BETA: 14 more new counties available on beta
Overnight we have loaded 14 new counties.
The new counties now available are:
- Hampshire (NEW)
- Herefordshire (NEW)
- Hertfordshire (NEW)
- Huntingdonshire (NEW)
- Norfolk (NEW)
- Northamptonshire (NEW)
- Oxfordshire (NEW)
- Rutlandshire (NEW)
- Shropshire (NEW)
- Suffolk (NEW)
- Surrey (NEW)
- Sussex (NEW)
- Warwickshire (NEW)
- Worcestershire (NEW)
The other counties still available are:
- London (previously available)
- Middlesex (previously available)
- Staffordshire (previously available)
- Wiltshire (previously available)
- Bedfordshire (previously available)
- Berkshire (previously available)
- Buckinghamshire (previously available)
- Cambridgeshire (previously available)
- Cornwall (previously available)
- Devonshire (previously available)
- Dorsetshire (previously available)
- Gloucestershire (previously available)
December 23rd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
so far excellent found new info. but still waiting for Yorkshire county
December 23rd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Can you advise when Lancashire will added to your list? Thank you. Chris
December 23rd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Can you show this as a map to make it easier to visualise?
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Thank you for providing the opportunity to trial the 1911census but I am waiting for Lancashire and Cheshire.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Unfortunately the counties I need are not yet available, so I was not able to check the system. I would be interested if you are planning another preview at a later time
JB
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:11 pm
It is great you have added new counties but please note these are all south no North have been added not even one in Yorkshire but I suppose when it eventually goes live there will be all areas available
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:14 pm
firstly, in the survey,I previously mentioned that my family name of hedaux was missing, however it appears that it is conjoined with the word french. ie robert edward hedaux french.
this MAY be because the family were ” Aliased” as Frenchies,(actually it was Belgian), one hedaux in the war has two reference cards at A2A, one in the name hedaux, and another named French. same serial number.
(My Dad in the docks circa 1965 was known as Frenchy)
secondly it seems that the London area known as “west ham,/custom house e16″ doesnt show either.
on the whole a great site….fast, clear, but a tad expensive.
regards Bob Hedaux
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I can’t wait to try a search, and have waited with anticipation. When I got the email about the beta version I got straight on to have a try. To my disapointment it did not contain any of the counties I was after, and still today after there is a total of 26 counties on the site I still have no counties to search. It would be nice to see a bit of Wales or the far north on the site. Im glad I didn’t get any credits yet, it’s disapoiting enough now.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Unfortunately for me the counties available all seem to be in the south of England and almost all my ancestors come from Yorkshire so at present it is not much help. I should be pleased to visit again when Yorkshire is included.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Unfortunately most of my research covers Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Please let me know when Lancashire becomes available.
Thanks
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I desperately need Durham and Northumberland! When is the north-east going to be recognised?
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Have been unable to trace any relatives today. Was Stratford in Essex please and not London? That is where many of our relatives lived.
We will have to wait. So many counties not done yet.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Thanks for the info. but I’m waiting for Durham Northumberland & Yorks.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Please can we have the Kent and Essex lists available before the preview offer runs out. So many Londoners on our tree moved out!
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:18 pm
tried to give feed back but when I clicked link got message “could not perform this operation default mail client not properly installed.” does this mean you do not support Microsoft outlook? I do not use outlook express as it is so annoying.
Margaret Gibson
marg.gibson@sky.com
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
My comments are relected above - waiting for Lancashire and Cheshire . But pleased Hampshire is on new list
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
searched for my mother born in Feb 1911 in Camberwell London and found details of her parents and siblings in less than a minute . Great service
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:25 pm
C’mon Yorkshire
Anne, you should try Middlesex,that is where I found Poplar and Silvertown
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
This looks promising but I cannot test properly as I am waiting for Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire. Can you go a bit further North next
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I also would like to know when Lancashire will be on the list.
Thanking you in advance
Greg Wichman
Edmonton Alberta
Canada
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:32 pm
It would have been nice to have had counties available scattered throughout the country - as it is I feel the North East which I need and the rest of the North has been marginalised. Doesn’t make me feel user-friendly toward the site!
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Still patiently waiting as my queries are all in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Will we be too late to benefit from the preview?
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Can we have Somerset as well pretty please
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Waiting for Lancashire mainly so was a little disappointed. Hope it is added in time for me to search!
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
I’ve found my husband’s grandfather, born in a different place to where we thought!
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Please let me know when Glamorgan is available
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Disappointed that Lancashire and Cheshire not included. Seems that the North of the country has been forgotten and left till last as usual.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:41 pm
As usual the southern counties get preference over the north! Yorkshire is the largest county in England but will probably be the last one to be available.Another example of southern bias.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:42 pm
It is great to be able to preview the census at an early date and like others I got excited about being able to access the data but sadly (gladly in all other respects!) have only northern forbears so cannot look anyone in my family up. I have looked up a couple of random individuals in the south just to see how things are set out but it would be nice to see a mixture of counties rather than just the south represented. Please don’t make me wait until this time next year to see the northern data!!!
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Found a couple of migrated great uncles in Staffordshire, my mother in Norfolk. Now waiting for Kent where my father migrated to and Leicestershire, the ancestral county. Excellent so far (except the cost of course).
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Waiting for Yorkshire - Essex - Leicestershire. when wil these be published?????
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I have found the site very usefull, very clear and quite easy to find your way around, can’t wait for it to be completed. It would be very nice if you could make it less expensive.
Great work.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I think England has over 40 counties so there are still quite a few not up yet. My research is centred around Northumberland and Durham so I will wait patiently until these have been added.
Considering its the 1911 census, I think its pretty good that we’re getting it in 2008/2009.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Someone else who can’t wait for Yorkshire to be added and longing to search it once it’s there for those annoyingly ‘long-lost’ relatives!
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Also waiting impatiently for Yorkshire
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I’ve found a person I wanted, but how does ’search for free - find out who lived in your house’ work? I get a list of addresses (which I know) but the site then demands ‘credits’ to see who lived there. Please explain.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:52 pm
I was able to use the site well, it’s very good but unfortunately a bit on the expensive side
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Excellent found several families in Cornwall but need Lancashire.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Thanks for the early preview unfortunately I too am waiting for Lancashire
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Many thanks for your efforts ! - I, too, need Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, please advise when these are added.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Thsi is great - when can we expect Lancashire?
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Still waiting for Yorkshire. Typical that all the South gets covered first!
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I too need northern counties and Wales but it doesn’t really matter as the site is too expensive anyway.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
My research covers Leicester so no new information yet but a quick test on another county the system worked well.
Perhaps a preview when more counties are available
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
A good taster. Once the complete Census is available, it will become an invalauble tool for research.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Found some great info very easily! Thanks. Any idea when Wales will be added?
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Pleased to see Wiltshire was one of the first counties and found my husbands family there.Now found out Hampshire is on as well so hopefully will trace some of my family as well,also need Wales then I’ll be really happy.I agree that the prices are a bit on the steep side ,are they likely to become cheaper in the future ?
Site is easy to use though
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I am so looking forward to trying out the site but there are no Welsh counties available yet.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I have just checked which counties are available and I was correct to assume that Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland would not be on there yet, seems they are always the last ones to be added. Why aren’t more of a cross-section of the country put on instead of them all being southern counties to start with? Very unfair to us Northerners I feel.
Can’t wait until the complete Census is done then I will take a look.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:31 pm
All our family are from Yorkshire, Lancashire or (one branch) Northamptonshire so I cannot really test this beta site
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Enjoyed searching on the site. A bit too expensive to purchase credits though. Is it likely to become cheaper over time ?
