Population census data is incredibly useful for historians since it provides chronological breadth. Some nations have more than two centuries’ worth of uninterrupted census information. Commercial companies, such as Ancestry.com, have digitised every page of many census registers and allow historians and genealogists to search for specific individuals, tracing family connections, occupations, migration and residency.
There is potential for wider and more generalised studies of the census however, utilising the vast array of statistics that were collected about wider populations, the economy and society. This article will concentrate on two national collections, one covering the UK (www.histpop.org.uk) the other the USA (www.socialexplorer.com).
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
