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How I found my family in the 1911 census

There is no lovelier joy than finding my long dead family members, and to find them forever young

By
ROBERT SULLIVAN
,
IrishCentral.com
Published Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 1:27 PM
Updated Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 1:45 PM
Read more: Bantry (County Cork), Robert Lynch


A glimpse at Ireland in 1911
A glimpse at Ireland in 1911

I had no reason to wonder about the year 1911 when I entered Waterstones in Cork City to buy a book with the gift token my thoughtful neighbor, Betty, had given me.

I settled, after much browsing in that wonderful world of words, on the fine work on Tom Crean, Antartic explorer, written by Michael Smith.

At home I sat at the kitchen table, radio humming in the background, and had an initial flick through the pages of the beautiful photographs which make the book irresistible.

There is a great deal of reference to 1911 all through the work, as it was a defining year in Crean's life; it being a year of frantic preparation for the Scott race to the South Pole.

Suddenly, my attention was altered to the radio, where a woman was recounting her delight in discovering on the internet her family details contained in the 1911 census.

My morning had the effect that I felt I had no choice now but to further investigate the year 1911 for myself.

Beginning the search in the 1911 census

Making a beeline to the laptop, I simply googled "1911 census" and it magically appeared.

I enjoyed the momentary excitement of possibly discovering some details of my own clan, having grown up when the difficulties of 1950s Ireland left little time for harking back to even an even more frugal era.

The census was conducted on April 2, 1911, and the moment I began my Bantry search, I was aware of entering, in a very real way, the lives of those who lived in the place, almost 100 years ago.

The comprehensive digital compilation makes it child's play to follow, and soon I was transported to the old town, where the actual census forms, filled out by the "head of household,” are on display at the touch of a button.

The street names are all listed, so all one has to do is click on the road you know is relevant.

By now I felt my throat drying up at the prospect and privilege of being the first family member to look upon the handwriting of my grandfathers, one of whom, my father's dad, I had never heard anything about.

Did he even live in their home, I wondered? My own father, never one to speak much of his childhood, only ever told me his name was John.

I knew they lived on Church Road, and was astonished to learn they were not listed there. Dad had told me he was born there, so how could this be? Disappointment.

Nothing for it now but to go through the streets alphabetically, all 54 of them. Far from this extra work being a chore, it was a delightful experience.

My day was spent in the company of all the people of 2 April 1911, in Bantry town, who for that one day on the 10 August 2009, visited my house, and shared with me their intimate family details.

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How I found my family in the 1911 census | IrishCentral


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