RootsChat.Com

for searching purposes it is expensive, best to use the 10 unit option, until your sure you have the correct
family, so far i have d/l 7 original 1911 census, and just one was wrong, so for me was worth every penny, both my great grand parents died shortly after the 1911 census and my Nan and her siblings ended up in care, and until i saw this i had no idea where they were living at the time, so this has been a superb help in tying up a few loose ends.

For others who search and pay and find nothing then obviously it will be a feeling of disappointment and think its a waste of money, as said for general searching purposes the cost is expensive, so best left until a subscription is available, i have been lucky that when ive searched with the info' i knew it was obvious i had the right ones,

Lets not forget prior to this beta, to get a page of the 1911 census would have cost you £45, maybe a good idea for the official release is for people to start now and collect credits,

re the handwriting i reckon a LOT are going to be better presented than previous census, as they will have had the forms in the comfort of their homes to fill in and been able to take time, whereas the previous were done on the doorstep, ive certainly found the ones ive d/l so far are excellent to read

What do you get if you opt for a transcript - is it a transcript of the whole household, or just the details of the person you searched for?

info i got from the transcripts i bought

NAME
RELATIONSHIP TO HEAD
MARITAL STATUS
AGE
YEARS MARRIED
TOTAL CHILDREN BORN ALIVE
CHILDREN STILL LIVING (AMOUNT NOT NAMES)
CHILDREN WHO HAVE DIED (AMOUNT NOT NAMES)
OCCUPATION
INDUSTRY OR SERVICE TO WHICH WORKER IS CONNECTED
WORKER OR SELF EMPLOYED
WHETHER WORKING AT HOME
BIRTHPLACE
NATIONALITY OF PERSON BORN IN FOREIGN COUNTRY
INFIRMITY (HIDDEN UNTIL 2012)
AMOUNT OF ROOMS IN THE HOUSE
SIGNATURE OF HEAD (OR PERSON WHO FILLS IN FORM)
POSTAL ADDRESS

so as you can see, it will depend on the person filling in the form
all 3 of the ones i have bought have given me additional information
to what i had/knew, maybe a tip for some who have searched and found nothing
try doing it from the home page, not the advanced one, not saying it will work
for everyone, but a couple i did weren't found, yet put the same name in the front search
and found them,
re the neighbours it has a back and forward button to view previous household and next household, but wouldnt be worth doing this until it becomes a subscription, as you have to pay 30 credits for each, unless like michael owen your family owns the whole street, im pretty sure it will be handy, as we all know families didn't tend to move far then

I also received the invite as i registered an interest in the 1911 census a LONG time ago,
anyway as my grandparents on both sides were originally from the london area, i bit the bullet and paid for 60 units £6-95 (ie two original pages) and my view is WELL worth the money, probably because i found instantly those i wanted, luckily i knew their DOB's.
i also saw it was my great grandads that had completed the forms, i also saw on one of the forms
my gt grandmother Dinah Lee was living with my grandparents and she died in 1912, as i didnt know where she was living when she died, so with those finds i then paid for another 60 units, and found EXACTLY what i was looking for.

If your doing basic searching looking for info' it would probably work out pretty expensive, but for those who are pretty sure what they are looking for, it's excellent to have the originals, must admit it gave me as much as a buzz, as when ive had a certificate drop through the door with new info.

I also have a grandad that came from russia aged 3, and i found him and his family living in the east end
(again confirming info' i knew) but brillaint to see when arrived, how long his parents were married (as married in russia so no info') how many rooms in their house etc.

So just confirms how much the 1911 census will help so many to move forward,
for those who have access, be quick as it states the beta will only be online until the 22nd December