How to Search "Forward"? From Last UK Census (1901)

[jetlife2]

I have been very successful in researchng my direct line backwards from present day, back to about 1820, primarily using online census and BMD indexes, confirmed by ordering the actual certificates so I nail down the proof.

Now looking at the 1841 census, I found siblings of my ggg Grandfather. In turn I can find those new people in 1851, 1861 and find their descendants in turn.

So by the time I have worked my way forward to the 1901 census, the tree has grown considerably and I have a whole list of new potential 3rd cousins, etc.

Now I'm stuck! The 1911 census won't be released till 2011! I will always be 100 years behind!

How do I take these people from 1901 forward to the present day? I'm convinced there must be living descendants - the families are big.

How do I bring that tree any further forward?

Thanks in advance for advice

Gareth Richards

[theKiwi]

How do I take these people from 1901 forward to the present day? I'm convinced there must be living descendants - the families are big.

How do I bring that tree any further forward?

Thanks in advance for advice.

Put your data online, and wait for it to get indexed by search engines, and then for your distant cousins to find it.

I have a slow, but steady stream of contacts from very distant relatives - 5th cousins and beyond sometimes - who have found their ancestor's names on my web site.

My first data went online within a few months of AOL allowing members to create web pages. I don't remember just how long ago that was now - 1997 or 1998 maybe?

Roger

[johnpritt]

Although census records will not be released for another 4 years or so, you can still search BMD records -- at least if your family was n the UK.
A number of sites exist: www.freebmd.org.uk is as its name suggests free, albeit incomplete, and there is also www.findmypast.com that is pretty much complete, but can work out expensive since the records are not fully indexed.
Once you think you have matches, then it's up to you if you want to get the certificates themselves (again, potentially expensive at £7 a time.
I've found GenesReunited to be a fairly useful for finding contacts as well. You can post your tree (use the Gedcom export from Reunion and then just load it into GenesReunited). It also generates a lot of false leads, but then so does most of my research ;)

[Kim]

You might also try newspaper files from the area they were located. Even though someone listed in the 1901 census is probably not with us, perhaps children born in 1920 are, or were. Obits may show the parents listed in 1901 as well as children and even grandchildren who currently survive. Might be able to carry it forward.