The census is an essential survey of our population, and it is a source of basic information for local and national government and for various organizations dealing with education, housing, health and transport.
Providing the researcher with a fascinating insight into who we were in the past, Emma Jolly's new handbook is a useful tool for anyone keen to discover their family history. With detailed, accessible and authoritative coverage, it is full of advice on how to explore and get the most from the records. Each census from 1841 to 1911 is described in detail, and later censuses are analysed too.
The main focus is on the census in England and Wales, but censuses in Scotland, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are all examined and the differences explained. Particular emphasis is placed on the rapidly expanding number of websites that offer census information, making the process of research far easier to carry out. The extensive appendix gathers together all the key resources in one place. Emma Jolly's guide is an ideal introduction and tool for anyone who is researching the life and times of an ancestor.
About the Author
Emma Jolly
Emma Jolly is a professional genealogist, writer and historical researcher.
She studied at Sussex University - BA (Hons) in Intellectual History (2000) - and Sheffield Hallam University - MA with Merit in History: Imperialism and Culture (2014). In November 2014, Emma was awarded the Russell Finch prize for best History MA dissertation. She has also attained (2006) the IHGS Higher Certificate in Genealogy.
Emma writes regularly for family history publications, and is the author of four books: My Ancestor was a Woman at War (2014), Tracing Your Ancestors Using the Census (2013), Tracing Your British Indian Ancestors (2012) and Family History for Kids (2007).
Besides writing, Emma's media work includes research for IWC Media, the Daily Mirror, Michael Palin, Dragonfly Productions, and the BBC.
Emma is an active member of the Society of Genealogists, Families In British India Society (FIBIS) and London Historians. Emma is also a member of the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) and is on the recommended researchers list for the India Office Records at the British Library.
Based in Edinburgh, Emma specializes in genealogy problem-solving, London history, social history, women's history and the British in India, Scottish family history and private work.
When she is not researching for clients, Emma enjoys exploring her own family's history. Currently she is looking further into the life of her great-great grandfather, William Mitchell Jolly (1842-1889), and following up on the results of her autosomal DNA tests with Family Tree DNA, Ancestry, MyHeritage, Living DNA, and 23andMe.