1921 Census - FMP [Archive] - Genealogists' Forum

ElizabethHerts

27-10-21, 07:23

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/help/articles/360009238938-how-much-will-it-cost-to-access-the-1921-census-online-

I haven't seen anyone discuss the charges to view the 1921 census.

Searching is free.
Viewing a transcript £2.50
Viewing an image £3.50

12-month Pro subscribers will enjoy a 10% discount on all 1921 Census purchases.

That's not much of a discount.

Edit: It's being released on 6th January 2022.

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/1921-census

Phoenix

27-10-21, 08:12

Not till the 6th? I've usually mopped up everybody by noon on 2nd.

And I don't know about anybody else, but I only have about half a dozen households to look at, with parents not born, and their great-grandparents dead.

It's the same price as TNA downloads have been, and cheaper than bmds. It will also provide a filter on excessive use: I remember the thought and care that went into the 1901 census, and then the brickats when things went wrong.

ElizabethHerts

27-10-21, 08:29

Both my parents were alive. My mother should be in Guildford. However, I don't know if I shall find my father as he was born in Glasgow in 1920 and I'm not sure if they had come to England by then.

There are lots of other family members I want to find - the siblings of my great-grandparents etc.

ElizabethHerts

27-10-21, 08:30

There is this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdkpePDervc

JBee

27-10-21, 08:41

So 6th Jan for England and Wales 1921 census

but will have to wait for the latter part of 2022 for the Scottish 1921 census.

kiterunner

27-10-21, 08:51

I don't think they gave FMP subscribers any discount for the 1911 census or the 1939 Register, did they? So any discount is an improvement for subscribers. I wonder whether you will be able to "upgrade" from a transcription to the image for only £1 or if viewing both would cost £6 in total? Hopefully the former!

kiterunner

27-10-21, 08:53

A 12 month Pro sub to FMP costs £159.99 full price, in case anyone wants to know.

Merry

27-10-21, 10:10

I agree, there was no discount for subscribers for 1911 or 1939.

I would like the two households of my grandparents and the four households of my great-grandparents. None of my 2xg's were alive in 1921.

For OH it will be less as his mother, grandmother and great-grandmother will most likely all be in the same household. His grandfather, John Claud Hamilton (!) may be there too if he isn't in jail or on board a ship. All OH's father's side will be in Spain. They released their 1920ish census years ago!

Of course there are probably some other households that would be interesting, but probably most can wait for a while (as could the above if it wasn't for my nosiness!). I really should be making a list.

*prepares for Peter Henry Harrison* :rolleyes:

kiterunner

27-10-21, 10:21

There is one little thing that worries me. The email says that the 1921 census "will be exclusively available online at Findmypast", rather than on a separate website as they did with the 1911 census and the 1939 Register. If that's right, are they going to be using their new "micropayments" system for the pay-per-view payments? Because as far as I can tell, micropayments have not been "rolled out" to everyone yet - I still don't seem to get the option. Though I wouldn't consider £2.50 or £3.50 to be a micropayment, so hopefully it will be a separate system!

Margaret in Burton

27-10-21, 11:13

*prepares for Peter Henry Harrison* :rolleyes:

You aren’t the only one. I wonder what the b*gg*r says this time.

Merry

27-10-21, 11:42

Perhaps we should place bets? I think he will just say Rotherham again, or Ashby :(

Margaret in Burton

27-10-21, 12:00

Perhaps we should place bets? I think he will just say Rotherham again, or Ashby :(

He might surprise us. He might tell the truth and admit he’s an alien being from another planet.

JBee

27-10-21, 12:39

Oh yes it will be interesting after all he's said previously.

I wonder where my Mum will be - hopefully in Yorkshire where she is supposed to have been working since she was 14.

kiterunner

27-10-21, 14:32

I asked about the micropayments system on Facebook, and got a reply from FMP saying that yes, the 1921 Census will be accessible via micropayments, and yes, the micropayments system will have been rolled out to all users by the launch date.

kiterunner

27-10-21, 14:42

ElizabethHerts

27-10-21, 14:55

So many people on Facebook complaining about the charges! I had to laugh at one person who claimed they had "15,000 people to research on the 1921 census" in their two family trees, and that the cost would mean they couldn't continue their research. I suppose they haven't had to order BMD certificates for those 15,000 people... And just to add, the 15,000 is not a typo, because they have mentioned that number more than once.

