Finding Martha
Contents
The first searches
My first census searches revolved around finding Martha, i knew that she married during the 1880's but apart from knowing her approximate age at marriage (from her marriage certificate) i knew nothing more about her early years, it was only through working back in time using census searches i could narrow down the search for her birth and discover more about her.
The illustrations show not only the search criteria used but the results and images viewed before it was possible to confirm i was following the right person. Each illustration shows exactly what information was entered in the search box, these refined searches show how even a novice can achieve results, if you need help with finding a relative in the census then post a request for help on the Research Advice Forum
The 1901 Census Search
As if to demonstrate that "less i more" when it comes to census searches my first census search was done with very little background information. Just a name and age plus a suspected area where she may have lived was enough to find Martha.
I knew the name Martha Chambers and 1855 for an approximate year of birth, I suspected she was living in Lincoln (she married there in 1855), the census image also gave me the name of one of her children, and showed she was in the same parish in 1901 as the one she married in during 1885. This additional information can help when you search the earlier census years.
The 1891 Census Search
Armed with some new information from the 1901 census i could now enter more information when searching the 1891 census, in this instance the "new" information didn't help as "Martha Chambers" was horribly mistranscribed and her place of birth had changed from the 1901 result, now came the time to really refine the search for her.
The 1881 Census Search
The 1881 census was the first census return i searched before Martha married, i had her maiden name from her marriage certificate and her county of birth from the previous census searches, again her name is mistranscribed but by trying different techniques i eventually found her. It was somewhat of a suprise to find where she was and only by using the information i had gathered could i confirm it was indeed her.
The 1861 Census Search
The 1861 census places Martha in her home county along with her parents and siblings, through the census searches i had followed Martha through a marriage, births of children and three counties, quite a trip tbut the census returns helped to locate her birth record and the marriage for her parents.
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