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Unfortunately my interests lie in Carmarthenshire and therefore I am unable to make use of the free trial. Would be delighted if I got another free trial offer when Carmarthenshire was available.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I wish to make the same point as many above in that I am dissappointed to find that you have not got the counties of my main interests - notably Glamorgan. Would be interested in a trial when you have added this.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I found the site easy to use and i found another occupation for my father Frank Witchell that i did not know about.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Looking forward to being able to view Durham and Yorkshire. Hope I don’t have to wait too long.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Thank you for the early taster it is easy to use and clear,as yet i need N yorkshir and Durham cannt wait till its added Many Thanks.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Its fantastic that the census is finally online, even if partially, however,
1) where is LANCASHIRE
2) when will it be free, there is global financial problems for joe public,
if not free, the census should be as cheap as possible, & non profit.
3) Please get Lancashire online, ASAP Please
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Feel guilty as have had a lot of success with this unlike those of you waiting for Northern counties. Family on my side are all from London and 1/2 of husbands family from Surrey - released today. Great to see total number of children born/died on these census returns. There are some children I didn’t know about and need to search for. Also established re-marriage of Great grandmother that I wasn’t aware of. Need Wales to help mother-in-law’s tree but all Jones and Williams so will probably be a real struggle as usual!
System working well. Thank you for allowing the early preview.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:01 pm
So my grandfather finally appears in the Censuses under the name Harry Johnson, stating that he was born in Salford, Lancashire. But computerised records and y-dna testing have pretty much confirmed that he was born Harry Shorrocks and left his old name behind when he settled in south London. I look forward to confirming once more that there were no Harry Johnsons born in Salford in 1879 when the Lancashire records become available!
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:01 pm
A very good preview. I eagerly await Kent. It is rather expensive though!
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Seems to work fine, but not able to judge the functioality as no northern counties are available, but I am sure our southern cousins are testing it out for us.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I got excited when I read that 14 more counties had been added, but, like many others, I’m waiting in anticipation for Yorkshire, Durham, Northumberland and Lincolnshire. What I sampled seemed excellent.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Exciting development. Anxious for Lancashire and other counties but happy to that the beta test has been extended.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Thank you for the taster - I have already found new relatives in the London area but really need Somerset to help my tree along.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Site looks like it might be good, and the previews are a good idea, but unfortunately none of the counties I need (Durham, Northumberland, Yorkshires) are included so far. It’s a real shame that the early releases are concentrated in the south of the country.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:12 pm
This shows London as being available but when I checked a specific address in Camberwell (120 Camberwell Road) it was not listed. The closest I could find was 88 Camberwell Rd. I then tried to pull up just Camberwell Road with no number and very few specific addresses came up. Does this have all of London or are the results still spotty?
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:23 pm
I have had amazing success in Shropshire and Staffordshire but found that the ‘money’ soon ran out. Eagerly awaiting Cheshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Sympathies for the Northern researchers, but Kent (south of London) isn’t there yet either!
Transcripts seem good, but don’t show ‘how many years married’ or number of rooms, although I suppose I can live without the latter.
Perhaps if we were just starting out, we wouldn’t have so many people from the extended family to find, so it would APPEAR cheaper.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Could not really trial this as none of the counties in the north available , Yorkshire, Durham & Northumberland!
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:29 pm
A good site and easy to use but still waiting for Notts and Yorkshire. My one name study will bankcrupt me at these prices.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Cannot wait to find out what my family were up to in 1911.! Unfortunately There is no sign of any of my counties i.e.Yorkshire,Lancashire & Cheshire.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Oh dear, more useful counties. Look out credit card!
A good preview of the site. The results would be more useful if they included the place of birth, that way you would know if you had the right person before using all your credits on transcripts. Potentially a very expensive way to spend an evening. I can’t wait till the complete Census is released (and it’s available on subscription).
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Great to see so much 1911 online, but really really need Yorkshire!
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Great to be able to access more counties, and for a longer period. I’ve had great success so far but have used up all my credits very quickly. I do however think that it will be very expensive for a lot of people once it’s up and running. How many ‘duff’ copies will I need to pay for to get the family of David Davies and his wife Mary - in Swansea!!!
Also, whilst I am happy to take part in some opinion ratings, once I get to the multiple choice questions ie strongly agreeing or not range, I’m really turned off.
Merry Christmas
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I have had a really good time exploring the 1911 census, still waiting for other Counties (Glamorgan Wales and Kent) but the addition of the new Counties is a bonus. Very pleased with the site, its fast, and accurate. Would have liked to have seen a more flexible searching system though.
But wonderful to have the 1911 census available online! Well done!
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Still waiting for North Wales and Lancashire Please
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Useful - not entirely sure - records for staffordshire are complete.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Excellent, found what i was looking for… a firm piece of an illusive puzzle of relatives now in place!! Tad expensive and credits soon run out though.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:49 pm
wonderful achievement!. I have found someone who we have been searching for and could not find her on any previous census but now she is married and with husband and children we have her!. We are elated.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Would love to be able to beta test your site but, unfortunately, none of the counties available qre of any use to me. Pleeeeeeeeeeeease travel a tad further north to enable us Yorkins to be able to search. Also, Durham, Lancashire and Westmoreland. Some of us do emanate from folk north of Watford!!!
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Desperately seeking Yorkshire!
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Will we get Northumberland soon, so wanted a family mystery to be answered and sadly no Northumberland or Leeds, such shame there are no counties further up North.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Am still waiting for Lancashire -any ideas when it will be added.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Excellent service, I look forward to all of the counties!
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I also need County Durham, Northumberland, and Essex,so have been unable to use the site fully.Looks to be very expensive, how about an annual subsciption charge as in the Findmypast.com site.
Apart from that,great site.
Thanks for the preview.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Agree with above comments about search facility needing to be wider, i.e. first name and place of birth. Have found with one line that surname is spelt or transcribed in 3 different ways. A fixed search on this would only have revealed some of the family, not all, unless you could know the variants.
Also would like to see a northern county included in trial.
Also agree about the costings. Seems expensive and an annual unlimited subscription would be more popular. 30 credits per image soon uses up the units, and the transcription version is not set out in a useful format.
But it is easy to use and so far, good response rate for pages to upload.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Still awaiting Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Yorkshire and Westmorland before I can really begin to test out your website.
An apparent lack of ability to use * or ? as a ‘Wild Card’ in a surname search is a definite disadvantage.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Like a lot of other people before me, I am waiting for Yorkshire,Lincolnshire and Durham. Waiting patiently but will be happy to see them to continue tree work.
Happy Christmas to all and good luck in 2009
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I was very disapointed to find that were no northern counties listed. The north south divide occures again.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:18 pm
The largest county in the country and yet not there yet, Yorkshire soon please.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:21 pm
I am waiting for Northumberland and Durham. I think it is rather expensive.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:32 pm
My research has centered around London so I am fortunate that this county was available immediately. Already located the main subject of my research and the census information has resulted in a major breakthrough in my research. Well done 1911 Census Team.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I too am waiting for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire & North Wales.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:38 pm
it looks good but i need yorkshire
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Very good search software,easy to use. Cannot find any of my relatives in Deptford or Greenwich previously found on earlier census data and should still be alive in / or newly alive in1911.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I think its totally out of order to have to pay for the information - you are asking that the site be tested and for feedback, surely a gesture of thanks would be to reward the participants with free views of the data?
