LINKS:
GENUKI Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire Surnames List
Renfrewshire FHS
Ayrshire Roots
Glasgow,West of Scotland FHS
Lanarkshire FHS
Cyndi's List - Renfrewshire
Old Maps Co UK
NLS Early Maps of Scotland
Statistical Accounts 1791, 1845
 

1841 TRANSCRIPTION HINTS

Transcription Software
Please download the SSCENS spreadsheet program and FAQ from http://freecen.rootsweb.com/software/incens/SSDOWN.HTM

The FAQ and help files should provide all the instruction information needed to transcribe. Also visit the project home page at http://freecen.rootsweb.com/ and read the information there, downloading anything useful.

SSCENS was created for the 1891 England/Wales census, there are a few things to be aware of when adapting it for the 1841 Scotland census. Please read and print out the documentation included in the download first, in particular the STRUCTUR.HTM and FIELDS.HTM files. They contain a few notes on how to use the program with 1841 census. More specific instructions for Scotland are below.

1. The general rule for transcription is to enter things "as is". There are a couple exceptions to this rule which will be dealt with in the next section.

2. The 1841 has several differences with later census returns. The enumerators collected less information. Ages were rounded down for people over 15. The books were written in pencil rather than ink, making the reproduction worse. There are no schedule numbers. Because of the poor quality of many of the fiche, you may be struggling to read some of it. Please just give it your best shot. Please make an entry for each line, even if you are reduced to inputting rows of ?????. Remember, behind you comes a checker and the validater.

3. The 1841 census used a series of slashes to distinguish between families and households. The enumerator's did not always follow the instructions as laid out. Review your parish before you begin transcription to get a sense of the system your enumerator's were using. In general:
   • A single slash ("/") after a name indicates that the people following are not members of the preceding family. Sometimes they are a separate household living in the same building and sometimes they are employees, lodgers, distant relatives, etc. living in the same household as the main family.

   • A double slash ("//") after a name indicates that the people following were members of another household. There can be more than one family in a building, particularly in larger cities.

4. Take the time to read the enumeration information at the beginning of the ED and the enumerator's notes (if applicable), at the end of the ED. These may contain further clarification on proper address spellings and any questionable entries.

Notes on using SSCENS for 1841 Scotland

1. Column C — Folio number: Folio numbers were not used on the Scotland 1841 census. Please enter "0".

2. Column E — Schedule number: Schedule numbers were not used on the 1841 census, however a schedule number MUST be entered in the row for each new head of household for the database to work. Please enter "0". Each household has to be determined. If the “slashes” don't solve the problem for you, then look at the complete picture, addresses, surnames, ages, occupations etc. Then decide what the household is.

3. Column G — Address: All "dittos" and any abbreviations clearly derived from preceding place names should be expanded. For example the address "H. Cot." following the address "Hiltonhead" should be expanded to "Hiltonhead Cot.". If the abbreviation is unclear, enter it as is. Also, use the spelling used by the enumerator, no matter how unusual it seems.

4. Column J — Forename: In 1841 no modern first names were likely. Before 1900, the majority of men in Scotland had one of the following names: James, John, William, Alexander, Charles, or Robert. The majority of women had one of the following names: Mary, Margaret, Martha, Jane/Jean, Janet, Agnes, Elisabeth, or Isabella.

5. Column Q — Occupation: Understandable abbreviations such as "Ag Lab" are acceptable, however please expand out other abbreviations (example: AL, FS, HLW) where you are certain of the meaning so that it is clearly understandable. All "dittos" should also be expanded. If you are unclear as to the meaning of the abbreviation, enter it as is. Please reference the list of occupations for common abbreviations.

6. Column T — Birth County: The 1841 enumerators used "y" for born in county, "n" for not born in county, "i" for Ireland, "e" for England, and "f" for Foreign. Translate these over as follows

   y = code for county you are transcribing in (full list)
   n = OUC
   i = IRL
   e = ENG
   f = OVF
   no entry = UNK