Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN!
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2024.
Welcome to Genealogy News and Education Bytes, posted on Tuesday afternoon and Friday afternoon, where we try to highlight the most important genealogy and family history news and education items that came across our desktop since the last issue.
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.
I bit the credit card bullet and invested in one image on the 1921 Census of England & Wales on Findmypast. It cost £3.50 (about $4.50) for the page image for one family.
1) I searched for Seaver folks in the 1921 Census in all of England and Wales, and there were only 25 results in the index:
I have some of these persons in my RootsMagic family tree database, but not all of them, so this census is a fertile hunting ground in the future. One family that is in my database is that of Charles Douglas Kingsley Seaver (1887-1972), the 4th entry on the image above.
2) To obtain the record image, I clicked on the "Image" icon on the far right of the line of the entry. That opened the side panel that requests your credit card for the image. I put in my credit card information, and clicked the "Checkout" button and, voila, I had purchased the image and they sent an email titled "Thank you for your purchase." You don't get a second chance to say "No, I don't think so." They saved my credit card information.
The record image for this household looks like this:
There are buttons on the top of the screen for:
* On the left, for "Record Information" and "Record Copyright".
* On the right for "Options": "Add to tree"; "Print record"; "Download"; and "Report image error."
* Also on the right for "Viewer Controls": "Rotate to the right"; "Rotate to the left"; "Recentre image"; and "Full screen".
* The "More" dropdown menu has options to "Change brightness"; "Change colour"; and "Invert colour."
* On the far right is a Zoom control. You can also use your computer mouse to Zoom in and out.
At the bottom of the screen are controls for "Thumbnails," "Extra materials," "Transcripts" and "Close filmstrip."
3) The "Extra materials" screen shows thumbnail images for the "Original photo," "Cover," "Front," "Map" (two entries) and "Plans of Division" (two entries).
I don't know why there are two entries for "Map" and "Plans of Division" - there is probably a good reason for it.
4) The "Cover" page has the information about the specific District and Sub-district:
The left-hand side of this page says that, for this household, the Record Group shorthand is RG15/3079; the "Regn. district" is Cheam, No. 31; the Sub-district is Carshalton, No. 1; and the "Enumeration district" is number 14. The "Civil parish" is Cheam, (Part Q). There are more district identifiers further down the list.
The right-hand side of the page has space "For Use at the Census Office" and has signatures of census personnel and dates that they, presumably added notations to the census pages.
5) The "Front" page image has the census information, enumerator instructions and sample entry information:
Initially, I saw no way to identify where the household was exactly located - it's not on the household image, and not on the map image. I finally found it on the right-hand side of the "Front" page - clicking on the right-arrow of the household page image takes you there! It says "Linton, Station Rd. Belmont."
6) The "Map" page image shows a map of the District:
The map above shows the three sub-districts, and Carshalton is No. 1 on the right side of the map. I found Cheam in the light-colored area above the C in Carshalton.
7) The "Plans of Division" page provides more details about the Enumeration district:
The District, Sub-district and other information is provided, along with the boundary of the Enumeration district and the roads included in the Enumeration district. In this case, the boundaries were:
"On the north by middle of Mulgrave Road and Upper Mulgrave Road, on the south by the Ecclesiastical boundary of Belmont St. John the Baptist, on the east by Sutton, on the west by Cuddington."
There are very few names of the roads on the map of this District, so I checked Google Maps for Cheam and Mulgrave Road, and I think this parish is just south of the railroad tracks that run through Cheam - essentially from Cheam station on the north to Belmont station on the south.
Station Road is just south of the Belmont railway station. Captain Seaver probably took the train into London every work day.
On the 1921 map, this area is fairly unpopulated. There are about 153 families in this Enumeration district.
8) I will write another blog post about the information for this Seaver family.
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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.
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.