I know this is the case with other software Betas.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:51 pm
A very good site and cannot wait for Notts and Yorks. However, my one name study will cost a fortune
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:59 pm
I think the site is already a winner, and when it’s fully up and running, it will be a come true for all Genealogists.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
My research concentrates mostly in Northumberland and Durham, so will be waiting for them to come on. It is wonderful we are getting it early, and thank you so much. I am hoping I will be able to find my grandparents on my mum’s side Who “disappeared” sometime after 1901
Bev Price, Australia
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Amazing stuff! I’ve just printed off details of my mother’s family - and all written by my grandfather.
Desperate to get info from the Welsh counties.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Once again it’s a case of the great divide. Why is it that every site that decides to up grade always starts with the south of England?
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Yes site is not cheap but pretty easy to navigate around with a bit of practice.
Considering this is still 2008 and the 1911 census isnt officially due till 2011 I am amazed that a number of people can still grumble that “their” county isnt yet available !!
I was just pleasantly surprised but maybe at my advanced age one learns to be grateful for whatever turns up !
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Desperately awaiting Yorkshire & Derbyshire.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Like a lot of your other participants I am eagerly waiting for Lancashire and more of the northwest to come on line. I have no relatives in the south. Will you give more free testing time later on?
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Unable to search anything as none of the counties I need (Lancashire, Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland) are available.
Does this mean that when the site goes live that these counties will not be available until a later date?
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Waiting for Essex County as that seems to be where most of the family is from.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Definately not happy with the cost. Dont you have a monthly membership? May not be so bad for people who live in Europe and used to high expenses (with accompanying high wages) but when you live in the third world it’s impossibly high.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Perhaps it’s just me but the wildcard search does not work at all. Also I don’t find this as flexible as other sites or the results sufficiently informative to justify spending money on getting the detail. To be honest I was quite disappointed and thought the 1901 site was easier to use and gave a better result. I seem to be in the minority though.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Panicked and very disappointed yesterday because I received this offer at 10 pm. Time my bank fuffed around verifying my card payment, the computer hung and I ran out of time to use it. Tried an unpaid intitial search in East London which looked appeared to give a fast result.Nos Sussex on the list. Now today we have an extension and Sussex! Is this a clever ploy for me to part with vast sums very quickly before it all disappears tomorrow?
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:20 pm
What a tease! I need Kent but will play around a bit anyway. Thanks for offering this.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Will the cost come down once the site is launched and many more people will be wanting to use it. I found it a little expensive and had to restrict myself to looking for certainties rather than random searches.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
I need Lancashire and Yorkshire. I’ll take a look when they are posted. The rest are of no use to me….
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I’m longing for the addition of the Yorkshire census.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:51 pm
1911 is much anticipated & what I have seen so far is great. I am waiting for a peek at Lancashire, Manchester City itself, Thornton Hough in Cheshire as well as Cumbria.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:52 pm
By 1911 all my ancestors had moved to Yorkshire so it’s the only census that I need.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:53 pm
A luxury nice to have but currently of limited use and very, very expensive. With a large family tree to research this pricing is unsustainable for me and I will suppress my further curiosity until more realistically priced options are available. Enjoy it whilst you may 1911, not sure how many you will carry with you in the longer term.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:53 pm
found my grandparents,mother,aunts and uncles in middlesex which regarding my grandfathers age has solved a puzzle as he was born later than has been given for 1901 census, it felt very weird seeing his actual handwriting as I never knew my grandparents as they died long before Iwas born. Did find it expensive though. Can’t wait for northhumberland to be added, so I can research my other grandparents, don’t let me wait to long
Found my grandparents and mother in middlesex, solved problem as to when my grandfather was born and where, he was younger than I thought was older on 1901 census, looking forward to northumberland listings for my other paternal grandparents. would be nice if cost was a little less.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Very clear and easy to use but rather expensive
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Great but the site is to expensive
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:01 pm
I am still waiting on Lancashire and Somerset before I can do any searching I am afraid.
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:09 pm
This is great!!! also the price is a little high, could you let me know when Manchester will be online
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Ingeneral good. Images have a hit and miss speed problem - they start off nice and fast then, at around 100k into the file, slow to a crawl. I trust this is only a ‘beta site’ problem and not something going to hit the site when it goes live.
Pricing - as others have said - expensive (very!) given the little informaiton initially provided to identify an individual. The initial listing means you have virtually no option but to look at the transcript (10 credits) before deciding if this is the person you really want and, if it is, then another 30 credits is required for the actual image. IMHO the transcript should contain ALL of the information on the image (Missing are the total number of children/alive/deceased), type of employment, location and nationality - therefore need to view the origianl IF this is the person you want. If a user goes via this route (ie transript then image) surely the transcript cost should be offset against the image.
Print button is an anomaly - it doesn’t behave the way normal Windows/Explorer buttons work - hover over it and there is no indication it is an active button - confusing.
On images themselves there is no indication of the actual ID for the page (ie RG14 identification) or page number - this is hidden on the transcript page but is NOT shown on the image - if you want to be able to quote a reference again you need to pay for two services unneccessarily.
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:23 pm
usual thing, yorkshire last as always! very expensive to view original images, which you really need to do, as other people’s transcriptions cannot be relied upon, even these days! also, if you are invited to take part in a trial, you should not have to pay!
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Like others, I’m disappointed that northern counties are currently not available and that the site is so expensive to use. However, the one search I did in Shropshire worked well!
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Much better now with the greater coverage, though Kent still a sore miss for me.
I still think that the place of birth should be shown on the results of a search, as a common name can throw up too many options with wrong selections being too costly and using up too many units.
I understand the need to recoup high costs but it is annoying to spend 10 units to find it is the wrong household.
Paul
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:32 pm
when is yorkshire coming we always seem to be last
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Easy to use but was disappointed as Lancashire is not there so couldn’t find any information - looking forward to more additions
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:40 pm
I downloaded one record (turned out to be wrong person) and was impressed by the quality of the image which was quick to download on broadband. It will be great when all counites are available later. Thanks for the opportunity to try the beta site.
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Thank you for the potential access, however the counties I require are Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire.
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:44 pm
i had great success in staffordshire and gloustershire but awaiting for glamorganshire to go live.i found the site a tad to expensive
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Like previous comments I found the credits soon expire . Was very disappointed as kept getting “glitches”. Think I’ve have been spoiled with the ease of use on the excellent Find My Past, but as is early days so can only get better. Please can we find our relatives Oop North soon ?
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:50 pm
This is great news! I was able to find my great grandparents in Staffs., but only searching under her name—it was not successful under his name. I was unable to find any of the other six greatgrandparents in Staffs. and Worcs.
Can you tell me if the records for these two counties are complete at this point or if there is still data to be added?
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Eagerly awaiting the addition of Pembrokeshire but disappointed at the cost I may have to incur to access the information
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
HELP… I can’t get into the site… ANY help appreciated.. customer support thought they’d fixed but not so.. Can only get into the blog and nothing else.
(so don’t complain about all counties not being available yet!!)
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Thank you for the trial access alas the counties I require are, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:00 pm
A good taster, desperately waiting for Yorkshire and Derbyshire.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Thank you for givng me the opportunity to look at your 1911 census site
I have only been able to find two of my ancestors I am pleased to know where they had moved to
The rest are in Cumberland, Lancashire, & Cheshire.
Thank you once again.
Doris Rimmer
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 pm
It will be great to get 1911 census info. Still waiting for Cheshire though.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Found a couple of relaives in Hampshire but the site is a bit expensive. Credits run out very quickly.
99% of my family are in Carmarthenshire in South Wales, and our county is always one of the last to be added with any form of transcriptions sadly, so I guess I will have a long wait as usual and be amongst the last to start searching most of the family.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Great news - keep up the good work and Thank You!
