The exclusive license to use the images of the 1911 census currently held  by 1911census.co.uk would appear to have just expired. The Society of Genealogists has  today received notice that the 1911 census has been acquired by both the Genealogist and Ancestry.co.uk and hence will be more widely available to the family history community

The companies have sent the following joint press release:

ANCESTRY AND THE GENEALOGIST ACQUIRE THE 1911 CENSUS

Ancestry.com, Inc, parent company of the UK’s number one family history website[1] Ancestry.co.uk, in collaboration with UK website Thegenealogist.co.uk, is pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached with The National Archives to acquire and publish online the 1911 England and Wales Census.

The two family history companies will work together to transcribe the 1911 Census, creating a searchable database which enables users to type in a name and go directly to the full colour digital image of the actual census document, handwritten in their ancestor’s home a century ago.

The complete set of 1911 Census records go live on Ancestry.co.uk and Thegenealogist.co.uk by county, starting in late 2010 and completing in 2011.

Part of the archival holdings of The National Archives, the 1911 Census is the largest and most recent census available to the public.  A crucial genealogical resource, it offers a detailed insight into how people lived in the years leading up the First World War, showing who lived where, with whom, their age at the time of the census, their place of birth and what they did for a living.

Olivier Van Calster, Vice President of Ancestry International, comments: “We are thrilled to acquire the 1911 Census and look forward to the moment members can access these valuable records on our site.

“The addition of this vital genealogical material means we will be able to offer our members the complete set of England, Wales and Scotland Censuses, as well as the only fully searchable England and Wales Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes and exclusive online access to the World War One British Army Service and Pension records.”

Nigel Bayley, Managing Director of Thegenealogist.co.uk comments: “The 1911 Census is a crucial step for many in finding their roots and we feel this is a vital resource that will benefit family historians everywhere. Our members voted this resource their number one dataset in a recent survey.

“The 1911 census will be added to our Diamond subscription to accompany our complete set of English & Welsh Census and Birth, Marriage and Death indexes, Official Nonconformist records, Parish Records, Wills, Roll of Honour and Military records.”

This particular 1819 document can be found in the ‘Woburn’ box of documents within the Topographical Collection. This is just one of many financial family history documents housed in the Society’s document collections. It lists fifty pairs of proprietors and their occupants (often listed as ‘himself’) with the amount that is being assessed and the amount that is redeemed in tax. Click here to find out more about this and other family history documents within the Society’s collections.

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The outbreak of hostilities with the French Republicans after the Revolution left Great Britain feeling unprepared for a possible invasion.

An act was passed limited to the duration of the war authorising the raising of Volunteer corps and companies for the defence of the counties, towns and coasts, or in case of necessity, for the general defence of the kingdom.

The Volunteer corps usually did not receive pay, instead benefiting from other perks, like free haircuts as shown by a barbers bill from 1799. Click here to find out more.

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The Society of Genealogists has just published the fully revised third edition of My Ancestors were Gypsies by Sharon Sillers Floate.  Any family historian or researcher looking at Gypsy ancestors will regard this book as an essential guide to accessing and understanding records on the subject. My Ancestors were Gypsies is available from the Society of Genealogists bookshop, and online at www.sog.org.uk, price £8.99.

The Civil Service Evidence of Age for established civil servants and civil service examination candidates were collected by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) from 1855 in order to establish accurate birth dates for the purpose of either ensuring that an examination candidate was of the required age, or granting a pension.

These records along with mostly original documentation can be found in the Society of Genealogists archives. A simple evidence of age request by the CSC reveals a mothers desperate attempt to hide a family secret that dates back to 1857. Click here to find out more about this and other Treasures of the Society.

Technorati Tags: civil service, family history, family secret, genealogy, records, the society of genealogists