Lambert Brigham (1794-1834)is #38 on my Ahnentafel List, my 3rd great-grandfather, who married #39 Sophia Buck (1797-1882)in 1817 in Sterling, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
I am descended through
* their daughter #19 Sophia Newton (1834-1923) who married #18 Edward Hildreth (1831-1899) in 1852. * their daughter #9 Hattie Louisa Hildreth (1857-1920) who married #8 Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922) in 1874. * their son #4 Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942) who married #5 Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962) in 1900. * their son #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983) who married #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002) in 1942. * their son #1 Randall Jeffrey Seaver (1943-living)
1) PERSON (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
* Name: Lambert Brigham[1–9]
* Sex: Male
* Father: Phinehas Brigham 1755-1802
* Mother: Lydia Batherick 1752-1795
2) INDIVIDUAL EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
* Birth: 7 June 1794, Westborough, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States[1–3]
* Military: 1814 (about age 20), served in War of 1812 as a Private; Mendon, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States[4]
* Census: 7 August 1820 (age 26), Sterling, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States[8]
* Death: 5 May 1834 (age 39), of consumption; Westborough, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States[9]
3) SHARED EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
* Spouse 1: Sophia Buck 1797-1882
* Marriage Intentions: 22 December 1816 (age 22), Sterling, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States[5]
* Marriage: 12 February 1817 (age 22), Sterling, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States[1,6-7]
* Child 1: Augustus Brigham 1820-1909
* Child 2: Aurelius Brigham 1830-1878
* Child 3: Sophia Newton 1834-1923
4) NOTES (with source citations as indicated in brackets) - revised July 2025:
Lambert Brigham was born 7 June 1794 in Westborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts, the seventh child, sixth son, and last child of Phinehas and Lydia (Batherick) Brigham of Westborough[1-3]. His siblings were: Eli Brigham (1780-????), Phineas Brigham (1782-1823), Willard Brigham (1784-1858), Lydia Brigham (1787-1791), Nahum Brigham (1790-1790), and Stephen Brigham (1792-1817).
Information about Lambert Brigham's birth, marriage, death and children were obtained from the book by W.I. Tyler Brigham, The History of the Brigham Family[1].
Lambert’s mother died in 1795 when he was one year old, his father married again in 1796 to Hannah Jackson, and his father Phinehas died in 1802, when he was eight years old, so he was probably raised by his step-mother, or by an uncle and aunt (perhaps Solomon Batherick and his wife), since all four grandparents had died by 1802.
Lambert Brigham served as a Private in Captain E. Goss' Detached Company of Mendon, Lieut. Col. W. Hastings Regiment during the War of 1812 from 13 September to 30 November 1814[4].
Lambert Brigham married, at age 22 in Sterling, Worcester County, Massachusetts to Sophia Buck (1797-1882). She was the daughter of Isaac and Martha (Phillips) Buck of Sterling[5-7]. The marriage intention entry in the Sterling town record book says[5]:
"Between Mr. Lambert Brigham & Miss Sophia Buck both of Sterling Dec. 22 1816"
The marriage record in the Sterling town records book says[6]:
"Feb. 12th Joined Lambert Brig[ha]m and Sophia Buck both of Sterling in marriage, John Robbins Justice of the Peace"
The marriage of Lambert Brigham and Sophia Buck was also recorded in the Columbian Centinel newspaper, published in Boston, dated 22 February 1817.) The entry says:
"Sophia Buck m. Lambert Brigham, formerly of Westborough, in Sterling."
Lambert and Sophia (Buck) Brigham had three children:
Augustus Brigham (1820-1909), born in Sterling, Worcester County, Massachusetts, married in 1841 to Mary Ann Allard (1822-1909).
Aurelius Brigham (1830-1878), born in Sterling, Worcester County, Massachusetts, married in 1853 to Olive Merriam Wilson (1834-1873).
Sophia Newton (1834-1923), born after Lambert's death, probably in Springfield, Windham County, Vermont, married in 1852 to Edward Hildreth (1831-1899).
In the 1820 United States census, the Lambert Brigham household resided in Sterling, Worcester County, Massachusetts[8]. The household included:
a male, age 26 to 45 (certainly Lambert Brigham)
a female, age 0-5 (an unknown female child, or perhaps son Augustus?)
a female, age 16 to 25 (certainly wife Sophia)
Lambert Brigham was not enumerated in the 1830 United States census.
Lambert Brigham died 5 May 1834 of consumption at the age of 39 in Westborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts[9]. The Westborough Church Records says:
"May 5 [1834] Mr. Lambert Brigham consumption [age] 40"
After Lambert's death, Sophia (Buck) Brigham married Thomas J. Newton in Vermont, and had daughter Sophia Newton (on 14 September 1834, four months after Lambert's death) in Springfield, Windham County, Vermont and son Thomas J. Newton (on 3 June 1836) in Cambridge, Lamoille County, Vermont. Augustus Brigham and Aurelius Brigham were probably raised by one of their uncles.
