Genealogy Chat

I don't know what all the excitement is about the 1911 census on Ancestry http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/genealogy_chat/thread/1287294

I have been using the 1911 census on GR with great sucess. It works like a spread sheet. If one family member does not show up due to the spelling of names I select one of the younger children found in the 1901 census and they often come up.
I generally ignore the birth place and concentrate on the dates. Some not so common names I don't even bother with the date. It is so easy to check the list
My first look up is the image against the names - if correct I go back to the list :-D

The point is Susanne that many of us started on GR and have a considerable affection for the site in spite of recent problems. However the tree functions on GR are too basic and so we switched to Ancestry for our main tree. Subscribing to both Ancestry and FMP/GR is not an option for everyone so up to now we have in general obtained the images we need but have not had the means for full searches and no way of appending records to our trees. So the 1911 census on Ancestry is something we have been eagerly awaiting.

Do remember to save the images to your computer ,specially for those who pay by credits,or you can find yourself being charged again to see the same thing twice.

Why start a thread to comment on another one?

Pointless...........

Add your thoughts to the thread already in existence.

I realise that ,as a researcher, I'm not experienced in the way that you are Susanne, but I would have thought that it would have made more sense to keep your comments in context

I'm one of the 'excited' ones. Well, not exactly excited, but pleased that my Ancestry sub will now cover the 1911, meaning that my 1911 census sub on FMP won't be renewed. They had it before GR, remember?

The World Wide package at Ancestry suits my needs better than either GR, or FMP, which is why I only have the Standard package here.

I think that many people were excited when the 1911 census first appeared on the internet; I was very excited :)

(http://www.1911census.co.uk/)

Then find my past obtained the work to transcribe it and, once the full census had been online for six months, other companies were allowed to apply to transcribe it, which ancestry and the genealogist sites did.

The records in genes reunited came from find my past.

(Posting this because the thread referred to has disappeared.)

It was reported for some unfathomable reason.......I'd love to know who did it!

And now Joy's post on another thread giving an Ancestry link has been RRd.

Flick

Pointless.....your opinion
I started a new post because GR 1911 census is a difference subject to Ancestry 1911 census.

At the moment is better than Ancestry - probably the same records as FMP but easier to manipulate.

Just a thought does GR allow such flagrant promotion of Ancestry - surely it is competition

Lindsey - point noted - didn't think of the pay as you go members

KenSE - fully agree with you - I download all the 1911 census from GR - it is quick and easy. Then upload them to other trees. :-) :-)

So you think the records are easier than FMP?

I used the records on GR for the first 6 months but had to subscribe to ancestry to find my family as GR does not give you the option to search by first name only as far as I am aware or any sort of wild card searches.

Anyway I have FMP aswell and I can then correct any transcripton errors which then get changed on GR

"And now Joy's post on another thread giving an Ancestry link has been RRd."

not often have I been RRd ;-)

The other site that I mentioned apparently has 23 counties - http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/


I joined genes reunited before it had genealogical records, so for census I looked at the Mormons' free 1881 census, the original official census site, and at free census http://www.freecen.org.uk/ and I have searched fiche and film in records offices.

Competition is healthy :) and discussion of other sites has not only been allowed by genes reunited but has also been encouraged :)

Sorry Susanne - my reading of your post was 'why are people excited that Ancestry have it' after which you (rightly) pointed out that GR also hold the records. :-)

GR haven't bothered themselves in the past about discussions (favourable or otherwise) of other sites, so it does seem a bit strange that threads and posts are being removed now.

If it's supposed to be a different subject, referring to the other thread was hardly sensible

GR's versions of records are by far the hardest to search..........but no doubt you have your own reasons for praising them.

And.........GR do not have any of their own records, anyway!!!!!!

But, I shouldn't be saying all this to such an experienced researcher as yourself......apologies

Maybe it's the Brightsolid folks, who are helping get the site working, who have taken exception to Ancestry references.

Just adding my two pennoth.

Access to the 1911 census came first via www.1911census.co.uk which is powered by Find My Past and which probably has a better search engine than the Find My Past version. You can search for free but to actually view the actual census you have to "Pay as you go".

Find My Past were I believe the first site to offer subscription access to the 1911 census. Once again this can be searched for free but a subscription is needed to view the actual census.