I would have thought that there will usually be several individuals in a household under one record, not lots of individual people all to be investigated separately.

My priority is to find my parents and grandparents and any great-grandparents and then the same for OH's line.

kiterunner

27-10-21, 15:05

I think my OH's lot will mostly be together in big households, but some of mine will likely be scattered. I have been saving some money specially for the 1921 census though.

kiterunner

27-10-21, 15:25

ElizabethHerts

27-10-21, 15:35

If the 1921 census is really going to be on Findmypast from launch, instead of on a separate website, they will need to change the description of the Pro sub on their subscription page - at present it says "Access to everything on Findmypast."

My renewal was today. They have upgraded my membership (without my asking for this) and it's a lot more expensive this year, even with my loyalty discount.

kiterunner

27-10-21, 15:43

Was that upgraded from a subscription level which is no longer available, Elizabeth? If you haven't used it since the renewal you might be able to get it cancelled and then choose a cheaper one. Not sure if they will let you do that if you've already used it though. But you could contact their customer support and ask.

ElizabethHerts

27-10-21, 16:02

I have the Pro subscription now, the most expensive one. It's the only one with newspapers, which I have always been able to view with my previous subscriptions.
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/free-trial

I got quite a good discount but it's still expensive.

kiterunner

08-11-21, 11:57

The age column on the 1921 census is years and months, not just years. If FMP have transcribed both years and months, I imagine they will have to rejig their normal age calculation, which, as with most genealogy sites, is more often than not a year out since the censuses were taken in the first half of the year when most people would not have had their birthdays yet. It would be a bit more obvious if the year of birth was a year out when the age given is so much more accurate! It might be a bit confusing if the form says April and the census was actually taken in June, though.

kiterunner

08-11-21, 16:06

In answer to my own post above, I just looked at one of their sample transcription screens, and it will only show age in years on there, even though the image will show years and months. Because the sample transcription doesn't go with the sample image, I can't say for sure whether the birth years have been calculated more accurately than normal, but it looks very unlikely since for all 5 people on the transcription, the age and the "birth year" add up to 1921. Seems like a missed opportunity!

JBee

09-11-21, 13:03

Wonder what age my Mum will have given seeing that she took 2 years off on her marriage certificate.

kiterunner

30-11-21, 15:19

TNA have announced that there will be free access to the 1921 census at Manchester Central Library and the National Library of Wales as well as at TNA itself:

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/regional-hubs-to-offer-free-online-access-to-1921-census/?fbclid=IwAR3N0LXLsT066LG3-KsPvsRuJ3F4oEMrZBJYjnzn5K-CaS3X9d6oXwx_Pts

It doesn't say whether this access will be unlimited or capped, though. They did something similar with the 1911 census at various county archives but they were restricted to a certain number of "credits" which were used up much more quickly than expected and then it was cut off.

NickiP

01-12-21, 00:53

I wonder whether there will be other hubs announced because Birmingham Library had access to the 1911 and then subsequently to the other online records at the NA for a set period of time when the credits ran out.

It's interesting they're only offering it to two "local hubs" this time. Those two aren't really providing wider access around the country unless you are close to them.

Any yes Birmingham is local to me so it would be nice if they did get access. That said I was only planning on possible getting a few entries anyway when it goes live and then will wait for the eventual inclusion in the FMP subs whenever that happens, possibly few years. I don't think its of as much use as earlier census to be fair, although it will be nice to see my other two grandparents on their first Census.

kiterunner

14-12-21, 17:21

Just in case anyone has been misled by the article in the latest issue of "Family Tree" magazine - you will NOT "need a subscription to Findmypast" to view the 1921 census, as they claim. They are probably trying to say that you will need an account on Findmypast, but a free account will be fine.

Kit

19-12-21, 05:29

I have a Ultimate British & Irish Subscription. This is what the ïnvoice on FMP says:
Current Period Nov 18, 2021 - Aug 28, 2022. That is not 12 months to me and I definitely didn't renew it last month.

