Census returns | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Census returns

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Submitted by anonymous-01 on Fri, 2011-04-08 22:51

I have been looking at the census returns recently and have yet to find one with names of people. There is a lot of analysis. But no names or addresses.

Thought the 1911 returns might be as we know them here in Ireland - we have one this Sunday - with families listed at their addresses and the various other information. But not so. Though there is even more analysis there are no names and addresses.

I wonder if there were other official lists kept of names and families and if and when census returns appear as we know them both here and in the UK?

Sean

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Submitted by David on Sat, 2011-04-09 10:14.

Hi Sean, I've got the feeling they were just collecting the information shown in the Census - mainly numbers and nationalities. The notes on the census process only list a small number of people out collecting the information, so I don't think they'd have had time to do the detailed census we have now.

Can anyone else confirm?

Regards, David

Submitted by anonymous-01 on Sun, 2011-04-10 00:16.

I suspect you are right David as far as early HK goes but I wonder if this approach changed as the Colony settled and became more "central" to Empire?

The Juror lists are great but they too have their shortcomings as names slip in and out and we are seeing things like ""On Premiss" for addresses and I know for certain that my family used their business address also in the second generation. The nearest thing there seems to be to residents and their homes are the various diectories and it is unclear how official or commercial they were.

Be interested to hear other views and if anybody has any idea what the practice was in other places.

Sean

 

 

Submitted by patricia on Sun, 2011-04-10 22:48.

It would be wonderful to unearth something like the 1911 Ireland census - but it sounds as if all that exists approximates to the 'emunerators extracts'.  There's remarkably little on the web about census taking in British colonies in general - the best I've found so far (just an abstract from a journal article) is at linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0305748807000722

which seems to suggest that head count was the general limit of the census outside of the British Isles

regards

Patricia

Submitted by anonymous-01 on Mon, 2011-04-11 00:25.

Thanks Patricia. That seems to answer my query. It's a pity because the British and Irish versions are truly wonderful sources.

In some cases I have used the Beitish census to check on an HK Juror and have been lucky enough to find their births etc and this has added much to the research. Hit and miss though.

Sean