Are the census records fully indexed?
– All the available censuses have been fully indexed, e.g. many by Ancestry.co.uk and some by FindMyPast.com. Localised sections of the censuses have also been independently indexed by the family history societies covering those areas. These local indexes are usually more accurate than the national indexes, and are published on CD by the relevant FHS. Do remember however, that all indexes suffer from errors of transcription – a particular hazard with Welsh place-names! Moreover the index may not include all the details given in the original census record. One must therefore always verify the index entry by referring to a facsimile image of the original census entry (available in libraries, CROs, FHCs, and via commercial websites such as Ancestry.co.uk).