Interesting to see what it will do for me next time. I'll wait for the census to hopefully be included in a normal sub. I'd like to see my Grandma on a census but I can wait, there is nothing urgent about it.

kiterunner

19-12-21, 09:05

Toni, if you look through your old emails you should be able to find one from when your sub was renewed to see what the actual date was.

Kit

19-12-21, 09:25

It should be the end of August as that is just after my kids birthdays. I'm guessing there is some issue with their system and the start date is out. I'm not worried, the end date seems fair

kiterunner

19-12-21, 09:39

Yes, I did see people saying on Facebook recently that the info showing about their subs wasn't right, but I don't think anyone's sub has actually expired on the wrong date.

ElizabethHerts

24-12-21, 13:53

https://i.findmypast.com/websites/content/pdfs/roadshow-poster.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0haQWw9mPbXx3DcvNfW3Q9YH4e3v MCW_dQ82IQcv4aTly_itHinuy0nMM

kiterunner

24-12-21, 16:13

Does anyone know what the online roadshow thing means? I have asked FMP on Facebook but no reply yet.

Mary from Italy

25-12-21, 23:29

This is as much as I could find:

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/1921-census-roadshow

kiterunner

26-12-21, 11:18

Thanks, Mary. No free access to the census included then.

Mary from Italy

26-12-21, 19:37

No, doesn't look like it.

Kit

27-12-21, 07:14

Three years is a long wait.

kiterunner

27-12-21, 09:03

Three years to wait for what, Toni?

kiterunner

29-12-21, 22:44

I'm not sure whether they had previously said what time on the 6th Jan it will go live, but I have just seen in WDYTYA magazine that it will be 8 a.m. GMT.

JBee

30-12-21, 08:37

and no doubt will crash very soon after

kiterunner

31-12-21, 19:14

Though strange to say, on Facebook someone asked "The 1921 census is available 6th Jan, does this mean 12,01 GMT" and FMP answered "yes that is correct." I am assuming that the questioner meant midnight. I don't think I will stay up that night to find out though!

kiterunner

03-01-22, 18:12

Now everyone is saying it will be midnight, so I guess WDYTYA magazine was wrong about that.

JBee

03-01-22, 19:25

I just went on the site and it has countdown clock saying 2 days, 3 hours and 35 mins

kiterunner

03-01-22, 22:45

Seems as though it will suit people in other parts of the world better than the UK! What's the betting that by the time we get up on Thursday, the site will have crashed?

JBee

03-01-22, 23:02

That's what I was thinking Kite.

kiterunner

04-01-22, 17:57

Also I guess it means that a lot of their support staff will have to work at night, which they would have avoided if they launched it at 8 a.m.

Mary from Italy

05-01-22, 22:06

I was just about to complain that it was late, forgetting that I'm an hour ahead of UK time :)

kiterunner

05-01-22, 22:14

I'm not staying up for it. Will have a look in the morning, if the site hasn't crashed by then!

Mary from Italy

05-01-22, 23:06

The search is working well so far, but I haven't looked at any images or transcriptions yet.

ElizabethHerts

05-01-22, 23:13

I have found a lot of my mother's family.

She was nearly 2 and was down in Portsmouth with her father and grandmother. Can't find her mother yet.

I can't view any images as the payment facility isn't working for me.

ElizabethHerts

05-01-22, 23:22

I'm now viewing my first image.

My grandfather, grandmother, mother and a cousin of my grandfather are in Portsmouth. My grandfather was in the RN. I didn't realise they lived there for a while.

My grandmother is mistranscribed as Minnie - she was Muriel!

ElizabethHerts

05-01-22, 23:23

My mother-in-law was Meriel and is mistranscribed as Muriel!

Mary from Italy

05-01-22, 23:24

ElizabethHerts

05-01-22, 23:26

Mary from Italy

05-01-22, 23:33

At least 3 people I'm looking for aren't showing up either where they should be or anywhere else. One is probably in a lunatic asylum, but I can't even find her under her initials.

Mary from Italy

05-01-22, 23:40

I've only just cottoned on that you can search by birthplace; I must have been thinking it was like the 1939 Register :rolleyes:

Mary from Italy

05-01-22, 23:43

At least 3 people I'm looking for aren't showing up either where they should be or anywhere else.

