Cornwall 1901 census DVD

[petefj]

I purchased a copy of the 1901 for Cornwall on DVD hoping it would be of use for my family research.

Unfortunately it's searchable by area and town but not by individual surname. Which makes the whole thing useless to me. Or it there some way of indexing it?

I suppose I could copy the whole DVD to the Mac, index it and copy it back to a DVD, but that's a lot of work. How do the experts here use census DVD's.

Peter

[Olde Crone Holden]

Hello Peter and welcome to FTF.

I think, since the advent of online records, most people no longer buy DVDs, CDs etc. However, as you have already bought yours, perhaps one workaround would be to use the free 1901 census transcriptions on family search and that would give you addresses and piece numbers to cross reference what you have.

OC

[Katarzyna]

Surely it would be easier to search https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1888129 for free?
All the other censuses are there too.
The transcription is there for free but for the image you would need to go to findmypast.co.uk which is pay to view.

edit:
snap OC!

[Chrissie Smiff]

Hello Peter and can I add my welcome to FTF too
I am not familiar with DVD records, but if you would like to give some names, with approx. age etc the researchers on here are always happy to look on Ancestry and/or Find My Past for you. As OC says, that would narrow down your search for you on the DVD.

p.s. It's just another suggestion, to go along with OC and Kat's.

[Janet in Yorkshire]

I'd forgotten how far we've come in 15 years. When I first retired, these CDs of individual county census were just coming out and we were thrilled to be able to scroll laboriously through the whole thing, searching for our rellies. Then the big boys came along. transcribed and indexed it all and now we can't live without it, although we have to pay our fees!

Welcome to the forum, Peter.

Jay

[Anne in Carlisle]

Yes, Jay, I had CDs for Yorkshire and spent many happy hours scrolling through complete small towns looking for my rellies. You really get the feel of their locations and neighbours from doing that.
HOWEVER without indexing you would just NEVER find those who had moved away. It wasn't until the searchable Ancestry censuses that I discovered a whole branch of my family had moved to London!

OC's advice is good .. use the free FamilySearch indexes to find the location and then you'll find them on your DVD and be able to see all their surroundings too.

Anne

[petefj]

Thank you for all of the replies. I guess that there's no way of avoiding the paid searches. But then, with the CD's I'm no better off. The paid searches don't tell you the folio or page numbers, so I'm not a lot better off.
I wasted my money.

Peter

[Olde Crone Holden]

Peter

Family search gives you the page number and folio.

OC

[Janet in Yorkshire]

Turning the thing on its head, as it were, one has always been able to view census free in the record office and libraries local to the area being researched. Pre internet and home computers I used to go on holiday to relevant areas and research in the local facilities, for free. But I had to pay for travel, accommodation and meals.
So, I think that I am way into pocket by paying an annual sub to one of the big boys, especially if I chose a site which also includes access to the PR images of the county I need. The annual membership for a whole year is less than the cost of travel and one two night stay.

Jay

[Chris in Sussex]

I agree with Janet

I have my maternal line who hail from Essex.

Before Seax came online I spent two weekends in the Records Office trawling through microfiche for my family and spent £100s on accommodation, subsistence ect.

Now I can sit at home, with a cuppa whenever I want it, all for an annual fee of £80ish.

Chris