“A to Z Genealogy Tips – Fortnightly Series”

Census records provide invaluable snapshots of households, offering clues about family structure and life in a specific era. In countries like Australia where limited census documents have been kept, then electoral roles may assist.

Censuses list names, ages, occupations, and addresses. Tracking ancestors across multiple censuses helps uncover family patterns. Keep in mind transcription errors are common, so always verify names and dates with other sources. Census research can help you connect the dots in your family tree.  However, Australia and New Zealand have few census documents available and electoral rolls fill the gap.

Electoral rolls in Australia and New Zealand may not hold as much information but are still a valuable resource that give information and may provide clues on where else to search. It needs to be remembered that electoral rolls will not show all people in a household, only those registered and old enough to vote.  Subscription sites like Ancestry.com and FindMyPast have searchable indexes and hold different years, Australian electoral rolls go up to 1980 and New Zealand electoral rolls go up to 2010.  Most State Libraries offer free access to these subscription sites.

Search for your ancestors in census or electoral roll records and see how your family has changed over time.