I think I've found one of them; Nellie mistranscribed as Miller, with a slightly incorrect surname.

Phoenix

06-01-22, 00:12

I have an Oliver transcribed as an Olive.
My grandfather has a wholly unexpected occupation, and he has described a neice and nephew as visitors. Good job I know who they are.

Mary from Italy

06-01-22, 00:16

One very useful thing is that if you hover over the icon of the transcription or the image, it displays the names of some of the other people in the household who have the same surname as the one you're searching for (the first two, I think).

Pity you can't do the same with the address search.

I'm now inexplicably missing quite a few people, but I don't want to start shelling out money until I have an idea of the priorities.

Phoenix

06-01-22, 00:47

One very useful thing is that if you hover over the icon of the transcription or the image, it displays the names of some of the other people in the household who have the same surname as the one you're searching for (the first two, I think).

They aren't necessarily the same surname. My maternal grandfather is patently lodging with an unrelated family.

Mary from Italy

06-01-22, 01:38

No, you're right, sorry.

You need to re-search to find out their surname, putting in just their Christian name and adding the original person's name as another household member.

Mary from Italy

06-01-22, 01:39

I'm finally starting to find a few of my missing people, but by no means all. I get the impression that some of the transcriptions are quite poor, but I won't know until I start looking at the images.

ElizabethHerts

06-01-22, 09:18

I'm pleased I bought the images as some of my family weren't where I expected them to be.

My grandfather, an Engineer Lieutenant Commander in the RN, is in port and my grandmother and mother are with him, as is a cousin (aged 14) to both him and my grandmother. They are living at Allens Road, Southsea. They are probably renting for a short period.

My grandmother's mother, born in Southsea, is also in Allens Road, at a different address. Her usual residence was with her mother-in-law at Guildford, which is where my grandmother and mother would usually be.

My grandfather's mother isn't in London but is visiting a farmer and his family in Wymington, Northants. Haven't got a clue why! With her is her daughter, aged 22, as yet unmarried.

I can't find any of my Quintrells, which is most strange. Most likely mistranscribed.

My grandmother was Muriel Mary and transcribed as Minnie Mary.
My grandfather's 3rd name of Jeffcoat was mistranscribed.

I have found OH's mother in Orpington with her parents and his father and his parents in Worksop, where his grandfather was a chemist.

My paternal grandmother is living with one of her sons and his wife, who were childless.

maggie_4_7

06-01-22, 13:08

JBee

06-01-22, 14:18

When looking up an address and not finding anything - try just putting the street name.

I found grandfather this way as his middle name was given as his surname - his actual surname was given as his first name but without the s.

maggie_4_7

06-01-22, 15:26

Found my maternal grandfather, grandmother and children plus my mum at 3 months old very easily, transcribed perfectly.

Also found some others but one of my great grandmother's I cannot find and one other great grandmother has Emily written as first name when it was actually Emma.

Actually the one I found was my great great grandmother Emma Sayer nee Wingfield but with name Emily!

I have now found my great grandmother Emma Louisa Kendall nee Kilby and she also has Emily written as her first name, very irritating.

Same enumerator? Emily on the brain!

kiterunner

06-01-22, 15:53

Maybe when they type in Em, the first autocomplete suggestion that comes up is Emily and so it is quickest to go with that? Thus speeding up their work.

maggie_4_7

06-01-22, 16:55

No Emily is actually written on the census it's not the transcription.

kiterunner

06-01-22, 18:30

Oh, I see. Strange.

maggie_4_7

06-01-22, 19:02

I thought they filled it in themselves and having looked at Emma Louisa Kendall again I am having doubts it her.

I can't find her anywhere else and it's the road around the corner from where she lived in 1918 which is the area I would expect her to be.

Kit

09-01-22, 10:35

I just bought my Grandma's census entry. She is one of 12 children so the family don't appear on the 1 page. To save buying the first page of the census, click on filmstrip, then extra materials to get the other page, plus cover pages and other stuff I haven't looked at yet.

Kit

09-01-22, 10:47

Looking at the images and comparing the handwriting to the signature I don't think my great grandfather filled in the form. The census looks like it is completed in pencil and his signature in a black pen. The handwriting is also consistent with the writing on the other pages ie title pages.

maggie_4_7

09-01-22, 14:21

Zoemcdougall

09-01-22, 15:45

Just a quick question do i need a subscription for FMP to view the 1921 census, to where my Great grandfather was living, still no nearer to finding who is parents were.

