Ancestry.co.uk 1851 Census Press Release

ANCESTRY.CO.UK LAUNCHES THE LONG AWAITED 1851 CENSUS ONLINE WITH THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Ancestry.co.uk has launched the first ever complete 1851 England and Wales Census online in association with The National Archives. In compiling an additional 17.7 million names, six of the seven publicly available censuses are now online through Ancestry.co.uk. As a result, the database now boasts more than 300 million entries, making it easier to trace your ancestors back through six consecutive decades from 1901.

While the 1851 Census has been the most eagerly awaited by family history researchers, Ancestry.co.uk has already begun work on the 1841 Census and aims to complete the series before the end of 2006.

*Familiar and famous names within this Census include:

· Charles Darwin had returned home from his discoveries in the Galapagos Islands and published The Voyage of the Beagle, to be found at home with his wife and children.

· Florence Nightingale had yet to embark on her nursing career and still lived at home with her parents at the age of thirty four.

· Isambard Kingdom Brunel, designer and builder of tunnels, bridges, railways and ships, was living with his wife, children and mother at 17 and 18 Duke Street in Westminster, London – above his design offices.


Josh Hanna, Managing Director of Ancestry.co.uk said; “We’ve never seen such anticipation for a collection as we have for the 1851 census. We know census records are a great starting point and the most popular way to search for your relatives because they contain so much information that really brings your ancestors to life.”

Hanna continues; “The interest has always been there as we know 25 million people are doing or are interested in doing their family history but not everybody has always had the opportunity. We want to deliver a good quality and reliable service to our members, which include adding these new collections as soon as we can to assist in their research. For beginners, with all the content in one place, it’s the perfect way to start and continue on the journey of your family history.”

In addition to the 1851 Census, Ancestry.co.uk is the only online resource working with The National Archives that offers six complete Censuses dating from 1851 to 1901. These were previously only available by trawling through records offices. Every single record has been carefully indexed so you can search by first name, surname, birthplace, county and date, all helping to paint the picture of how your family lived. Once you’ve tracked them down you can find out where they were living and who with, and how they made a living.
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Notes to editors:
About Ancestry.co.uk:
Ancestry.co.uk is the UK’s number one online resource for family history, offering the largest and most accessible collection of original UK records, previously only available by trawling through records offices. Offering unparalleled easy access to these records, Ancestry.co.uk gives you access to your family’s history in the comfort of your own home.

Ancestry.co.uk is part of the MyFamily network of websites. MyFamily.com, Inc. is the leading online network connecting families, present and past. MyFamily’s tools, content and community empower individuals to find the people most important to them — and discover and share their unique family stories. The MyFamily network includes MyFamily.com, Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com and RootsWeb.com. MyFamily also publishes Family Tree Maker®, the #1 selling family tree software, Who Do You Think You Are Family Tree Maker, Ancestry Magazine, Genealogical Computing Magazine, over 50 book titles and numerous databases on CD-ROM.