There are no land records in Worcester County, Massachusetts Land Record Grantee and Grantor Indexes for Lambert Brigham or for Sophia (Buck) Brigham.
There is no probate packet for Lambert Brigham, or guardianship records for his children Aurelius and Augustus Brigham, in the Worcester County Probate Packet index.
There is no burial record for Lambert Brigham in Sterling or Westborough on Find A Grave.
5. SOURCES
1. W. I. Tyler Brigham, The History of the Brigham Family, A Record of Several Thousand Descendants of Thomas Brigham the Emigrant, 1603-1653 (New York : The Grafton Press, 1907), page 341, #418 Lambert Brigham family sketch.
2. "Massachusetts, U.S., Town Records, 1620-1988," digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com),,Westborough Births, Marriages and Deaths, page 193 (penned), image 316 of 1417, Lambert Brigham, son of Phinehas Brigham and Lydia.
3. Systematic History Fund, Vital Records of Westborough, Massachusetts to the end of year 1849 (Worcester, Mass. : Franklin P. Rice, 1903), Births, page 27, Lambert Brigham entry, 7 June 1794.
4. "U.S., Adjutant General Military Records, 1631-1976," indexed database with record images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), Massachusetts > 1812-1814 > Records of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia in the War of 1812 > page 47 (image 60 of 458), Lambert Brigham entry.
5. "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988," indexed database and digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), Sterling Marriage Intentions, page 41 (penned): Lambert Brigham and Sophia Buck entry, 22 December 1816.
6. "Massachusetts, U.S., Town Records, 1620-1988," digital images, Ancestry.com, Sterling Births, Marriages and Deaths, Marriages, page 261 (penned), image 231 of 1007: Sophia Buck and Lambert Brigham entry, 12 February 1817.
7. American Antiquarian Society, Index of marriages in Massachusetts Centinel and Columbian Centinel, 1784 to 1840 (Boston, Mass. : G.K. Hall, 1961), dated 22 February 1817, "Sophia Buck m. Lambert Brigham, formerly of Westborough, in Sterling".
8. 1820 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Sterling, image 3 of 13, Lambert Brigham household; indexed database with record images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M33.
9. "Massachusetts, U.S., Town Records, 1620-1988," digital images, Ancestry.com, Westborough, Church Records, page 248, Record of Deaths, image 159 of 332, Mr. Lambert Brigham, 5 May 1834, age 40.
NOTE: This genealogical sketch is out of Ahnentafel order because I found new information linking Sophia Newton to her birth father, Lambert Brigham.
NOTE: In 2014, Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors" in her blog post 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Smallblog. I have extended this theme in 2021 for an eighth year to 416 Ancestors in 416 Weeks. The list of 52 Ancestors biographies from my great-grandparents to the 7th great-grandparents (in work) is in https://www.geneamusings.com/p/ancestor-biographies.html.
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.
Starting on February 1, 2022, the price of U.S monthly subscriptions to Ancestry.com for our existing customers will increase. U.S. Discovery Memberships will cost $24.99 per month, World Explorer Memberships will cost $39.99 per month, and All Access Memberships will cost $49.99 per month. Six month subscriptions will be $99.00, 149.10, and 198.96 $197.94, $297.94, and $397.94 respectively, a savings of $50, $90 and $100 respectively. [Update - Randy's error, ran out of fingers...]
Ancestry continues to improve our product and add new record collections to help you make more discoveries. In the last decade alone, 20 billion records have been added to our site, bringing our total to more than 30 billion – the largest collection of digital family history records in the world.
Recently, we added 36 million U.S. World War II young man’s draft cards, more than one billion new marriage and obituary records, and more than 360 million school list and yearbook records, with many more collections on the way.
We’re committed to investing an additional $250 million in the next decade to secure even more record collections from around the world, and rolling out more new product features to help everyone discover, craft and connect around their family story.
Ancestry provides a range of membership plans to fit your needs and your budget. To explore all our options, or to change or cancel your membership, you can visit your Account Settings or contact us.
