The following was written by the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA):
The eagerly anticipated 1921 England and Wales Census release date is almost here. Its secrets have been hidden for over 100 years. But on 6 January 2022 all will be revealed.
AGRA genealogists, like family historians across the country, cannot wait to unlock its treasures: From seeing family members in a census for the first, or last, time, to finding out the impact the Great War had on family and community structures; to discovering the employment, and possibly employers, of their ancestors especially in this period of industrial strife, to where they were – and who they were with – on census night. Then there’s societal changes at the start of the Roaring Twenties, like the increase of divorce, and changes in the work of women from previous censuses. And not forgetting the inevitable disentangling of truth from mistakes and pure fiction in the entries of our ancestors
AGRA Chair, Antony Marr, said: “The release of any major set of historical records is always an exciting time for family history researchers. The 1921 Census is no exception and will allow us to find out so much about the lives of our ancestors, many of whom we may have known as elderly relatives, but will appear listed as young children. An AGRA researcher will be able to help find the correct records, interpret them and use them to connect to other, older records.”
Our membership is now busily drawing up lists of those must-see records, for their own family and local history research, as well as for the research wish-lists of their clients. Many AGRA genealogists will be already preparing for visits to The National Archives at Kew to minimise cost. In fact, because of this, combined with their expertise, it might prove more cost-effective to employ a professional researcher with the experience to view, disentangle, interpret and link these records.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
For further information about AGRA and the 1921 Census please contact Jane Roberts, on tel 0771 4203891 (09:00-17:00hrs) or via [email protected].