Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Are You Ready for the 1921 Census of England & Wales? Buckle Up!!

 The 1921 Census of England & Wales will be released to the public on Thursday, 6 January 2022 at 12:01 AM England time, exclusively available online on record provider Findmypast.  

Some information from the landing page:

What is the 1921 Census of England and Wales?

The 1921 Census is a detailed snapshot of 38 million lives, available online only at findmypast.com from January 6, 2022. We're delighted to have been chosen by The National Archives to bring it to you.

Why is the 1921 Census so important?

Firstly, the 1931 Census was destroyed in a fire. Then, the 1941 Census was canceled due to World War Two. That leaves the 1921 Census to set the scene for a key point in history.

It’s also the most revealing record set up to that time – it was the first census to recognize divorce, and to capture people’s employment details. For the first time, you'll see all the family secrets and surprises that this interwar census brings.

How much will the census cost?

$3.50 US for every record transcript and $4.90 US for every original record image.

This will cover the cost of digitizing and transcribing the 18,235,242 images created from the records supplied exclusively to us by The National Archives. It means these precious records are accessible, commitment-free, for everyone.

For all 12-month Ultimate subscribers, there will be a 10% discount on any 1921 Census purchases.


More about life in 1921

The 1920s in Britain was a decade of contrasts. The early years brought the Roaring Twenties. War was over and women were more independent than ever before. But by the mid-20s, the economy had declined, unemployment spiked and worker strikes were rife.

For the first time, our ancestors enjoyed commercial flights, crosswords, and rollercoasters. And the BBC started broadcasting in 1922.

Families were getting smaller and children stayed in school longer. The middle classes and aristocracy enjoyed Downton Abbey-style country estates, while overcrowded Victorian terraces and newly-built two-up-two-down council houses filled the towns and cities.

The golden age of cinema and the Jazz Age brought with them flapper girls, sea shanties, and party culture. Women's haircuts and hemlines got shorter.

As the nation recovered from the horrors of war and a pandemic, people rebuilt their lives, unaware that the next generation would face another global conflict.


==============================================

Disclosure: I have a complimentary subscription to Findmypast, and have accepted meals and services from Findmypast, as a Findmypast Ambassador and now as an Official 1921 Census Ambassador. This has not affected my objectivity relative to Findmypast and its products.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2022/01/are-you-ready-for-1921-england-wales.html

Copyright (c) 2022, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

2 comments:

Bill said...

Randy-

Expensive!! Do you have any descendants of ancestors you plan to target? I have a few - any suggestions on strategies?

How about previous experience when the dataset might move on to Ancestry?

Thanks,
Bill Greggs

Randy Seaver said...

Bill,

I have no ancestors still in England in 1921, but I do have lots of cousins who were there in 1921. So I will not be spending a lot of money on this.

We will have to see if the searchable index is available without payments - I think I was told that it would be. The index may be available for each individual and not for family groups. However, by searching on a surname and a place name one might find all of the family members with that name in the place. That is imperfect, of course.

The Findmypast information says that the data is exclusive to Findmypast for three years, so perhaps it will be accessible on FamilySearch, Ancestry and other websites after three years.

The BIG announcement will be on Thursday, 6 January. This was just a heads up to my readers.