Genes Reunited then offered access via its Platinum (Most expensive and created for the purpose) membership or by the purchase of "Credits"

Ancestry is currently adding the 1911 census access to which is included at no extra cost to its members.

I have no doubt that access on each site will be slightly different from its competitors. Some aspects will be better than others and some worse. I cannot speak about access to the 1911 census via GR as I have not used it but having experienced access via all the other sites I find them all to be perfectly adequate. Most serious, experienced researchers will in all probability already have a subscription to either Ancestry or FMP so those who have chosen Ancestry will no doubt be grateful that it is being made available to them.

KenSE,

I think it most unlikely that the Brightsolid folks as you describe them are the ones who have RRd the posts. Only yesterday GR stickied a thread on the Find Ancestors board which includes references to Ancestry.co.uk (Free two weeks free trial available), Familysearch.org, Freebmd and even advocates www.gro.gov.uk as the place to purchase certificates from.

Now there speaks a man who knows these things....... ;-)



Susanne, have you ever read Jonesey's 1911 tips thread? It's an excellent aid to getting as much out of the 1911 as possible.



I am just wondering if you are a professional researcher by any chance?



Cx.

Well I for one am very pleased about Ancestry as I have found my grandfather at last correctly transcribed. I have a sub to the 1911 on FMP but have never been able to find him despite extensive searching.

On Ancestry he has his correct surname and on FMP he has the surname of the head of house which is completely different.

This seems a needless thread


Susanne, you for one may be very happy with GR's 1911 ........ which is in fact FMP's version, or so I believe.

GR certainly did not do its own transcription of the census (nor of any other records)


BUT you only joined in 2007 .................. those of us who are longer time members remember when GR did not carry any records at all.

We all used other sites to obtain information ..................... and many (if not the majority of us) still much prefer those other sites.


That is not to say that you are wrong, or we are right

It does mean that we all have the right to use the sites we like, and to promote those sites that we think are best because they suit our needs better, or we find them easier to use.

It does not mean that anyone has the right to disparage anyone else's choice, or say "you are wrong and I am right"

...... which is what you have just done!


For what it is worth, I took a subscription to the original 1911 census site when it first became available

http://www.1911census.co.uk/

Any records that I looked at were saved on that site for future reference ..... and they are still on there, so I can go back and check records that I originally dismissed but may now be re-thinking.

FMP then got the right to carry the census ........ but the original search engine is much better than the one on FMP. Many people with fmp subs got into the habit of using the original site's free search to find what they were looking for, then turned to fmp to see the details.


Me? I have no sub to fmp, nor any longer to that original site, but I do use the free search ability to get basic information.


Like so many of the longer-term members of GR, I have only the Standard membership .............. we had found most of the information from records on other sites by the time GR started carrying them, and did not find GR's records any better than what we had and saw no reason to upgrade.

Like so many of us, I do have a sub to ancestry, and will see how their transcription of the 1911 compares with that original site ...... if it is better, then I will use it. If the search engine is not better, then I will continue to use the free search on the 1911census site, and perhaps confirm details on ancestry, if I can replicate the search.

We ALL know that transcriptions vary from site to site, depending on how good the transcribers were ............... and how well they could read "old" handwriting.



But please, Susanne, stop telling the rest of us how wrong we are!



I think many of us are at least as experienced as you are .......... but would never dream of making the big deal of it that you do.



sylvia

As a relative newcomer can I say that everybody has a right to their own opinion and nobody has a right to tell us we are wrong.

I do think GR has the best site for these discussions. Do any other sites have these type of discussion as I cannot find them.
Everybody is so helpful and I have learnt such a lot from them.

I did start on GR and have the platinum subscription for 6 months, but found the tree extremely difficult to use and print. I then purchased FTM and have a free 6 month premium with Ancestry so I use both. I will renew with Ancestry as I find this suits my needs better and will have a basic subscription on GR if only to read all the message boards. That is MY decision and others may decide to go the other way. BUT nobody is right and nobody is wrong.

Thank you Olwen xx

Olwen,

You are perfectly correct when you say that everybody has a right to their own opinion.

Just as a matter of interest there are other sites that permit discussion on their message boards. One being www.rootschat.com (Membership is free) which has many message boards including some very useful ones offering very "Localised" information. Unlike GR the boards at that site are monitored via moderators which can help to prevent threads from becoming abusive or too personal.