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I read elsewhere that this is the first subscription price increase since 2013.
I think that there is a current reduced price deal until 10 January 2022, so call Ancestry (1-800-ancestry) and check it out. It may be 50% off, but I can't find anything about it on the Ancestry website.
Disclosure: I receive a complimentary all-access subscription from Ancestry.com, for which I am thankful. Ancestry.com has provided material considerations for travel expenses to meetings, and has hosted events and meals that I have attended in Salt Lake City, in past years. The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2022/01/ancestry-raising-subscription-prices.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.
I received this information from RootsTech and FamilySearch today:
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Apollonia Poilâne Shares Recipe to Connect Family at RootsTech 2022
“Bread Links People,” Says Third-Generation Owner of Paris’ Most-famous Bakery
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—It is a story about tragedy, resilience, vision, and triumph. But mostly it is a story about family, connected through generations by a special loaf of sourdough bread known worldwide as pain Poilâne. Apollonia Poilâne, the third-generation owner of Paris’ most-famous bakery, will share her remarkable family story with a global online audience as a keynote speaker during RootsTech Connect 2022, the world’s largest family history conference, March 3–5, 2022. Register for free today at RootsTech.org.
“Bread links people. I love the bond it creates when people share it,” says Apollonia, who was literally raised in the bakery started by her grandfather Pierre Poilâne in 1932. She worked in the family business as a child and began a formal 9-month apprenticeship to learn the art of bread making in her late teens. Then tragedy struck. Her father, Lionel Poilâne, whose innovative spirit and relentless commitment to quality made the Poilâne brand world-renowned, and her mother, Irena Poilâne, an American architect and art gallery owner, were both killed in a helicopter crash.
Orphaned with her younger sister, Athena, at the tender age of 18, Apolonia was faced with a decision. Gifted with a winning combination of her father’s vision and determination, and her mother’s artistic flair, she chose to carry on her family’s legacy. But she did not abandon her dream of a college education and for several years ran the business remotely while she earned an economics degree from Harvard University.
Today she is leading what can only be described as a baking empire, producing tens of thousands of the signature loaf each month, along with a variety of other culinary treats. Building on her family legacy, Apollonia has added many new mouth-watering items to the company’s offerings, written or contributed more than a dozen books, and produced online baking classes. Customers hail from down the street, and across the world, yet quality is still the chief ingredient of every hand-crafted loaf of bread, cookie, and pastry.
Learn more about her amazing story firsthand and what is next for this extraordinary entrepreneur by registering for RootsTech Connect 2022 today at RootsTech.org and joining us for the virtual event March 3–5, 2022!
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Disclosure: I am a RootsTech Influencer (used to be called Ambassador) and will be publishing information about RootsTech 2022 through the conference. I receive no remuneration for this activity.
Copyright (c) 2021, 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.
It's time for another edition of "Seavers in the News" - a weekly feature from the historical newspapers about persons with the surname Seaver that are interesting, useful, mysterious, fun, macabre, or add information to my family tree database.
This week's entry is from the The Times-Argus [Barre, Vt.] newspaper dated 17 May 1961:
The transcription of the article is:
"Kenneth G. Seaver
"Kenneth G. Seaver, 43, of Washington, died last night at Barre City Hospital.
"He was born in Washington, Aug. 15, 1917, son of Leo and Edith (Hanson) Seaver. He attended Washington public schools and Spaulding High School.
"His marriage to Anita Bernatchy took place Sept. 10, 1938 in Barre.
"He leaves his wife; four daughters, Elaine, a student at Fanny Allen hospital School of Nursing in Winooski; Nancy Jean, Diana Sue, and Cynthia, all at home; a brother, Paul Seaver, Barre, and a sister Mrs. William (Lola) Carle, Washington, as well as several nieces and nephews.
"After their marriage, the Seavers lived in Washington until 1940 when they moved to Barre, going to South Barre in 1943, and returning to Washington in 1953. He had worked at Modern Granite Co. as a maintenance man for the past 15 years.
"He was a member of the Washington PTA, the Chelsea Fish and Game Club, had been a selectman for a three-year term, a justice of the peace and was a member of the Grange when it was active in Washington.
"Funeral services will be held Friday afternoon at 2:30 at the Universalist Church in Washington.
