Searching Census Data by Film Number & Folio

[Terry Lawson]

I'm trying to find a method of searching the UK censuses on-line using the GRO film number and folio which for the moment can be obtained from:
http://yourarchives.nationalarchives...ial:Categories

Why do I want to do this?

I have an ancestor that I have found in 1851 but not in 1841, I have since found the ancestor in 1841 at exactly the same address as in 1851 BUT the surname was entered/transcribed incorrectly (Lawrence instead of Lawson)

So for example, my ancestor lived in Birds Court, St George Southwark in 1851, and the above link gives me HO 107/1084 ffs. 40-41 as the references for 1841.
If I could search the 1841 census for HO 107/1084 folio 40 I would be able to find the family fairly easily

Does anybody know if any on-line supplier can provide this service?

Terry Lawson

[Mona]

Yes you can search by Census reference number on both Ancestry and FMP. In the example above you missed out the book number 3 (1841 census has this extra number)
On FMP you add it before the folio number, ie 3/40 in the folio number box. On Ancestry they have a separate space for the book number of the 1841 census.

[Peter Goodey]

Easy as anything on Ancestry. Make sure you're using "old search" and "advanced search options" and away you go. Best to work from the "1841 England Census" search page in this case. I often do it this way in conjunction with the street index.

[Terry Lawson]

Mona and Peter

Many thanks for such quick responses.

It's always easy when you know how isn't it.

Pity that the help line at Ancestory didn't know how to do it.

Best regards

Terry Lawson

[jac65]

Hi Terry

To be fair to the Ancestry help line, if you said 'GRO Film No' to them it may have confused them, censuses have nothing to do with the GRO and none of the reference numbers are film numbers,

Andy

[Peter Goodey]

censuses have nothing to do with the GRO

I wouldn't say that. Censuses were and are carried out under the control of the Registrar General.