John, who would probably be known as Jack.

Interestingly, by 1921, grandfather had moved right from the North of England to the South West (where he later married by grandmother). His first wife in the north, had entered her status as "widowed" but it had been crossed through with a blue pen and "married" added.

So I am now wondering whether grandfather actually got a divorce or if he married my grandmother bigamously.

Unfortunately, I cannot tell my DM this news, she would have been so excited, as she now has advanced dementia. This whole search has sparked a 15 year interest in family history and I am still compiling bits of the tree, when time allows.

Thanks for posting this. I have found my great grandfather but was quite surprised that there seem to be no servants living at the same address. I know the house he lived in and it was huge. I had always thought they would have had at least one servant. I can't find my other great grandparents at all.

What is the 1939 register mentioned on this thread?

@rifling

Thanks for posting this. I have found my great grandfather but was quite surprised that there seem to be no servants living at the same address. I know the house he lived in and it was huge. I had always thought they would have had at least one servant. I can't find my other great grandparents at all.

What is the 1939 register mentioned on this thread?

Perhaps they lived out or there was a separate address for them? The 1939 register was a pre WW2 census used for Ration Books, call up papers etc

I only started my family tree yesterday and have got over 400 people going back to the 1600s so far. So many branches of family though! I’ve found a massive family from 100 years ago living ten miles down the road so tempted to go to the graveyard for a look at gravestones.

When you hit a brick wall in the 1600s is that pretty much it?

@CovidCorvid

I only started my family tree yesterday and have got over 400 people going back to the 1600s so far. So many branches of family though! I’ve found a massive family from 100 years ago living ten miles down the road so tempted to go to the graveyard for a look at gravestones.

When you hit a brick wall in the 1600s is that pretty much it?

That's about where I've got to. Earliest date seems to be 1620 and then dead end, on at least 2 branches of the tree.

Yes I'm also struggling now I'm in the late 1500s. I'm satisfied with all the links until then but then I can't find the next step back. Quite a few other people who also have these same ancestors have got the next step back on their publicly viewable trees but I just can't find an actual document to prove that next step so I'm not adding it yet!

Records offices vary but most have digitised their catalogues so you can see what records they hold. Also it's always worth searching the National Archives catalogue for names and areas and an extensive collection of Wills. Most records offices will, for a small fee, email or post you copies of documents you want to see. For those of you with links to Oxfordshire there is an excellent site listing Oxford Wills which is a wonderful resource. Linked to Oxfordshire History Society (there are many local history societies with lots of information, always worth checking the area your relatives came from). Google ofhs wills then search by name you are looking for. It's surprising what turns up, don't think your family may have been too insignificant to have anything of interest on file.

@JuergenSchwarzwald

I presume other libraries will have access too - in the near future if not right now, but probably only if you go in person.

National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth apparently also has access. It's only a handful in this initial phase.

Where does the profit from this all go?

I spent a while doing my family tree after my grandfather died, partly to find out who the people in his address book/people he had saved cards from we're from. I haven't done much research for a while, but did a few searches and everyone pretty much seems to be where I expected them to be in 1921 other than a great great grandmother who appears to have been away somewhere (possibly visiting family) with my great aunt. I may pay for the full details of that one, and for my grandfather to find out his exact address within the town he was in.

It's got me wondering whether to take out another subscription to one of the sites and see whether I can fill any more gaps too.

@immersivereader

Where does the profit from this all go?

No idea but I guess this is the privatisation of public services in action. I would hope that Find My Past paid for digitising the collection and this is how they recoup that rather than making vast profits from a public resource.