Still waiting for Lancashire, England - looking forward to it.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:12 pm
It’s just whetted my appetite for Derbyshire, Notts. and Yorkshire.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Thanks for the opportunity for an early look at the 1911 census. I am eagerly awaiting Yorkshire and Derbyshire
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Awaiting Lancashire. Would like to know as soon as it’s online.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Great - found my grandad straight away and easy to use. Can’t wait for the full version but wish it was less expensive.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Waiting for Lancashire and Cheshire. Not able to search until these are available.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:41 pm
can you let me know when Liverpool, West Derby, Lancashire becomes available.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Good site but very expensive to use. If it was cheaper I am sure alot more people would use it.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:45 pm
With the addition of surrey i managed to find exactly what i was looking for. Hoping for monmouthshire next
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Have to agree with bias to southern areas. I guess its because there’s a lot of money to be made out of Yorkshire and surrounds…we know the FHS there are most active.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:47 pm
No good to me as the county I need (East Riding of Yorkshire) is not yet available.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Still no good to me, none of the counties I am interested in are available. (All in the South, Pamela & k. broadhurst !)
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Not a single county I can try out - need Yorkshire, Durham and Kent specifically. Disappointed the counties are all southern.
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:18 pm
cant wait for derbyshire !
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Had a great time over the last week - spent far too much, but have found loads of rellies - from Westminster, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Oxford. Lots of gaps for both mine and my husband’s families filled in. Love the site, am really looking forward to Lancashire, Somerset and Wales.
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Some really useful additions and gaps filled in my tree but desperate to see Leicestershire added… hopefully soon.
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:59 pm
My family is mainly from London so great I had the chance to view and report the interpretation errors on the census. My credits flew quickly but it was fantastic to find out more information on my family.
December 24th, 2008 at 12:04 am
will Northern Ireland be in these census
December 24th, 2008 at 12:06 am
Also waiting for Essex, but as I’m in NZ the exchange rate makes 1911 far too expensive for me really. I realise we must pay for what is a fantastic facility, but I may have to remain in ignorance of very relevant family info!
Thanks for the facility anyway!
December 24th, 2008 at 12:09 am
Being from Northumberland, it would be nice if the sample had had at least some representation of the north of England. Staffordshire was useful for one branch of the family.
December 24th, 2008 at 12:19 am
I, too, am waiting for Lancashire & Cheshire.
December 24th, 2008 at 12:33 am
My Comments are pretty much the same as everyone else…. where’s Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham etc….
What was the reasoning behind only launching the southern counties ?
December 24th, 2008 at 12:36 am
Nice site. A bit on the expensive side. Found some of my husbands family in Wiltshire, but I also can’t wait for Lancashire and Cheshire. Thats where my family are from. Please Lancashire soon.
December 24th, 2008 at 12:37 am
It’s great that the 1911 census is to be made available early. I can happily wait until 2009 for the Essex returns. I don’t understand why people in the north of England believe they’re being overlooked ‘as usual’. Many southern counties aren’t included as yet, including all of the ones I am interested in. Patience is a virtue. Anyway, it looks like the site will be great, so thanks and best wishes to all of the team behind bringing it to us.
December 24th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Great that it is expanding so fast, but still waiting for Wales, Lancashire & Yorkshire.
Merry Christmas & a happy New Year.
December 24th, 2008 at 12:41 am
Excellent - new information found
December 24th, 2008 at 1:11 am
Looks good so far but as per many of the comments above, where is Yorkshire? Always the way that you can’t please everyone all of the time.
However, have had some joy in London/Middlesex.
Couple of suggestions:
1. Include the place of birth in the search results page. It may appear to lose you guys money but if the correct result is found then people are more likely to pay to see the transcript or the census.
2. If the transcript has been viewed for 10 units and it found to be correct, how about allowing the census to be viewed for 20 units where the transcript has already been paid for.
December 24th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Another one for Lancashire please!! Great site though and easy to use though rather expensive.
December 24th, 2008 at 2:28 am
I also am waiting for Somerset count as that is where my ancestors originate. I also agree the info is sort of pricey but it also would be nice to have access to the info so early.
December 24th, 2008 at 2:28 am
I’m extremely envious of those that have been afforded an opportunity to pre-empt the rest of us by the geography of the releases chosen; especially given even the new releases do not stretch much (if any further) North than the lower middle of England.
This is very disappointing to us all non Southerners.
One saving grace might be a more defintive “go-live” date to all in 2009 such that we all can plan our gameplan!!!!!!!!!!
To the credit of the team preparing this work, I’ve gone a little at random at Counties my forebears have since migrated from and whilst not necessarily connecting with blood relatives have been pleased with the speed and clarity of what I’ve seen.
One hopes, these two factors are maintained once the wider release becomes available.
December 24th, 2008 at 2:33 am
Am waiting for Lancashire county to come out.
December 24th, 2008 at 3:45 am
[...] full counties to the beta site since last week, bringing the total number available to 26. There is a full list of the counties available on the blog or you can see them easily by looking in the “County” dropdown menu on the [...]
December 24th, 2008 at 3:50 am
am awaiting the lancashire census, appears to be only counties in the south, can you say when will lancashire be available
December 24th, 2008 at 4:23 am
I was able to find a paternal great-grandaunt, a noted artist (she illustrated for, among others, ‘Lewis Carroll’), living in London; that was my first foray into the 1911 data. Now I shall head to Warwickshire for my mother’s side of the family, just before then set sail for Canada.
December 24th, 2008 at 4:49 am
I ould love to see Yorkshire & Co Durham as soon as possible please as I have a great interest in these counties. being Yorkshire myself and Having a mother from durham you can see I am very interested so as to have some vital question answered.
Thank you in anticipation
Gwen broadbent
December 24th, 2008 at 5:06 am
Eureka! Not only did I find my maternal grandfather, but the notation says “baby a few hours old” for the third living child. That was my mother, Wendy. How wonderful….
Thank you, thank you! What a Christmas present you have given me.
Lesley
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
December 24th, 2008 at 5:31 am
1901 has given me correct details of the HEDGES family in Tring, Herts, (RG13: Piece 1331: Folio 101: Page 18) but I am unable to find them in 1911 Census. I have put in each member of the family that would be within the household in 1911 and left it as All Records for Location.
My question is, are ALL the records transcribed of a county that is presently available?
But well done, to have completed what has been done so far ….
December 24th, 2008 at 6:01 am
Thank you but waiting for Yorkshire and Durham
December 24th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Successful for London, but the money soon ran out - only got two Census reports - at 30 units each!!!! Will have to wait until price comes down and lots more Counties added!!
December 24th, 2008 at 6:19 am
Can’t wait to try the search, looking forward to Cheshire County, as my family are from Chester.
December 24th, 2008 at 6:49 am
I happen to be searching , in the main, for rather uncommon surnames, and I have a good idea where most of them are likely to be. I would not like to be searching for common surname and forename combinations, especially where people have moved around, and I think that you should consider displaying birthplaces in the search results list. One or other of the “Year of birth” and “Age in 1911″ columns is redundant, so there’s room to do it.
Even in the limited searches that I’ve done, there are plenty of transcription errors, on both surnames and forenames. “Georgr” is one exampleI hope that you will set up an effective mechanism such that these can be corrected.
Of course, many family historians are going to use this census, and because it seems that you have exclusive rights to it, you can set the charges as you see fit. However, I think that it is expensive, and I will be rather circumspect about downloading images.
