Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
Standard Edition
A
Weekly Summary of Events and
Topics
of Interest to Online Genealogists
Vol. 7 No. 52 –
- 1851
Gloucestershire Census on CD-ROM
This week I had a chance to use a new CD-ROM
that should interest anyone researching
The data on this CD-ROM is stored in five
different formats: Adobe Acrobat PDF files, Microsoft Access, a proprietary
database format used by a custom Windows program, ASCII text files, and Rich
Text Format files. (Rich Text Format, or RTF, can be read by most modern word
processors.) When used on Windows, inserting the disk for the first time into
the PC launches a software installation dialogue. If you agree with the
dialogue, a number of files will be installed on your hard drive. Once done,
the required software will load automatically every time you insert the CD-ROM disk
into your computer. From this point on, you will be using the custom database
version of the data. Additionally, Windows users may use the other versions if
they wish. Macintosh and Linux users can use the Adobe Acrobat version as well
as the ASCII text and RTF versions. I installed the Windows software and used
it most of the time while writing this review.
Unlike many other
Here is a "copy and paste" of a
few records I found while conducting a simple search for the common surname of
Williams:
1944
1851 CENSUS HO107/1944 FF.0441 - 0463 ED.2G OLDLAND 2Piece: 1944 Folio: 0459
Schedule: 132
Address:
Parkwall
WILLIAMS
Aaron HD M 28 Hatter
GLS Bitton (c1823)
WILLIAMS
Hannah WI M 29 Dress Maker
GLS St.George (c1822)
WILLIAMS
Joseph SO - 6 Scholar
GLS Bitton (c1845)
The above listing shows three members of one
family, all residing at Parkwall. Aaron Williams is Head of Household
(abbreviated as HD), married, 28 years old, with an occupation of
"hatter." He was born in Bitton, Gloucestershire (abbreviated GLS).
Since his age is listed as 28 in the 1851 census, he was born circa (about)
1822. Hannah Williams is listed as Aaron’s wife. She is 29 years old, a
dressmaker, born circa 1822 in St. George, Gloucestershire. Their 6-year-old
son (abbreviated SO) Joseph was also born in Bitton, Gloucestershire.
The database version has another useful
feature: when displaying the data of an individual, you can click on a button
labeled "View Neighbours" to see a long list of nearby households.
This can be valuable since related families often lived in the same
neighborhood.
While the above search methods are simple,
the 1851 Gloucestershire Census CD has other methods of displaying the
information that are useful in many genealogy searches:
The CD-ROM disk also contains additional
reference information, including a list of all abbreviations used and a list of
enumeration districts, including the names of Enumerators, Registrars, and
Superintendent Registrars.
Unlike some other census CD-ROM disks, I
found it easy to copy data from the 1851 Gloucestershire Census records and
then paste it into a word processor while writing this article. You can also
paste it into most Windows applications, including your favorite genealogy
program. I was also able to print records on my local printer. Each printout
was self-documenting: direct printouts from the program include the name of the
CD-ROM disk as well as a reference to where the information was found in the
original handwritten census records.
The Gloucestershire Family History Society
says that the Windows software requires Windows 95, 98 or NT. However, I used
it on Windows XP and did not experience any problems. The software also
requires a screen resolution of 800-by-600 pixels or more, 16 megabytes of RAM
memory (and undoubtedly more than that on later versions of Windows), and 5
megabytes of available hard drive space.
Everything I have described so far uses the
Windows software included with the CD-ROM. However, I also tried the Adobe
Acrobat PDF files, the ASCII text files, and the RTF files on Windows XP and on
Red Hat Linux.
The same information is displayed in the
other formats as in the Windows application; you view transcribed records, not
images of the original handwritten records. The information appears to be
recorded in the same order as the original census records. You can search by
any word in the text, such as a name or date. However, the advanced searches of
the database version are not available, nor are the alphabetical lists. I
wasn’t able to copy and paste data from the Acrobat files. However, I could
print a page or multiple pages easily. When I switched to the text files and
RTF files, however, I could copy and paste easily.
The Acrobat version of the data should
operate on any computer that has Acrobat Reader installed; no additional
software is copied to the hard drive. The files should work on Macintosh,
Linux, UNIX, and even the Windows CE operating system for handheld computers.
The 1851 Gloucestershire Census CD-ROM is an
example of excellent genealogy data being made available at low cost. Unlike
some other recent census products, the 1851 Gloucestershire Census records were
transcribed by transcribers who speak English as their primary language and who
have experience in searching primary records of interest to genealogists. I was
not able to check the records against the originals for accuracy, but I suspect
the error rate is quite low. (No transcribed records are ever error-free,
however.)
The 1851 Gloucestershire Census CD-ROM sells
for ₤21.50, roughly $34.00 in
For more information about the 1851 Gloucestershire
Census CD-ROM, look at: http://mysite.freeserve.com/gfhs/1851cd.htm