Following a bout of searching the 1911 census for a few prime ancestors I have reached a conclusion. 1. It`s darned expensive to search @ 60 credits for .12p each or 280 credits for .09p each, and at a cost of 10 credits to view a transcript of the entry the absolute minimum one has to pay is 90p a go and if one wishes to see the actual page (which is much nicer anyway) then it will cost 30 credits @ .09 p = £2.70 and thats a lot of money for just one search. 2. Wherever did they recruit the transcribers? Some interpretations of place names in particular are unbelievable which doesn`t help the search process. I give you an example: A Mr William Roberts who I knew to have been born in Llanyblodwel, SAL in 1848, had moved to Hampstead, London, and who`s occupation I knew to be a draper was luckily for me hiding behind a place name of `Stalingblodwell` and he was a Retired Silk Mediat (try merchant!) His wife was from Hushington (try Huntingdon) and wait for it - one of his servants was from `Slaughton Mercought` (Try Llanbedr, Meirioneth!). I have to say that the handwriting of the enumerator left a little to be desired but - hey, I could read it quite plainly. Only for the Blodwell tacked onto the end of the Staling I would never ever have found that entry for my Grandads brother from the transcript search. 3. As is very often the case too much knowledge is a dangerous thing and the best way of initiating a search is just to input the absolute minimum ie; Name and year of birth which will hopefully bring up a list of possibles to view. Transcript gives name, relationship, marital status, sex, age, occupation and most important of all - where born. 4. The experienced census searcher will find it easy but I`m afraid the newcomer to searching will find it very very frustrating. PS. Whatever happened to the whole of Wales? KeithR

I too found it better use a search with the minimum of information and then add one thing and then remove it and try something different. Quite time consuming. Even worse than weird spellings of place names, is the way some of the Christian names are transcribed. chrissie ----- Original Message ----- From: "KEITH ROBERTS" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 10:21 PM Subject: [ENG-SHROP] 1911 and all that > Following a bout of searching the 1911 census for a few prime ancestors I > have reached a conclusion. > 1. It`s darned expensive to search @ 60 credits for .12p each or 280 > credits for .09p each, and at a cost of 10 credits to view a transcript of > the entry the absolute minimum one has to pay is 90p a go and if one > wishes to see the actual page (which is much nicer anyway) then it will > cost 30 credits @ .09 p = £2.70 and thats a lot of money for just one > search. > > 2. Wherever did they recruit the transcribers? Some interpretations of > place names in particular are unbelievable which doesn`t help the search > process. I give you an example: > A Mr William Roberts who I knew to have been born in Llanyblodwel, SAL in > 1848, had moved to Hampstead, London, and who`s occupation I knew to be a > draper was luckily > for me hiding behind a place name of `Stalingblodwell` and he was a > Retired Silk Mediat (try merchant!) His wife was from Hushington (try > Huntingdon) and wait for it - one of his servants was from `Slaughton > Mercought` (Try Llanbedr, Meirioneth!). I have to say that the handwriting > of the enumerator left a little to be desired but - hey, I could read it > quite plainly. > Only for the Blodwell tacked onto the end of the Staling I would never > ever have found that entry for my Grandads brother from the transcript > search. > > 3. As is very often the case too much knowledge is a dangerous thing and > the best way of initiating a search is just to input the absolute minimum > ie; Name and year of birth which will hopefully bring up a list of > possibles to view. Transcript gives name, relationship, marital status, > sex, age, occupation and most important of all - where born. > > 4. The experienced census searcher will find it easy but I`m afraid the > newcomer to searching will find it very very frustrating. > > PS. Whatever happened to the whole of Wales? > > KeithR > > > > REMEMBER - The question you are asking may have already been answered. > Threaded Archives at - > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/ENG-SHROPSHIRE-PLUS/Archives > > Searchable Archives at - > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/ENG-SHROPSHIRE-PLUS/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Regards Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: "C Cannon" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 7:56 PM Subject: Re: [ENG-SHROP] 1911 and all that >I too found it better use a search with the minimum of information and then > add one thing and then remove it and try something different. Quite time > consuming. Even worse than weird spellings of place names, is the way some > of the Christian names are transcribed. > > chrissie > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "KEITH ROBERTS" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 10:21 PM > Subject: [ENG-SHROP] 1911 and all that > > >> Following a bout of searching the 1911 census for a few prime ancestors I >> have reached a conclusion. >> 1. It`s darned expensive to search @ 60 credits for .12p each or 280 >> credits for .09p each, and at a cost of 10 credits to view a transcript >> of >> the entry the absolute minimum one has to pay is 90p a go and if one >> wishes to see the actual page (which is much nicer anyway) then it will >> cost 30 credits @ .09 p = £2.70 and thats a lot of money for just one >> search. >> >> 2. Wherever did they recruit the transcribers? Some interpretations of >> place names in particular are unbelievable which doesn`t help the search >> process. I give you an example: >> A Mr William Roberts who I knew to have been born in Llanyblodwel, SAL in >> 1848, had moved to Hampstead, London, and who`s occupation I knew to be a >> draper was luckily >> for me hiding behind a place name of `Stalingblodwell` and he was a >> Retired Silk Mediat (try merchant!) His wife was from Hushington (try >> Huntingdon) and wait for it - one of his servants was from `Slaughton >> Mercought` (Try Llanbedr, Meirioneth!). I have to say that the >> handwriting >> of the enumerator left a little to be desired but - hey, I could read it >> quite plainly. >> Only for the Blodwell tacked onto the end of the Staling I would never >> ever have found that entry for my Grandads brother from the transcript >> search. >> >> 3. As is very often the case too much knowledge is a dangerous thing and >> the best way of initiating a search is just to input the absolute minimum >> ie; Name and year of birth which will hopefully bring up a list of >> possibles to view. Transcript gives name, relationship, marital status, >> sex, age, occupation and most important of all - where born. >> >> 4. The experienced census searcher will find it easy but I`m afraid the >> newcomer to searching will find it very very frustrating. >> >> PS. Whatever happened to the whole of Wales? >> >> KeithR >> >> >> >> REMEMBER - The question you are asking may have already been answered. >> Threaded Archives at - >> http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/ENG-SHROPSHIRE-PLUS/Archives >> >> Searchable Archives at - >> http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/ENG-SHROPSHIRE-PLUS/ >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' >> without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > REMEMBER - The question you are asking may have already been answered. > Threaded Archives at - > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/ENG-SHROPSHIRE-PLUS/Archives > > Searchable Archives at - > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/ENG-SHROPSHIRE-PLUS/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.7/1892 - Release Date: 13/01/2009 8:04 PM