December 24th, 2008 at 7:35 am
So we see the North South Divide still exists. Many people in the UK have their ancestry in Durham, Northumberland and Yorkshire but they have to be last again!
I can’t test the site until these are available and then we will see if the transcribing has turned out better quality than Ancestry.com did with the other census.
December 24th, 2008 at 8:10 am
I’m lucky in that a lot of the counties I am interested in are available. I have kept to mainly transcriptions so far as I feel the image rate is very expensive. I think the cost will put off a lot of people.
I have found some very bad transcription errors, I hope there won’t be too many more. I like using the index especially the advanced search option - that helps to narrow the field down a lot.
December 24th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Lancashire and Pembrokeshire please!!!
December 24th, 2008 at 8:37 am
I too am awaiting Lancashire ( and Yorkshire). Looking forward to it.
December 24th, 2008 at 9:31 am
I agree with Peter King, the cost is high and it is a lottery to hit the right person when the family is large. By the way Peter which line of kings are you following?
December 24th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Waiting with baited breath for Lancashire!
Really looking forward to it.
December 24th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Considering that this is just a Beta (test) version of the official site to ensure it is working properly and therefore not complete, nor expected or intended to be complete (thus there will be counties missing!), it’s brilliant.
It only took a few moments to find 3 sets of great grands in different counties. I was delighted with the Xmas present one set had for me: a daughter I hadn’t previously known anything about!
Results are up fast. They are clear and there’s enough detail to make finding the right person in the list easy to identify. Transcripts are clear and (for me) accurate. Images are clear and easily readable.
Looking forward to the official release.
December 24th, 2008 at 10:19 am
I’m still waiting for Northumberland, Durham, Leicestershire and Yorkshire.
I hope they are added soon!
December 24th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Waiting for Co.Durham and North Yorkshire.
December 24th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Looks good but there are a lot of people who live in the north!
December 24th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Really looking forward to using the new census!!!
Kent and Sussex not yet online so unable to do any searches for my family.
Can’t wait!!
Ellen
December 24th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Southern bias? What southern bias? I’m still waiting for Kent to be added!
December 24th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
I suppose you are aware that there are people living in the northeast of England?
I’d have thought there was as much history up here than in the rest of the country put together!
December 24th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
As search results don’t give a birthplace or even the town of residence, (my family were living in Beccles but this isn’t shown on the results page), it is difficult to locate someone with a common name.
Also, the charges for downloads are rather expensive!
December 24th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Waiting for Lancashire, however one of mine strayed into Buckinghamshire and was easy to find, thankyou very much. Like several other replies I do think it’s a bit costly. In the earlier censuses, with more than one household to a page, I found several of mine living close together and often 3 or 4 families to a page making the cost per page much more reasonable. It looks like being a great site.
December 24th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I think this trial is a great idea .I found my grandparents in Shropshire straight away but I had a good idea where to look .Had I needed to search through lots of transcripts which don`t have all the info ,then my credit card would have been worn very thin ! Hopefully we`ll have time to save up for the actual launch !
December 24th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I too am awaiting Lancashire ( and Yorkshire). So cannot test or comment at present.
December 24th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Excellent, at last I have found a way through that brickwall, I just need Lancs, Notts, Lincs and Northumbria to find the rest of my family. Considering the global interest, I think the charges could be more reasonable.
December 24th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Like many others, I am eagerly awaiting the Counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.
December 24th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
A very good step in the right direction. Agree that the cost is too high- probably to avoid swamping of the site. Please remember that Wales is part of the UK. A token county would have been nice.
December 24th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Generally agree with above comments. Yes, I think that the place of birth should be included in the search results, in preference to or as well as place of residence. There are so many people the same name, and the only way to identify them is by year of birth AND by place of birth.
Regarding cost….for some one in Australia, like myself, the cost is fair enough and certainly better than paying for an airfare to the UK ! But I think transcripts could be less expensive as they really don’t give all that much information, so ultimately you end up paying for the original image as well.
December 24th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Very pleased. I had a gap in my father’s (born Walworth, Surrey) whereabouts between 1902 when he returned from the Boer War until his emmigration to here (Canada) in 1913. The 1911 census puts him in Hampshire. Another piece of the puzzle.
December 24th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Like a lot of contacts, Lancashire, Cheshire & Yorkshire are the main counties on my list.
December 24th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Hi I have given it a whirl 7 I can’t wait untill Yorkshire etc is on the site
then it will be brilliant ,well done.
December 24th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
I concur with several other contributors - the site works well, but why on earth didn’t you include at least one Welsh county in the trial? Apart from displaying an astonishing level of anglocentric bias, this means we can’t check the accuracy of transcription of Welsh place and personal names - and given the comments about transcription errors in the counties already available, this is a real cause for concern. The similar comments from those in the north of England suggest that those in charge of selecting the trial counties have made a really serious error of judgment.
December 24th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
As many comments above all my outstanding enquiries requiring assistance from the 1911 census are for the North of England and yet again anywhere outside the London commuter belt gets forgotten
December 24th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Like many other, the new counties don’t inspire me to do a test. My research is South Wales, Yorkshire & Durham, however I ‘m looking forward to the completed site.
December 24th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Very good and easy to use, fair number of errors but this is to be expected for a beta version.
A project like this is very expensive to produce but the price is far too high for most people. Thirty units for the image, ten for transcription. It would be more reasonable to price it the same as Scotland’s People, more people will use it and the cost will be recovered quicker.
December 24th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Well done so far but….
Looking forward to searching within Lincolnshire (large county), County Durham, Northumberland and Wales….. looking forward to…. looking forward to…..?
December 24th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Couldn’t search as none of the counties I’m interested in are available yet. Can’t wait for Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire to be included.
December 24th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Should have read the introudctory notes more carefully, then I would have realised why some of my family members could not be located. I’m sure this will be fine when Lancashire comes online.
December 24th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Have waited for so long for this site to become available, even on a trial basis. However, since ALL my relatives hail from the north - Yorkshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, I haven’t been able to look for anyone!
I hope the “North” is available before the end of the trial.
Can’t wait to sort out some “loose ends”.
Paul
December 24th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Thanks for the opportunity to see what will be offered. What a shame that you didn’t wait until all counties were made available - I’m sure that many people have been very disappointed not to have the chance to find anyone at all, simply because thier ancestors lived in the ‘wrong’ counties (like mine!).
For those who spend 30 credits for an original image, it is worth pointing out that the transcripts are a good option ata third of the cost - at least in the first instance.
Please extend this Beta (test) version for a bit longer and add som more of the missing counties.
Thank you
December 24th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
I really need Kent, although Worcs, Shrop, Oxon, London and Norfolk are all there. Will have to see about getting some vouchers. If this all comes up to the other Findmypast data it will be superb. It would be good to have a one off subscription. A voucher only lasting for a short while is not always satisfactory.
December 24th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Found records for may family fairly easily but cost for images is exorbitant.
Clearer explation of buttons on the website would be appreciated, e.g when you run out of credit, buy more credits, then the options after the purchase are not that clear.
website could be improved to show families who at the same address together.
An example is HURDEN in Wandsworth where there at at least 2 families but no indication on a search of which names are at the same address. I am not asking fopr the address but just that the search results indicate that they are in the same houshold.
Also I think that the cost is too high for many users.
Why o why does a user have to pay 10 credits to look at a transcript when they have already looked at the image. If you want the transcriptions corrected them the charging structure does not encourage anyone to help you.
I think most people would rather see the original image than a transcript which may be incorrect.
I think that the credit structure should be reviewed and changed to be 10 credits for an image and 3 for a transcript.
The main reason for this is that on all previous cenus records it cost at lot less to see a complete street than it does for 1 household on the 1911 census.