"Friends may call at the Whitcomb Funeral Home, 102 Washington St., Barre, tonight and tomorrow from 7-9.
"Burial will be in Washington cemetery."
The source citation is:
"Kenneth G. Seaver," The Times-Arhus [Barre, Vt.] newspaper, Wednesday, 17 May 1961, page 12, column 7, Kenneth G. Seaver obituary;Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 6 January 2022).
This obituary provides the name, age, birthdate and place, parents names, death date and place, spouse's name, children's names, plus residence, occupation and associations information.
Kenneth Gordon Seaver (1917-1961) was born 15 August 1917 in Washington, Vermont, the son of Leo and Edith (Hanson) Seaver. He died at age 43 on 16 May 1961 in Barre, Vermont. He married Anita Eleanor Bernatchy (1919-2015) on 10 September 1938 in Barre, Vermont. They had four children:
* Elaine Anita Seaver, married 1971 Ronald M. Curtis.
* Nancy Jean Seaver, married 1961 Lawrence W. Ferno.
* Diana Sue Seaver.
* Cynthia Ann Seaver, married 1977 Shannon J. Davenport.
Kenneth Gordon Seaver (1917-1961) is my 8th cousin 2 times removed. Our common Seaver ancestor is Robert Seaver (1608-1683) who came to Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1634.
There are over 10,000 Seaver "stories" in my family tree - and this was one of them. Life happens, accidentally and intentionally, and sometimes a person's obituary provides lots of interesting information. I am glad that I can honor Kenneth Gordon Seaver today.
You never know when a descendant or relative will find this blog post and learn something about their ancestors or relatives, or will provide more information about them to me.
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Disclosure: I have a complimentary subscription to Newspapers.com and have used it extensively to find articles about my ancestral and one-name families.
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.
It's Treasure Chest Thursday - a chance to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.
The treasure today is the 1834 death record entry for Lambert Brigham in the Westborough, Massachusetts town records book:
The marriage record is the 9th entry on the left-hand page of the image in the 1834 section:
The transcription of this record is:
"[1834] May 5 Mr. Lambert Brigham - consumption, [age] 40."
The source citation for this record is:
"Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988," indexed database and digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com, Westborough, Church Records, page 248, Record of Deaths, image 159 of 332, Mr. Lambert Brigham, 5 May 1834, age 40.
Lambert Brigham (1794-1834) was the 7th child and sixth son of Phineas Brigham (1755-1802) and Lydia Batherick (1752-1795). He married Sophia Buck (1797-1882) on 17 February, 1817 in Sterling, Massachusetts. They had three children.
This is probably an Original Source record, from the Westborough church. It is Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the death.
Lambert and Sophia (Buck) Brigham are my 3rd great-grandparents through their daughter, Sophia Newton (1834-1923) who married Edward Hildreth (1831-1899) in 1852 in Northborough, Massachusetts.
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.
I received this information from Findmypast today:
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Findmypast and The National Archives unveil the 1921 Census of England and Wales for the very first time
● Findmypast and The National Archives publish the historic records online for the very first time
● Offers an unprecedented glimpse into life 100 years ago, detailing life after WW1, impact of the Spanish Flu pandemic, economic turmoil, housing crisis and major social change
● Captures the details of 38 million individuals, providing never before seen insights into life in the 1920s
● Records reveal the lives of both the ordinary and extraordinary, documenting everyone from war veterans, widows and orphans, working women and vagrants to prominent individuals such as national treasure Sir Captain Tom Moore, mathematician and Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing, Lord of the Rings author J. R. R. Tolkien, Tale of Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter, first female MP to take her seat in Parliament Nancy Astor, The Royal Family and many more.
6th January 2021, London: Findmypast and The National Archives today publish the highly anticipated 1921 Census of England and Wales online, as the 100-year rule, which ensures records are closed to the public for 100 years, has ended.
After three years of intensive conservation and digitisation and with the help and support of the Office for National Statistics, the Census is now available to search and explore online, only at Findmypast.com (USA link).
Taken on June 19th 1921 after being delayed by two months due to industrial unrest, the 1921 Census saw over 38,000 enumerators dispatched to every corner of England of Wales to capture the details of more than 38 million people. This included over 8.5 million households as well as all manner of public and private institutions ranging from prisons and military bases to public schools and workhouses.
