This is by far, the best genealogy book I've read so far. Balancing historical context with practical, hands on advice and analysis, this was a joy to read.
The book starts with a history of the census and a chapter on the early censuses, before delving deeper into each census from 1841 to 1911. The chapters on each individual census follow the same general format:
- Historical Context
- What Details are Included?
- Finding Aids
- Online Resources
- Free Resources
- Problems
- How to use the Census Effectively
- Taking it Further
- Unique Features of the Non-English Censuses
- Summary
The book closes with a chapter on the later, and currently unavailable censuses and a chapter on the census today. In this final chapter the author tells us of her experiences being an enumerator as a way to gain understanding of the process as well as discussing future plans for the census (or perhaps a change of tack).
I enjoyed how the author found people and families within each census as this really brought the recorded information to life, for instance the father in the 1871 census that entered the occupation of 'all kinds of mischief' for his 3 year old son! The author adds a 'notes' section to the end of each chapter, which provide references to comments like quotes, currency conversions, or useful information.
There are plenty of well thought out and research facts and resources provided in this book. For instance, I was really interested to read that the 1961 census processing became automatic via the use of an IBM 705 - this would have probably never come to my mind, yet it brings life and interest to the story of the census.
If there was one book I could have regarding genealogy for the British Isles, this would be it.
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