The search seems to not take account of any road name entered as with the Hurden family where specified Wandsworth road but got results which were in Wandsworth but not in wondsworth road.
Also will Kent be available soon ?
Pete Hodge
December 25th, 2008 at 5:24 am
I have managed to find records for Middlesex ancestors. However, the main thing I have noticed is that there are many spelling errors in the transcripts. This is going to cause confusion when searching and needs to be rectified. On the positive side, the additional information i.e. years married is very useful, plus I have been able to now add one or two more children to family branches.
I also think the cost of viewing an original page is too high - so probably will not use the site on a regular basis and wait for 1911 to be released more generally.
December 25th, 2008 at 8:10 am
excellent, easy to use, found my relatives in london, can’t wait for essex.
happy christmas to all
paula
December 25th, 2008 at 9:52 am
I love the site, can’t wait to be able to search Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire
December 25th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Hello 1911 management team,
It provides a service that all family researches will find useful. However the current pricing is very high if you require prints of the actual pages.
I will require to do hundreds of searches and many prints. How about a yearly subscription similar to the current 1841/1901 system - which works well.
Too expensive for me at present, except for essential lookups.
Regards,
Brian Dove
December 25th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Dec 25 2008.
Can you advise when scotland will be included in the 1911 census
or on any other web sites
December 25th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
To see how it works I went to a Place I know was right. The census could not be found.
I also tried 2 Persons searches with information I know is right and nothing could be found.
From searches of other census’ it has displayed a whole page of different families and addresses. Trying this site I wasted 30 credits trying to display an page which you had with drawn.
Hope it improves in the future.
December 25th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
It’s been very useful, so far, but until Yorkshire becomes available, I’m only going to be able to get a fraction of the potential use for this.
It seems that (for a change) Yorkshire is quite popular!
December 25th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Thank you for giving us access so early. I have managed to find everyone I was initially looking for which is great. However, I have found it very expensive to use and will probably not be able to use it again unless prices come down. I agree with the poster who suggested 10 credits for transcript and further 20 for original would be fairer. I also think having birthplace on the search will encourage more use as people will not be able to try several images/transcripts and will therefore not be as likely to try any at all if they are unsure that this is the right one.
December 25th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
I couldn’t do any research as Leicestershire, Cheshire and Wales aren’t available
December 25th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Like many others, my ancestors came from the north - Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire (is Cheshire considered north?). I could only test how it worked when you did not find anyone. I was thinking it maybe useful to have a ‘last known address by town name’ category where could quickly check if that area has been added in. I am Australian and do not know the shires as well as an English person.
December 25th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Unfortunately the county I am looking for is not available, so I’ve not tested the credits. I did a search for some distant relations in London, and may have found them. As they are only distant, I didn’t want to pay to look at the records (as it’s a little expensive). However, for closer relatives, I won’t mind paying. I’ve looked at the examples though and it looks exciting. Can’t wait for Durham to be available!
December 26th, 2008 at 12:07 am
I am very pleased with the info. I obtained but am still waiting for Kent to be available.
I inexplicably lost 30 of my 60 credits on the first night I did research.
December 26th, 2008 at 8:21 am
£3.50 a page is a rip off. I will wait till 1912
December 26th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Prices are far too high. I have some fairly common surnames like Turner and Gilbert. How much is it going to cost me before i click on the right one!
Hopefully Yorkshire will be on ASAP. My grandmother is getting older and doesn’t know where her mother was born. She was Jewish and probably Russian with Russian and German parents! The 1911 census is the last hope we have for finding where they were born and their ages. So please, please, please put on Yorkshire soon!!!!!
December 26th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Wow! Have found fantastic info. that I needed abot my family in London. Well done. Can’t wait for Cheshire to com on line. Excellent site. Thanks for the opportunity to use the data so early
December 26th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I am waiting with anticipation for the Lancashire Census.
December 26th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
The Counties I am after haven’t been listed yet. I found one ‘possible’ in London but I need Lancashire and Cheshire to double check. I agree with many of the other comments - you get very little information from the Transcripts so ultimately you buy the image and it becomes very pricey - I spent a fortune in one night of searching.
December 26th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Sadly Northumberland and Durham and still yet yet included. Looking forward to hearing when they are available.
December 26th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Hello
Thank you for this marvellous opportunity, just had a quick look and found it very easy to use and a much easier to read. The initial conclusion is looking good…..cant wait for the North of England to go on line, though I did find the odd one I had been looking for in Middlesex.
Regards
Paula
December 26th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I looked with anticipation at your trial site, but like the majority of would be users I was unable to trial the counties I was interested in namely, Durham, Northumberland and Lancashire. Surely if the ‘powers that be’ read all these comments, they should be ashamed. I live in the south of England but feel that southerners have been unfairly given the ‘lion’s share’ of this trial.
One comment-could the range for the birth date be a little longer than 2 years.
December 26th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Still no Kent or Lancashire. Who chooses which counties are available?
December 26th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Excellent site. Could not find my father’s family however had an address from a birth certificate tried this search and there they were the name transcribed incorrectly.
December 26th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I agree with the comments about the price, I feel when we are invited to take part in a trial & give feedback there should be no charge, particularly if one already has a find my past subscription. I think the site works well but is expensive
December 26th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Very very expensive.
Would like to see place of birth to see if have right person
if we have been asked to test the site shouldnt it be a lot cheaper or even free?
Will it be the same price when launched?
December 26th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Looks to be a good site and easy to use. I like the “My Records” feature, however it is very expensive when comared with Ancestry for an annual fee. You must get the price down
December 27th, 2008 at 2:51 am
Can’t wait for Lancashire to come on line.
December 27th, 2008 at 6:29 am
To all those who have been able to even look at the counties and what they have to offer - you’re lucky! My invitation to view hasn’t even let me past the Terms and Conditions page to have that opportunity. Very very disappointed indeed.
December 27th, 2008 at 8:02 am
As with a lot I am waiting patiently on the Lancashire, Cumberland, Yorkshire end of the country. Got my husband’s family in London and Norfolk though. Brilliant and thank you.
December 27th, 2008 at 11:50 am
I’m waiting patiently for Lancashire to be added to th elist.
December 27th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Bit disapointed as all my family are from Yorkshire so have not been able to use this preview at all.
Can you let me know when Yorkshire will be available
December 27th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Also waiting on Yorkshire!! Did test the site as there was only ONE family member who moved to London - found him easily. However, I found it very expensive and would suggest, that when the site goes live, maybe there could be the choice between buying credits, and subscribing with an annual payment with unlimited viewing.
December 27th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I am also waiting on Lancashire and Yorkshire along with Kent so despite the invitation to trial the site I have been unable to effectively do so. However I have browsed around and the pricing is expensive. I already subscribe to Ancestry and the credit system here needs some work or it becomes a ‘rip off’ as I’m sure many of us family researchers already subscribe to other sites. Why oh why didn’t Ancestry win the bid? It would have made family research much easier.
December 27th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I have now used the site to track most of my ancesters. The site is very expensive, but is easy to use.
However, the transcripts could be improved by:
(1) In addition to saying how long the person has been married, listing the number of children and how many are still living - these give vital clues.
Will it also be possible to see the enumerators pages?
December 27th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
As with mny more people I am awaiting for the ‘right’ counties to come on line ie Nottinghamshire & Leicestershire. still i’m sure it will be worth the wait.
December 27th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I have found it very useful for my Staffordshire and Shropshire lines. I am now waiting for Yorkshire. I have found it very straight forward .
