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By Ginny Ackerson
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For those of you with ties in the United Kingdom, the 1939 Register has been released by the British National Archives and Find My Past at findmypast.com. This snapshot of about 41 million people in a nation on the verge of war is an amazing source of information. This record determined rationing, the making of identity cards and military strategy. It also was used after the war when the National Health Service was established.
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The Register includes the following information: name; sex; age (not year of birth); occupation; profession, trade or employment; residence; condition as to marriage; membership of naval, military or Air Force Reserves or auxiliary forces or of Civil Defense Services or Reserves for the United Kingdom which included England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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Why is this record such a boon to genealogists? The British 1931 census returns, including schedules, enumeration books and plans, were completely destroyed in 1942 in a fire in Hayes, Middlesex, where the census was being stored. The Scottish portion was stored in Edinburgh, so it is still intact. The 1941 census was not taken because the country was in the midst of World War II. This leaves a 30-year gap between the 1921 and 1951 censuses which the 1939 register helps to bridge.
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The release of the 1939 Register is also advantageous because of the timing. The 1921 census is not scheduled to be released until 2021, so this gives genealogists a bit of a head start and a sneak peek into what they might find out about their families in the release of the census in five years.
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More good news for my readers! I was selected to not only speak at RootsTech 2016 but to also be an Ambassador! RootsTech is offering a free three-day pass to one of you lucky people. To enter, please email me at groovifamily@msn.com and tell me why you want to go to RootsTech and how it would benefit your research. The winning entry will be announced in next month’s column in Serve Daily.
