Data

The O'Hara - Bagshaw Family Tree

( Our ancestors did What ?!? )

Data Records

Perhaps the main source of information to the genealogist is the written record that provides hints and hopefully incontrovertible proof that the person you are searching for has been found. These records come in many forms including church registers, prison records, court and assize records, as well as census records from around the world. We have a collection of census images spanning the 1841 to 1911 British census as well as the 1939 Register and a few records from the USA census of 1920 to 1940. As well we have a number of images of the International Genealogical Index produced by the Latter Day Saints as part of their vast treasure trove of recorded documents – a boon to all genealogists.

The Census

Sample Census Sheets

Taken every ten years since 1841, with the exception of 1941, the census can provide a myriad of information about our ancestors from their precise location and employment to the names of their family and how long they have been married or whether they were widowed.

Most of the later ensus sheets also recorded the relationship of individuals to the head of the household which is also extremely useful in identifying where children / grandchildren were on that date.

Also reording where individuals were born is a boon to determining if you have found the right person or not but there are pitfalls to be aware of.

The early census rounded up the adults age to the nearest 5 years, some birth places were totally erroneous and there are many misspellings of surnames and Christian names to take note of.

The 1941 Census was never taken due to the Second World War but the 1939 Register became a poor substitute for the genealogist and does offer addresses and dates of birth as well as occupations.

1841