December 27th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Thank you for the opportunity —- it has enabled me to eliminate several family mysteries in a very short time.I concur with Julie — brilliant and look forward with so many to the Northern counties appearing on line.
December 28th, 2008 at 1:03 am
Missed getting in to try. Not prepared to use credits anyway as this is far too expensive. All my work is on Annual Subscriptions.
December 28th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Like many I am eagerly awaiting for counties of interest: Nottinghamshire, Durham.
December 28th, 2008 at 5:40 am
The downloads are far too expensive to research all but a small portion of my family tree.
I pay a reasonable annual subscription to Ancestry which provides unlimited views of the 1841 to 1901 censuses.
In comparison, the 1911 site prices are over the top.
December 28th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Thanks for the opportunity to review the BETA version - it seems easy to use. Unfortunately most of the counties I would like to research are unavailable - Yorkshire, Durham, Lancashire. I agree with other comments made that the subscription options are not as good as those on Ancestry. Come on Find My Past see if you can’t improve this - remember the old adage, cast a small sprat (lower subs) to catch a big fish (more users).
December 28th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Thanks for the offer. unfortunately I was in hospital when your offer was made and am now home recovering. Hope to try you in the New Year
December 28th, 2008 at 10:19 am
1 - Fast efficient site but the cost is prohibitive
2 - In the Search Window it would be better to have the option of similar names search to accommodate alternative spellings for surnames.
3 - It would be better if PLACE of Birth was shown in the results page not place of residence as birthplace is a fixed lcoation in a person’s life while their residence changes - it would save unecessary and expensive downloading of the wrong pages.
4 - I agree that it would be good to get the Original page at a cheaper price if the transcript had already been downloaded.
5 - Can’t wait for the nothern counties. I am waiting for Cumberland
6 - Any idea when Scotland 1911 is coming online too?
However, great to get 1911 early - and really fabulous to get a look at ancestors own handwriting. Any chance we can have 1921 and 1931 early too? I don’t want to have to wait 20 more years for the info about my mother’s real father!!!
December 28th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I took advantage of the trial 1911 census researching. Unfortunately, because I wasn’t truly sure of the borough in London, Middlesex, although had the exact birthdate and name, spent mony on fruitless seaches. Found it very expensive especially when already a subscriber to Ancestry. Look forward to it becoming accessibly cheaper.
Ellen Hornby
Kent
December 28th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Will Scotland census details be available?
December 28th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Looking forward to Yorkshire being available
December 28th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
It was promising to be given the opportunity to preview this site. Unfortunately the promise was not born out, as despite my relatives and ancestors (found so far) being spread over nine counties, not one of these counties is available. A much fairer way of processing the data would have been by alphabetical order of counties - in that way, all parts of the country would have had a better opportunity of previewing this site.
Additionally, as stated, charges are high when compared to what is available from Ancestry by annual subscription.
December 28th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I am unable to try the site until the information for Yorkshire is included. Have you any idea when this may be available?
December 28th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
great disapointment no northern counties included
December 28th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
1) If the current pricing stays, I won’t use the site except for a very few searches, the remainder of my credits to be spent when Essex is available.
2) The decision to omit Place of birth in “person search results” is scandalous and would appear to be clearly aimed at maximising revenue at the expense of those researching commonly used names. If so, I class this decision as unnecessarily discriminatory and a huge failure by the bean counters to understand that potential buyers need to know that the product they are about to buy is the one they want and not some “look alike”.
3) I see no facility to submit a correction to a surname transcription that might make that correction searchable in addition to the original. If you fail to include such a facility then be prepared to be the sole arbiter of what was written on the schedules to the total exclusion of other potentially more accurate alternative transcriptions.
4) All else seems to work well enough, including the payment mechanism
December 28th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
I was delighted to have this early peak at the 1911 census. It was basically easy to use - especially if you read the instructions. But I did have difficulties locating my common Williams surname in London. Place of birth in the search feature would have helped. I tried narrowing down my search by looking for others that I knew would be in the same household but for some reason this feature did not always work. More flexability like wildcard features would help. I was impatient and did not want to wait any longer so I paid the 24.95 pounds sterling for 280 credits which I went through very quickly (and this was just for the direct ancestors). This makes it very pricy for us Canadians at abt. $5.00 per image. I think this is a little unfair considering that the 1901 census is so much cheaper. All in all a good site but I do agree the price will deter many reserchers.
December 29th, 2008 at 1:06 am
When is Northumberland to be added? I couldn’t test the site as you haven’t done this area yet!
December 29th, 2008 at 2:24 am
COULD YOU PLEASE TELL ME IF ALL OF LONDON AND MIDDLESEX ARE NOW AVAILABLE
GREAT SITE!
December 29th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Many people are asking when northern counties are to be included but no one has supplied a reply. When, and how, will this be forthcoming? It is also unclear when the beta site will go offline.
The site is easy to use and well laid out but the lack of birthplaces and the cost of credits are two issues that need to be addressed.
December 29th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
thanks for the info but unfortunately Durham, Northumberland and Cumberland not on there yet so I have nobody to look for - but pls keep adding more counties, will look forward to “D” day.
trish twinn
December 29th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I have not received reply to any request to your team during the life of the beta test so your suggestion that beta testers were allowing your support team to be evaluated seems an empty one. I do think that your image prices are high and that you are maximising income by the present transcription lack of place of birth.
I was delighted to find some direct ancestors but disappointed that the coverage available fell short of counties needed but that’s life with a gradual roll out. I do think that perhaps providing several cities as a priority should have been the aim. fine for London/Middlesex/Surrey but omitting Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham or Derby counties like Essex seems very disappointing. Unlike the 1841-1901 census coleection the facility to correct the transcription errors is welcome but I think your corrections people will be busy. Please could you identify the missing/lost books for the census too and give some idea of the impact of the Suffragette Boycott on the census figure which hopefully has now been calculated!!!
December 29th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Disappointed no Lancashire or Cheshire, Maybe soon please
December 29th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Thanks Barry. Had not thought of trying Middlesex to find Stratford, Essex!
The site is expensive. I only found one relative and tried to find about 12 relatives. Essex not even on there.
Then I received today an email indicating that it will all expire very soon, so what a waste of money. Hope the money makes the site happy for all those who genuinely believed this was going to be good. I will believe it in the year 2011 or 2012 when Census Returns usually are produced.
Motto. Anything produced earlier than expected usually costs money and does not completely work. Very important this. Let’s hope we live until 2011 or 2012 when the Census Returns should be complete for the year 1911.
I feel let down and this has all been a con.
December 29th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Disgusted.
December 29th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
None of the counties on the Beta version are in the north so it is naff-all use to half the country. All my ancestors are in the northern counties. Even ONE of the major ones would have been a help. I have nothing to test!
Very disappointed.
December 29th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
As a glance into the future it was a very welcome excercise. However, the Credit purchase system was a limitation that did not allow the user to trial and evaluate the full power of the Site. The Credit system should therefore have been suspended for the duration of the ‘beta’ presentation.
December 30th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Thanks for the opportunity to view the site and to all the people who have helped to get it this far. Will the costs be more in line with the find my past costs. I found the site easy to use and was able to find some people but am happy to wait till the release of the census to look for the rest.
Carol Perriam
Perth, Western Australia
December 30th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Like many others I’m sorry that no northern or Welsh counties were included in the test sample. Looked for and found easily some in Oxfordshire and one or two famous people to test the search facility. Transcripts and original images are expensive and will restrict my searching when the site goes live next year. Place of birth in search results would be very useful in narrowing down images to view, especially with more common names. All this said I look forward to the day when all counties are available.