Offering more detail than any previous census ever taken, the 1921 Census of England and Wales not only asked individuals about their age, birth place, occupation and residence (including the names of other household members and the number of rooms), but also their place of work, employer details, and gave ‘divorced’ as an option for marital status.
Now accessible to the public for the first time, these valuable documents provide visitors to Findmypast with millions of unique opportunities to uncover the lives of their ancestors, the history of their homes and communities, as well as providing a fascinating snapshot of life during an era that will resonate with many today.
Falling between the two world wars, the record paints a disparate picture of England and Wales, from the Royal household to the average working-class citizen, still reeling from the impact of WW1 a major housing crisis, the Spanish flu pandemic, ravaged economy and industrial turmoil.
The publication of these documents will mark the last significant census release for England and Wales in many people’s lifetime as the 1931 Census was destroyed in a fire and the 1941 Census was never captured due to the Second World War. This means the next census will not be available until 2052.
Snapshot of a nation
The 1921 Census demonstrates the rapid social and cultural change the country was undergoing, with the changing role of women and the impact of WW1 proving particularly apparent.
Owing to the vast number of men who fell in the war, the Census reveals there were 1,096 women for every 1,000 men recorded, with this discrepancy being the biggest for those aged between 20 and 45. This means there were over 1.7 million more women than men in England and Wales, the largest difference ever seen in a census. Also, now that ‘divorce’ was an option for marital status, over 16,000 were recorded but this figure is likely to be much higher due to the stigma surrounding divorce at the time.
There was also a dramatic increase in the number of people recorded in hospitals with a 35% increase from 1911, three quarters of whom were men presumably suffering from wounds received in the war. Thanks to the additional information recorded on the status of parents and children, the census also reveals the devastating impact the war had on families with over 730,000 fatherless children being recorded versus 261,000 without a mother.
As a result of the number of men killed or left permanently disabled, the 1921 Census also saw many more women stepping into employment, with an increase in the number of women working as engineers, vets, barristers, architects and solicitors. Notes of protest and pleas have been discovered among the schedules from struggling individuals, including that of 28-year-old Bill Jones who lost both of his legs on the Somme and is seen to be begging the government for help.
Just as we are coping with Covid-19 today, the 1921 Census also reveals how the Spanish flu affected the psyche of the population, with one record being stained with disinfectant and featuring a comment about how the writer was doing everything he could to avoid catching the illness.
Famous faces
From the famous to the infamous, the documents also provide a vivid snapshot of the lives of prominent individuals alive at that time, including cultural icons such as Lord of the Rings writer - J.R.R. Tolkien, Famous Five author - Enid Blyton, Peter Rabbit writer - Beatrix Potter, Winnie the Pooh author - A.A. Milne and the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle. On the night the Census was taken Conan Doyle was playing host to a number of mystics and psychics, suggesting he may have been holding a seance at the time.
Details of national treasure Sir Captain Tom Moore, war hero and mathematician Alan Turing, suffragette Millicent Fawcett, Prime Minister David Lloyd George, the first female MP to take her seat in Parliament Nancy Astor, the first female racing car driver Dorothy Levett and scientist Alexander Fleming, also come to life in the pages of the Census.
Real-life members of the Peaky Blinder gang, including founding member Thomas Mucklow, and other notorious criminals such as serial killers John Haig, the “acid bath murderer”, and Reginald Christie of 10 Rillington Place can also be found within the records.
Due to the fact householders could now specify the names and addresses of their employer, and even the materials they worked with, this was the first Census to record many of the iconic brands which are now household names. This includes Boots, Cadbury’s, Selfridge’s, Schweppes, Sainsbury’s, Rolls Royce, McVities and many more, revealing where and how the workers that helped build them lived.
Tamsin Todd, CEO of Findmypast says:
"This is a day when we as a nation get to reflect on our shared history and personal history, as we read the extraordinary stories captured by the 1921 Census of England & Wales. Taken between two world wars, following a global flu pandemic, during a period of economic turmoil and migration, with social change at home as women won the right to vote, the 1921 Census documents a moment in time that will resonate with people living today.
