Genealogy Chat

Brilliant Thanks for that Jeanette Nikki x

Hi Carol Welcome to the madhouse! lol When you downloaded SSCENS, you should have ended up with a few icons on your desktop. Have a read through those entitled READ ME, FIELDS and STRUCTUR. Read me will tell you how to set up your spreadsheet. I find this the hardest part, and as every computer differs, if you get stuck with this bit it is best ot ask your co-ordinator for help. Fields tells you what goes in which columns, how wide each column should be, and any special abbreviations etc. Structur tells you what goes in each row. There are also some notes in here that refer to the spreadsheet included in CENSDEMO (on your desktop). Have a look at Censdemo in conjunction with these notes to give you an idea. Hopefully, when you've read through these, things will be a little clearer! Jeanette x

Hi All 2 Queries: First one: I am stuck. I have a person on my cencus born in 'North America. There is no mention of wether British or not. Do I put OVB or OVF in the county? Also, do I put UNK in place of birth? Second one: Devon Census 1861 RG9/1511, folio 64, page 7, schedule 31. Could someone take a look for me and see if they can work out where Ann the housekeeper was born please? I think its staffordshire but cant make out the bit before it. Thank you. Vikki xx

Hi Vikki For your person born in America I would put OVF in column T. UNK isn't an option for column U so I would put the hyphen and an x in column V. As for your lady in Staffordshire, I would say she was born in Litchfield. They seem to have written it as two separate words. Jeanette x

Hi Jeanette ThankYou - your a star. Been trying to work it out for ages. Vikki xx

Hi All Hooray! Finished my first transcription disc! What a rewarding thing to do. Will send it off to Terry now and start on my other area whilst waiting for a 2nd one from Terry. Immense thank you's to everyone who has helped me and especially to Jeanette for the advice as well as the help. Vikki xx

WELL DONE VIKKI! It's a great feeling when you get to the end of a disc isn't it? And it's even better when you see it go on the site. Which reminds me, I should get on with mine! By my reckoning I should only have about 600 entries or so before I finish mine. Then I'm moving on to do a bit of East Yorkshire for a change. I've also volunteered to check a piece too. I must be mad! lol Congratulations once again Vikki Jeanette x

Hi I have windows XP and was having trouble downloading the various files needed, so Carol Barber emailed them to me. But the blank CSV file in gobeldygook, just a coulpe of lines of x's number and various signs. Is there another way I can get this blank, otherwise I dont know what it looks like. and secondly, do we enter each individual page of the census or is it a continous stream. Thanks Helen

Hi Helen Ooooooo 'eck! lol. Is Carol your co-ordinator? Can you answer this question for me first please before we go any further! Jeanette x

Hi Yes she is! Helen

Ok Helen, I'm messaging you!

Hi All Can anyone help? Like I said, I have finished my first CD and sent it off for checking. Lesley emailed me back with an error file and asked me to do the following: could you also remove from the Notes column, duplications like ?address ?p.o.b. or whatever, for as long as you have the relevant column checked with a x, all it does is slow the following processes. I have mailed Lesley back but thought I would ask on here for a speedier reply if possible. My question is: Is Lesley asking me to remove the multiple '?' from each persons query and just have one '?' on each line. OR Is Lesley asking me not to put say, 'surname?' for each person in that house with the same surname. Ie If 4 people have the same surname query, then just put the querie on the first persons line. AND - Does Lesley mean to do BOTH of the above. I hope you can understand that as im totally confused now and feel worried in case I have to do the whole thing again. Vikki xx

Hi Vikki I'm not really sure what she means! lol. When I first started we were asked to always put an explanation of the query in column Y. But I know Carol has now been syaing not to bother with the explanations unless absolutely necessary, as the x will make the checking program stop anyway. So I would remove most if not all of the queries from column Y. Hope that's right! lol Jeanette x

Hi Jeanette Will do that then for now. Had a sickly feeling I had done it all wrong for a bit there. Hopefully all will be okay though. Vikki xx

Have just completed my first parish for Freecen, do I continue on the same page with the next parish/leave spaces before I start the next parish/begin a new spreadsheet? I have just had my work checked (after I had entered another parish on the same sheet) and was told' Folio/book has changed in the middle of a page' 'Schedule number - 1 not sequential' As a very new newcomer daren't continue until I get it sorted, don't fancy having to do everything all over again! Would appreciate any help anyone can offer. Many thanks, Jean.

Hi Jean, Just keep going. There's no need to leave any gaps between the different area's. Are you enjoying doing it? I'm on my 2nd disc and love using my imagination on what the real relationship is between some of the households. geraldine

Morning Jean! If it's the same piece ie. disc, just carry on with the same spreadsheet, no spaces or anything. Just remember if it's a new Enumeration District you will need to type the name of the parish in column A (parish name should be in top left hand corner of census page), and of course there will be a new Enumeration District Number to go in column B. **Folio/book has changed in the middle of a page' 'Schedule number - 1 not sequential' ** Without seeing it I'm taking a guess! lol. Did the parish change in the middle of the page? Or are there some pages missing? Or have you accidentally typed in the wrong Folio number? Can you actually see what your co-ordinator means? I'll be in and out all day but I'll try and keep any eye out for you Jean! Jeanette x

Hi all, I have been quiet lately!!! So heres another one of my stupid questions! lol Why is it on some of the family relationships it states son in law but they are marked as unmarried and some only age 12? They have different surnames to the head and his wife eg Thorpe joseph head m 45 thorpe mary wife m 40 hodgen thomas son in law u 12 then no one else in family! some cases it states 2 son in laws? the enumerator has used step son on other familie just out of curiosity as at first i thought that could be the relationship. Rattling on again sorry any help would be appreciated. i have just typed what it says then put an x in the nearest place. judith

Hi Geraldine & Jeanette, Thank you both so much for your help, think I'm getting there now! I haven't had any of my work checked by my co-ordinator only CSV2DAT, and the only warning I am receiving now is that row 344 Schedule Number - 1 not sequential. Row 343 was my last entry for the parish of Watton, and row 344 was the first entry for the township of Bracken, thus the schedule started at number one again!! Will it sort itself out do you think? I am enjoying it Geraldine, but will feel happier when I have a little more confidence. Best wishes to you both. Jean. I

Hi Judith In the old days (lol) they used to use son in law to mean step son or wifes son. But as you know we have to type exactly what is says even if it doesn't make sense to us! As for the 'unmarried', I think it was possible for boys to get married at 12 and girls at 14 - or was it the other way round! lol. Either way, we have to type it in, even if the enumerator has entered it for a 6 year old. Jeanette x