Census search strategies? - please .....

[Bryan]

anyone got any bright ideas on how to limit the search results (or the number of images I need to view) when looking for common names.

I'm looking for my ggParents in '91 - McDonalds - a few of them in Scotland - or maybe MacDonald of course. My gFather would have been about 5 - say 4-6 which gives about 150 for Mc and the same for Mac.

He was John (originality in names not a strong point) they were Alexander (Alec, Sandy, Alex) and Margaret (Mags, Meg, Maggie, Peggy etc). Have tried downloading index results for the parents(as Alexander and Margaret Mc) and matching on GROS index No but with no luck.

If I could get down to buying a few duff images to get the real one that's fine but trawling through dozens in hope is going to get expensive .

I can't be the only one in this boat - anybody got any ideas?

thanks

[sporran]

Hello Bryan,


the User Group asked SP to consider a search using two names that should be within a page of each other. We are waiting to hear back about the feasibility of this suggestion.

Do you know more about the family, in particular the maiden name of your gg-grandmother, or if your grandfather was the eldest child? This could help to pinpoint a marriage and therefore a likely area for the family.


Regards,

John

[Bryan]

John

thanks for that info, being able to search on 2 names would certainly help especially if you could specify ages on both or even select head of house.


I have the marriage for the ggP which was in Glasgow and I believe they stayed over that side of the country though the ggMother was in Ayrshire when she died - limits it to Lanark, Renfrew, Dunbarton, Ayr but still maybe 50% of population

My gFather should be 5 and parents about 32ish but I've learned not to be surprised by ages being way out - I've got people ageing anywhere between 2 and 19 years over a ten year gap!

[sporran]

Hello Bryan,


the first step is the hardest: getting any search using two names. Ages should not be too much of a problem, but specifying the head is a non-starter. Although the information is in the census, it was not extracted for the indexes so we can not search on it.

Do you have dates and places for the marriage and death that you mention, and any other dates and places, such as children's births and other censuses? Occupation of Alexander? It all helps in getting a picture of the family.


Regards,

John

[DavidWW]

In the meantime, before an online SP search on the basis of two names becomes a reality, if ever , the same type of search can still be carried out, albeit taking a lot more time and effort, and a few credits, by searching separately for the various people known or suspected to be in the household, printing off the lists of hits, and looking for exact matches on the reference, or +/-1 on the page number, - the last figure in the reference..........

Unfortunately, the relationship info is not included in the index, so, as John comments, searching on the basis of specifying someone as "Head" won't work as the index stands.

David

[Bryan]

John, David

thanks for that. We've tried cross checking index lists without success so far. Could be either Alexander or Margaret are not down as that (Sandy or Maggie etc) or could be transcribed as Mac or something like McDonell. As yet can't find them in 91 or 01 and not knowing where they originate from don't see much chance of finding the when they were single.

Marriage was 17/3/1866 (correction 17/3/1886 - see below) in Cowcaddens when both gave ages as 27, this was a month after John's birth (only found birth thanks to excellent researcher at GROS - best £10 we've spent I reckon).
Margaret died 20/6/1924 at Beith, Ayrshire. Alexander was a packing box maker on marriage cert and a joiner on death cert - he was still alive at that point.

There were 3 other sons we know of (Alexander, Donald and William, we think - more distinctive names ) and possibly a daughter but no idea when they were born or in what order

[Jean Jeanie]

Could this be Alexander and Margaret in 1881. Correct ages and occupation?

Dwelling: 16 Tuphall Road
Census Place: Hamilton, Lanark, Scotland
Source: FHL Film 0203693 GRO Ref Volume 647 EnumDist 14 Page 17
Marr Age Sex Birthplace
Alexander MC DONALD M 37 M Hamilton, Lanark, Scotland
Rel: Head
Occ: Joiner
Margaret MC DONALD M 36 F Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland
Rel: Wife
Maggie CAMERON 12 F Bothwell, Lanark, Scotland
Rel: Neice
Occ: Scholar

Jean

[Bryan]

Jean Jeanie

profuse apologies to you

to me - remember check after you type - check dates twice!

marriage was 1886 not 1866

[Jean Jeanie]

Hi Bryan

No use looking for them in 1881 then

Back to the drawing board.

Jean

[Jean Jeanie]

Had a quick look for him as a son of John but nothing stands out.

What was Margaret's maiden name and the names of her parents

I'll have a look for her

Jean