In a message dated 14/04/2004 23:32:47 GMT Daylight Time, june@swain900.fsnet.co.uk writes: i know this may not be possible but i was wondering whether anyone could help me with a 1871 look up in Sunderland i have no address only names I have little problem with nomenclature here. What is a "look-up"? I have always thought of it as being simply looking at a reference, supplied by the person requesting it, and therefore requiring no searching at all. A census look-up should therefore be based on a census piece and folio number or, if that preferred information is not available, then at least on the street name and the number or name of the house within the street. Anything requiring the information to be hunted for is not a look-up in my book: it is a search! The 1871 census for Sunderland is, as yet, unindexed, so you are asking "SKS" to search the whole of the "town" for you. To give you some idea of what that would entail, the population of the township of Sunderland itself in 1871 was 16,861. However, the Borough of Sunderland also included the townships of Bishopwearmouth (59,032), Bishopwearmouth Panns (264), Monkwearmouth (5,507) and Monkwearmouth Shore (16,641), a total of 98,305 people. That is not counting the more outlying places such as Fulwell and Southwick, which were not then parts of the Borough. That is what I have in mind when I say "Some idea of the street, or of the general district within the town, is essential". I will let you calculate how many hours it might take to search through all the many, many, rolls of microfilm that would entail. . It would help if those who are not familiar with our north-eastern towns (Sunderland is now a City - official!) were at least to make themselves familar with the general high levels of local population, in the 19th century and before, as well as today. After all, that population level was largely a response to all the labour-intensive industries which existed here in the 19th century, the demise of which during the 20th century has caused so many problems. We are not all country bumpkins, and a town once so prominent in shipbuilding and coal mining and export, as well as having many other major industries, the port and the glass industry being ones which springs to mind, can hardly have done it all with only a handful of a population! There are many books on local history which will give the general background. Tom Corfe's "History of Sunderland" and the Sunderland Corporation/Vaux Breweries (whatever happened to them?) book "Sunderland: River, Town and People" are both useful in that respet, as are any of the 19th century Trades Directories, some of which, I understand, are now on-line. There's no need even to wade through any of them - just look at the general size of the Directories and you will get the picture. . Geoff Nicholson . 57 Manor Park, Concord, WASHINGTON, Tyne & Wear NE37 2BU Ask for details of NBL/DUR family history research in depth by THE local expert, working for YOU.