Genealogy and keeping data for the next generation

[panda40]

Sad to say the lot went down I went to a talk given by the archive people who are trying to collect information from the families to add to the collection. I have passed on the photos I have in my possession.
Regards panda

[Guy Etchells]

So we can campaign for the 1921 census to be released early with redactions, just as we did for the 1911?

I'll be on the 1951 but by 2051-ish I'll surely be dead - or very pleased to be alive!

You are welcome to try I tried in 2010 after successfully gaining access to the 1911 census and the 1939 National Registration but I pulled the campaign as I met with apathy from the genealogical community.

To campaign to release any census taken under the 1920 Census Act requires the support of the genealogical community not just one person going it alone like with the 11 and 39.
One word of warning to win such campaigns not only takes a lot of time and research but it also costs money, but it is possible to get the law changed.
If you go down that route I wish you every success, but don’t be surprised to be told it cannot be done, I was told that in 2002 with the 1911 nothing is impossible if you have the will to succeed

Cheers
Guy

[Guy Etchells]

You may be interested in some figures (from the GRO) I requested as I building information to start my 1921 campaign, I was gathering evidence to support the angle that having the census online would provide an income source for the GRO.

"1901 Census

2002 – 227,212 (November and December only) 
2003 – 1,066,424
2004 - 1,258,602
2005 – 3,874,299
2006 - 11,680,528
2007 – 11,957,805
2008 – 16,661,328
2009 - 17,012,560
2010 - 6,318,846 (to May 2010)

1911 Census 

2008 – 54,000 (December only)
2009 - 3,422,590
2010 - 3,105,267 (to May 2010)

You should be aware that these figures represent the numbers of downloads of information from the census that occur, and not the number of searches that do not result in a download. This is because we do not collect the number of unsuccessful or aborted searches that occur on the census." 

Cheers
Guy

[Rena]

I'd be happy enough if it was all kept (securely) secret for 100 years like census data.

Snip

Thanks you have made my day I have not laughed as much for years.

What on earth made you think census data was "kept (securely) secret" for 100 years? You surely have not fallen for the government propaganda have you?

It was always my understanding that the annual electoral roll document that each household filled in and submitted to the local council was confidential.    I had a rude awakening in the 1980s when a local councillor said that wasn't the case and that they sold the information - which solved the puzzle of why sales bumph was addressed to us and weren't just addressed to "The Householders".

[mazi]

There is no such thing as privacy anymore
My credit card company knows exactly where I was twenty days a month for the last twelve years.
A certain supermarket can make an inspired guess as to what I eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and when we last cleaned the oven  .

Mike

[chris_49]

So we can campaign for the 1921 census to be released early with redactions, just as we did for the 1911?

I'll be on the 1951 but by 2051-ish I'll surely be dead - or very pleased to be alive!

You are welcome to try I tried in 2010 after successfully gaining access to the 1911 census and the 1939 National Registration but I pulled the campaign as I met with apathy from the genealogical community.

To campaign to release any census taken under the 1920 Census Act requires the support of the genealogical community not just one person going it alone like with the 11 and 39.
One word of warning to win such campaigns not only takes a lot of time and research but it also costs money, but it is possible to get the law changed.
If you go down that route I wish you every success, but don’t be surprised to be told it cannot be done, I was told that in 2002 with the 1911 nothing is impossible if you have the will to succeed

Cheers
Guy

Thanks Guy. Sounds as if it needs a whole gang of us then. Anybody want to join?

[Guy Etchells]

It was always my understanding that the annual electoral roll document that each household filled in and submitted to the local council was confidential.    I had a rude awakening in the 1980s when a local councillor said that wasn't the case and that they sold the information - which solved the puzzle of why sales bumph was addressed to us and weren't just addressed to "The Householders".

No at that time the full electoral register was available to anyone who wished to purchase a copy, it was not until 2001 that the open register was produced in answer to a High Court ruling in November 2001.

The government like you to believe the confidentiality clauses were put on the census forms to prevent public access but in reality they were put there to prevent other government departments accessing the data, there was a big fuss in 1871 after census officials in London divulged the names and addresses of all children 3-13 and their parents to the London School Board to help enforce compulsory education.

The early census text stated 1861, 1871, 1881
“The facts will be published in General Abstracts only, and strict care will be taken that the returns are not used for the gratification of curiosity.”

The 1891 added
“The facts will be published in General Abstracts only, and strict care will be taken that the returns are not used for the gratification of curiosity, or for other purposes than those of this Census”

The text then stayed the same until the 1911 made it crystal clear
“1911 "The contents of the Schedule will be treated as strictly confidential".
The following also appeared on the reverse of the Schedule:
"The contents of the Schedule will be treated as confidential. Strict care will be taken that no information is disclosed with regard to individual persons. The returns are not to be used for proof of age, as in connection with Old Age Pensions, or for any other purpose than the preparation of Statistical Tables”

The 1921 and 1951 returned to "STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL"

With the 1961 stating
"CONFIDENTIALITY--No information about any individual person, family or dwelling, will be given to anyone not employed on the Census".

This was again changed for the 1971 census

"The information you give on the form will be treated as CONFIDENTIAL and used only for compiling statistics. No information about named individuals will be passed to any other Government Department or any other authority or person.”

Then in 1981 the Registrar General added
"Your replies will be treated in STRICT CONFIDENCE. They will be used to produce statistics but your name and address will not be fed into the census computer. After the census, the forms will be locked away for 100 years before they are passed to the Public Record Office".

He later had to apologise to Parliament for exceeding his authority by adding that text.

Cheers
Guy

PS If you read the Census Act 1920 as amended by the Census Confidentiality Act you will see that despite what the National Archives claim it is actually unlawful for any further census to be released without a change in law
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0wkf/

[coombs]

The civil reg indexes online go up to 2007 so anyone could look up the birth, marriage of death of anyone whose bmd was registered in England and Wales inbetween 1837 and 2007. There are so many ways you can trace living people now, by using records that anyone can use.

[Rena]

It was always my understanding that the annual electoral roll document that each household filled in and submitted to the local council was confidential.    I had a rude awakening in the 1980s when a local councillor said that wasn't the case and that they sold the information - which solved the puzzle of why sales bumph was addressed to us and weren't just addressed to "The Householders".

No at that time the full electoral register was available to anyone who wished to purchase a copy, it was not until 2001 that the open register was produced in answer to a High Court ruling in November 2001.

Cheers
Guy

I remember receiving a copy of the revised Data Protection Act in 2001, which addressed how it affected companies now that we were in the age of the computer.  Bryan had died in 1999 aged 61 and I was thinking of selling our company in 2001, so read it very carefully because details of all our contacts had been taken off the Roladex and computerised.  At first reading it seemed I could pass on the names to a buyer from the typed manual records but not once the data had been computerised - unless requested by the Police. (If you remember in 2002 one police chief refused to divulge details of a suspected murderer to another police force because he mistakenly thought the computerised information couldn't legally be given out - Refer to Huntley case).   Yes, I did find the clause which allowed me to pass on all relevant company information.