Your comment below rang bells with me. I was looking for my Purser relations in Stourport. In the badly transcribed censi I found most of them under Pruser, Parser and Perser. In the end, I just put their christian names and birth date in to see what got churned out, and lo and behold there they were, mis-transcribed. Frustrating? Richard -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of KEITH ROBERTS Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 11:21 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [ENG-SHROP] 1911 and all that 2. Wherever did they recruit the transcribers? Some interpretations of place names in particular are unbelievable which doesn`t help the search process. I give you an example: A Mr William Roberts who I knew to have been born in Llanyblodwel, SAL in 1848, had moved to Hampstead, London, and who`s occupation I knew to be a draper was luckily for me hiding behind a place name of `Stalingblodwell` and he was a Retired Silk Mediat (try merchant!) His wife was from Hushington (try Huntingdon) and wait for it - one of his servants was from `Slaughton Mercought` (Try Llanbedr, Meirioneth!). I have to say that the handwriting of the enumerator left a little to be desired but - hey, I could read it quite plainly. Only for the Blodwell tacked onto the end of the Staling I would never ever have found that entry for my Grandads brother from the transcript search. 3. As is very often the case too much knowledge is a dangerous thing and the best way of initiating a search is just to input the absolute minimum ie; Name and year of birth which will hopefully bring up a list of possibles to view. Transcript gives name, relationship, marital status, sex, age, occupation and most important of all - where born. 4. The experienced census searcher will find it easy but I`m afraid the newcomer to searching will find it very very frustrating. PS. Whatever happened to the whole of Wales? KeithR

I've looked up and got pages for partners direct family, my maternal and paternal great grandparents and that's my lot - in other words I got the evidence for what I basically knew anyway but I won't be using it to search and investigate further, it's just too much! Incidentally, I think this census was filled in by the householder and just checked over by the enumerator - so it's your rellies handwriting that they cant read. Saira :O) 2009/1/14 KEITH ROBERTS <[email protected]> > Following a bout of searching the 1911 census for a few prime ancestors I > have reached a conclusion. > 1. It`s darned expensive to search @ 60 credits for .12p each or 280 > credits for .09p each, and at a cost of 10 credits to view a transcript of > the entry the absolute minimum one has to pay is 90p a go and if one wishes > to see the actual page (which is much nicer anyway) then it will cost 30 > credits @ .09 p = £2.70 and thats a lot of money for just one search. > > 2. Wherever did they recruit the transcribers? Some interpretations of > place names in particular are unbelievable which doesn`t help the search > process. I give you an example: > A Mr William Roberts who I knew to have been born in Llanyblodwel, SAL in > 1848, had moved to Hampstead, London, and who`s occupation I knew to be a > draper was luckily > for me hiding behind a place name of `Stalingblodwell` and he was a > Retired Silk Mediat (try merchant!) His wife was from Hushington (try > Huntingdon) and wait for it - one of his servants was from `Slaughton > Mercought` (Try Llanbedr, Meirioneth!). I have to say that the handwriting > of the enumerator left a little to be desired but - hey, I could read it > quite plainly. > Only for the Blodwell tacked onto the end of the Staling I would never ever > have found that entry for my Grandads brother from the transcript search. > > 3. As is very often the case too much knowledge is a dangerous thing and > the best way of initiating a search is just to input the absolute minimum > ie; Name and year of birth which will hopefully bring up a list of possibles > to view. Transcript gives name, relationship, marital status, sex, age, > occupation and most important of all - where born. > > 4. The experienced census searcher will find it easy but I`m afraid the > newcomer to searching will find it very very frustrating. > > PS. Whatever happened to the whole of Wales? > > KeithR > > > > REMEMBER - The question you are asking may have already been answered. > Threaded Archives at - > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/ENG-SHROPSHIRE-PLUS/Archives > > Searchable Archives at - > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/ENG-SHROPSHIRE-PLUS/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message