ElizabethHerts

09-01-22, 15:52

Just a quick question do i need a subscription for FMP to view the 1921 census, to where my Great grandfather was living, still no nearer to finding who is parents were.

No, you don't - it's pay per view.

kiterunner

09-01-22, 15:55

All you need is a free account and then the charges will come up when you want to view an entry. Try not to pay until you are sure the entry is the right one, and you will probably be best to pay for the image, not the transcription.

Zoemcdougall

09-01-22, 15:59

ok Thank you, will see if i can find it

Merry

09-01-22, 19:31

ok Thank you, will see if i can find it

I found him! B 1877 Sheffield, no middle initial.

Kit

09-01-22, 23:29

I found him! B 1877 Sheffield, no middle initial.

You're good. Zoe didn't even state his name. (Yes, I'm sure she has mentioned him elsewhere but you remembered.)

Zoemcdougall

10-01-22, 07:46

Merry thank you so much, as KIt has already said you're good!, even though i didn't mentioned the name of my great grandfather, but i guess who could forget me looking for my elusive great grandfather Edward Jones.

Merry

10-01-22, 08:17

TBH, I didn't remember his first name or whether he was born in the 1870s or 1880s, just that he was someone Jones b Sheffield. So I just searched the boards for Jones Sheffield which brought up your thread, "New Edward Jones thread" :)

Phoenix

11-01-22, 08:25

I note that cousin's great grandparents have successfully muddied the waters. I have just discovered that my uncle had either a cousin or half sister of whom nobody had ever heard. She never married, and is in an institution in 1939. Her grandparents say they have no idea where she was born, nor whether her parents were alive or dead!! These details are actually completed in another hand.

kiterunner

02-02-22, 22:57

This is a bit weird - I searched for Frederick James Parsons born about 1891 with Eastbourne as the birthplace, and it came back with what must be the right record, in Weston under Penyard, Ross, Herefordshire, since that was where I was expecting him to be, but it says Essex, England, for the birthplace in the index. Presumably they have transcribed it as Eastbourne, Essex, but they aren't showing the Eastbourne bit in the free search results? I had noticed that a lot of records only show county for birthplace but I was assuming that meant the village / parish / town / city hadn't been transcribed, or wasn't on the image, not that they were just not showing it.

Merry

03-02-22, 11:51

I wondered about that. I paid for a page where the place of birth showed up as just Ireland on the index. When I saw the page the place of birth said Ulster Ireland, so I then knew it was not the right person. I just assumed they hadn't transcribed that bit, in error.

However, if I search using the place of birth Ulser the entry still appears in the results, so it must be on the transcription, which I've not paid for. But there are plenty of records that do show a full place of birth, so is it just a random mix of people with full place of birth on the main index or something else?

kiterunner

03-02-22, 13:14

My guess is that if the transcribed birthplace doesn't match their list of standard placenames, they reduce it (for the free index) to a part which does match the list, so Eastbourne, Essex becomes just Essex and Ulster, Ireland becomes just Ireland. But Eastbourne, Sussex would be shown in full because it is on their list.

Just searching for birthplace Eastbourne, I see a lot of results with Eastbourne, Sussex, England, and a Suffolk, England, an Essex, England, and even one with just a -.

If you search the 1911 census, there is a search field called "Birthplace as transcribed" and it (presumably) shows that field as the Birth place on the list of results, for instance Sussex Eastbourne, Eastbourne Sussex, Mead Eastbourne, Eastbourne SX, Essex Eastbourne, etc. Shame we don't get to see that on the free search for the 1921!

Merry

03-02-22, 18:52

Interesting. Yes, that all makes sense. A bit frustrating that they don't tell you any of this.

kiterunner

12-09-22, 22:22

I've just seen this in the TNA User Advisory Group meeting minutes from March 2022: In addition, in time (by the end of the calendar year as confirmed by Findmypast), the
1921 census would be available via Findmypast’s subscription model.

So it should be included in (some) FMP subscriptions by the end of this year, according to that.