December 30th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Very pleased with this preview. I managed to trace ancestors of mine and also those of my wife with regard to their addresses in 1911. With my wife having a large family it was interesting to see who were living at these addresses,and it was possible to find names of members of the family we were not aware of . I look forward to researching further.
December 31st, 2008 at 6:37 pm
1) have people missing that ought to be there (they surely did not all move to counties not yet released?)
2) more transcription errors than expected (of names)
2) birthplaces please (do not need age AND year of birth)
3) expensive : the number of credits bought - and used for each chargeable operation - is a bit confusing. About £75 for a couple of hours not very intensive (but fortunately somewhat rewarding) searching is certainly discouraging. Site users had better be very focused on what they they ’search’ - punting about hopefully is ruinous
……..but overall - what a brilliant achievement and the site is readily navigated
January 1st, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Found info from ancestors on my mothers side in Devon, but realy want Yorkshire. So far a good site, although would like to see Birthplace as a heading, age is ok as a guide.
Many thanks for and early preview.
Chris
January 3rd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Hello
Waiting for Lancashire and Cheshire
January 3rd, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Looking forward to Lancashire and Cheshire
January 7th, 2009 at 10:06 am
There is no facility provided to search by forename along with area and approx date of birth. Ancestry has provided this facility and it is invaluable for serious researchers. I have put the 1911 census to the test and it has failed on this aspect alone. The surname for which I searched is impossible to find due to its persistant mispelling. Without a forename search facility in the area concerned, the family will remain untraceable in 1911. The only way in which I have traced them in the past has been by using Ancestry’s forename search facility. I sincerely hope that this can be remedied otherwise a large area of important 1911 research is unavailable to us. Using a ‘wildcard’ search does not resolve this problem.
January 8th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Great site, hope that you can produce DVD’s of the 1911 for Durham and Northumbria, I have the rest, but yours is the best I have seen
January 8th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
What a great pity that comments made before 23 Dec 2008 haven’t been included above (I’d made mine on 22 Dec, so they’ve been excluded from the rest).
Anyway, I concur with the majority regarding the cost of viewing what was made available in the Beta version, although as an ‘old hand’ family historian (you know, the type who long before computerised Census records were available had to travel up to London - from South Wales - to scroll through page after page of 35mm filmed originals!) For me therefore, the ‘luxury’ of viewing any Census (especially the Beta 1911 version), in the comfort of my own home, without having to travel long distances, pay travel costs and for B+Bs, works out far cheaper on my pocket!
The (rather long) message I had posted on the 22 Dec was as follows;-
“Many thanks for allowing me access to the BETA 1911 census website, and for my being able to see how it is currently operating, as well as for the ability for me to provide feedback - all of which has been much appreciated.
Whilst I appreciate that few counties have been included, in many ways this is better, for at least it did allow me to look at both surnames only as well as at surnames and forenames without being inundated by thousands of results!
Taking the site from its homepage onwards, the ability to search for a person (or a place) is very useful, although the options provided (i.e. First names; Last name; Place of residence, and Year of birth could possibly be supplemented by variances on the surname, as well as on the year of birth, and the addition of a place of birth (two of which, to a certain degree, are actually available when searching from the http://dundee-a.1911census.co.uk/search/tnaform.aspx?4 form itself).
What I did find extremely useful (apart from the ease and speed of the website pages) was that when the search results were provided, it was possible to reduce the number of possible families to a more logical order, by clicking on any one of the headings, but most especially on that for “District/other”.
From a demographic angle, this same facility but using the heading of “County/other”, proved to be of great benefit for assessing the number of persons with the same surname who lived within the same County, whilst other similar headings allowed me (and I’m certain many other viewers) to see trends within surnames (e.g. number of children born within a specific period; number of elderly persons, etc).
If there was anything which I felt could help the viewer more, it was that although both the “District/other” and “County/other”, were provided for where the individual(s) was/were living, and whilst this was of benefit for those who had more than one first name (e.g. John Christopher), as it was easier to narrow down one’s ancestors where they had 2+ forenames, in the instances where the majority had just one first name, the inclusion of each person’s Place of Birth could have been a better option rather than either the “District/other” or “County/other” (this being based on the fact that researchers’ probably would have a better idea of where their pre-1901 ancestors had been born, even if by 1911 they had moved to pastures new).
What I did find rather confusing when I first used the site (until I worked it out for myself) was the wording which states;-
“Is one of these the household you were searching for?
You can now either view a transcript (new window) or
an original household page (new window). To do this
you will need to buy credits”
- the reason for the confusion being that the wording appears within an Information box, just under the box which contains the number of results found, and (without the reader being aware that s/he needs to scroll further down the page to see the actual results) suggests that one should click on the “view a transcript (new window) or an original household page (new window)” links to see either.
Of course, by clicking on either of those links, rather than taking the reader to what is expected (i.e. a transcript, or original, copy), one is taken to a page which shows the reader what to expect when viewing the relevant copy.
As I say, it took me a few tries before I managed to suss out that the results themselves were further down the page, so I would respectfully suggest that either the wording within the “view a transcript (new window) or an original household page (new window)” box should be changed to reflect that one would see an example of both (rather than the exact details) or that the page be redesigned (lay-out wise) so that at least part of the names and other details will appear within a normal 800×600 screen (the latter also being an ideal size for those of your readers who have varying degrees of sight disabilities)
The ‘my records’ facility was also very useful, and whilst I didn’t (on this occasion) have more than look at what was held, I can see that this will prove beneficial (both storage and cost-wise) when the full version of the census is up and running.
All in all therefore, I congratulate you on what has been undertaken and how it is being presented to date, and whilst for my own benefit I would recommend the abovementioned possible amendments, I feel that there are going to be many thousands of happy genealogists, local and family historians, demographists and many more statisticians who will welcome the first-class attention you have paid to scanning and presenting the 1911 Census data.”
Just one more thing I would add, and that is that as I understood the ‘offer’, the purpose of the Beta version was that those who were privleged to have a sneak preview, could test how information could be input and how data was presented (even though it did allow those who were lucky, to see ancestors in 1911). From the former point of view, early I/Os proved to be, in the main, beneficial, although I do look forward to seeing the finished site once all the glitches have been resolved.
John
January 8th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Have just been back over the comments because the Beta site was no help to me because of the areas not covered, but that was luck of the drawer. You possibly have not been able to assess transcription errors but
in other censuses both place names and personal names have for me been a big problem and agree that if you are interested in corrections the charging structure needs reviewing. Not being able to see a place of birth will make it more difficult and therefore expensive to identify a family with a common name.
January 18th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Seems to me we might as well be Scottish as North Yorkshire Durham and Northumberland as usual do not exist to Southern Civil Servants and their ilk. About time they were given lessons in what counties are in England.
January 20th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
I hope they publish northumberland east yorkshire soon im getting really impatient, been waiting for months for 1911 census to come online and none of the places i want are on yet.
:(
April 10th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Why cant I find my Grand perants in Coventry in 1911 as I do have their address
January 8th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
The Irish 1911 census is available totally free to view both originals and transcripts if thats any help to anyone and it includes the records for Northern Ireland for those who are looking for them on the British Census! http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie
Also if anyone has any information on the boycott of the 1911 census in Ireland by the Irish Suffragette/Suffragist movement it would be greatly apreciated! Thanks!
February 3rd, 2010 at 2:48 am
I just wanted to say that I found your site via Goolge and I am glad I did. Keep up the good work and I will make sure to bookmark you for when I have more free time away from the books. Thanks again!
March 20th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
When we die we become ’stories’ in the minds of other people.