Tracing Your Ancestors Using the Census - Retford Library - Adult Learning

Retford Library, Retford

Date	6 - 20 June 2026
Sessions	Saturdays: 10am - 12pm
No. sessions	3
Venue	Retford Library, Retford View venue details
For ages	19+
Group size	5 - 12
Cost	FREE - £24

About this course

Census returns are amongst the most popular records for family history research, and for good reason. They provide key information about people from the past including names, ages, family relationships, addresses, birthplaces, occupations and more. If you want to learn more about historical censuses and how to use them effectively to trace your own ancestors, why not come along to this new three-week course? The course is suitable for beginners in family history and may also be useful for more experienced researchers who would like to refresh their knowledge. If you’re struggling to find an ‘elusive’ ancestor on the census, this could be the perfect chance to gain new ideas, tips and techniques to help with your search.

The main focus of the course will be on the available census records for England and Wales (including the 1921 England and Wales Census, released in 2022). We will, however, make reference to censuses of other countries, including Scotland and Ireland. Additionally, we will explore the 1939 England and Wales Register which, although not a census, is arranged along similar lines and contains some similar information.

At the start of the course, you will discover more about the history of the census – when and why it was introduced, how it was taken, and what information was collected in different censuses over time. You will explore physical census documents and practise reading and interpreting information on different census returns. You will also look at census documents online, discovering what can be accessed and where, and developing skills and strategies to help you search online censuses and interpret the information you find. There is a strong practical element to the course with around half the class time spent on practical activities (in pairs or small groups). This includes time dedicated to searching online for ancestors of your own. Laptops will be provided for this purpose with free access to Ancestry.com (Ancestry.com is free to access in Inspire Libraries).

What you will need to bring to the course:

Please bring paper and a pen to each session.

Booking your place and fee information

If you receive certain benefits you will be offered the course for free, however if you have a financial barrier which may prevent you from enrolling on the course, please visit our funding page for further information.

Residency in England

To book and enrol on one of our courses, you must be living in England permanently and live outside of the devolved areas listed below or live within the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) devolved area (Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire).

Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Greater London
Greater Manchester
Liverpool City Region
Newcastle Upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland
Tees Valley
West of England
West Midlands
West Yorkshire

Residency Eligibility – other criteria

If you are living in the UK on a visa we will require evidence of this in order to be funded for the course, you can upload this evidence when you apply for the course. (completion of a questionnaire will be required).

Some exceptions may apply for example

Your visa expiry date must be beyond the end of your course
Asylum seekers must have lived in the UK for 6 months or longer while their claim is being considered by the Home Office
You are receiving local authority support under section 23C or section 23CA of the Children Act 1989 or the Care Act 2014