"It has been a great honour for Findmypast to work with The National Archives as its selected partner to digitise and transcribe the 1921 Census. I am incredibly proud of our Findmypast team who have worked with passion and dedication to conserve, scan, and transcribe 38 million historical records.
"Our advanced search technology enables family historians to easily find and view images of the 1921 Census, and connect individual records into their family trees. Family historians around the world can now meaningfully search the Census to reveal where and how their ancestors lived and worked 100 years ago."
Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper at The National Archives, says:
“Census releases are keenly anticipated and create a period of collective curiosity about the past. These records reveal what has changed and evolved over time but can also provide familiarity with our lives today.
“The 1921 Census allows a snapshot of life 100 years ago, at a time when individuals and communities were embarking on a new era where everyday rights and roles were changing. What makes it even more important is that it will be the last census release for England and Wales for 30 years, with the 1931 Census lost in a fire during the Second World War and the 1941 Census never taken.
“As home to more than 1,000 years of history, The National Archives is delighted to be working with Findmypast to open up this unique collection to the world.”
Mary McKee, Head of Content Publishing Operations at Findmypast says:
“We are honoured to have been entrusted with the mammoth task of conserving and digitising these precious documents. Our team has committed themselves diligently for three years to ensure that our nation’s history could be preserved for future generations.
Whilst the scale of the Census is staggering, we are particularly excited for people to discover the individual stories of their ancestors as they can now learn about their lives in exceptional detail. Be it some animal paw prints visible on the page, or a witty note added in alongside their response - through the Census we can start to really understand who these people were and what they were experiencing at the time.”
As the largest mass-digitisation project ever completed by either The National Archives or Findmypast, today’s release is the result of three years of highly skilled work conducted under strict security measures to ensure all census data remained completely confidential until today. Since winning the competitive tender to digitise the Census in 2019, hundreds of Findmypast conservation specialists, technicians and transcribers have painstakingly conserved, digitised and transcribed more than 30,000 bound volumes of original documents stored on over a mile of shelving.
Thanks to Findmypast’s innovative use of search and data matching technology, users can search all 38 million records by name, location, address, birth place, nationality, occupation, employer and more to instantly reveal valuable details about the history of their families, homes or communities.
The 1921 Census will be available online, only at findmypast.com (in USA), from 6th January 2022. It will also be available to view in person at The National Archives in Kew as well as the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth and the Manchester Central Library.
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Note: There are fees for subscribers to view transcripts or record images. $3.50 US for every record transcript and $4.90 US for every original record image. Searching is free to everyone.
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.
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.
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I was ready right at 4:01 p.m. PST (12:01 AM in England) and clicked the link and could not get in. I expected that, and wondered how long I would have to wait.
After 15 minutes, I tried again and was "In like Flynn" as they used to say. Here is the index search page:
I added a first name (James), last name (Richman), and place (Wiltshire) and clicked on the green button that said "View 4 results." I saw the four results:
The links to the transcription and the record images are the black icons on the right side of the listings. The indexed fields on this index page are First name, last name, Birth year, Birth place, Parish, Registration district, and County (similar to earlier census indexes).
I decided to see how many Richman names were in Bradford on Avon, and received 32 of them when I clicked Search:
Updated 6 January 2022:
I scrolled down to the James Richman entry and clicked on the Image icon (on the right) and saw:
The "You're buying" sliding panel came up on the right-hand side of the image above and told me that "James, Julia Alice and Douglas William Wise are on this record." That's good to know. I could click on "Credit or debit card" or "PayPal" to pay for the image on the bottom of the right-hand panel.
Note also that the notes on the sliding panel say "A scan of the original record. The first source of truth. A piece of history to save and share."
The notes on the sliding panel for a transcription say: "A legible transcription of the original record. Shows every occupant's age, family role and where, available, profession. Contains a map showing the local area at the time." The sliding panel also names the occupants of the household.
So the map is only available with the transcription? I like that both sliding panels name all of the occupants.
The FREE search for a name or a location works, but as you can see there is not much information provided. A user really needs to see the transcription or the image to see a family group.
I immediately noticed that a number of Richmans in Bradford on Avon were listed as born in "Bradford, Yorkshire, England." I'm pretty sure that they were born in Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire - the Civil Registration for Births tell me so for those persons. But that is a common problem with indexes of original records.
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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.
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.
