1891 New South Wales Census

ChrisLong26

Hi, I have found a copy of the 1891 New South Wales census data, I have found a small 's' type symbol next to the name I am interested in and would like to know is anyone knows what this means?

It looks a bit like an s with a small line at the top and the bottom of each end of the s.

Áine Ní Donnghaile

@ChrisLong26 Can you please share the URL of the record so we can see exactly what you are seeing?

ChrisLong26

Sorry, I was not sure how to add the link previously.
Here it is.
https://www.familysearch.org/memories/memory/202832092?cid=mem_copy

Áine Ní Donnghaile

The URL of the record is what we need to see. That would be: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKKQ-FC6W
And, the instructions are at the beginning of the schedule, at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G96L-Y4PG
The instructions under Item 5 may apply in this case.

MandyShaw1

(Edit-crossed with Aine's so ignore me!)

The record for WH King is https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKKQ-FC4Z

ChrisLong26

Thanks you to much @Áine Ní Donnghaile and @MandyShaw1
Would you also be able to tell me any info about the 1891 NSW census?
Is this all the information available? No ages? Sex? Occupation?
Thanks, Chris

Áine Ní Donnghaile

The FamilySearch Wiki is a good first place to learn about any record set: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Australia,_New_South_Wales,1891_Census-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records

To protect individual privacy, all national censuses were destroyed after statistical information was collected. The New South Wales 1891 census was one of the few census records that survived the destruction.

Adrian Bruce1

Just in case anyone follows this up, I found the following explanatory quote on Ancestry (to whom, thanks)

"... The census was taken on April 5, 1891, but only the collector’s books remain from the original records. Individual’s names aren’t included other than the household information that was recorded, for instance, name, number in household, and number of Chinese or Aboriginal people ... "

So, no ages, no. And indeed, the only person listed is the head of household. You might think that the surviving documents are pretty useless as a census but I suspect that the key is that description of "collectors' books". If I'm right, these aren't the documents used for recording and analysing the census data - they are just checklists used by the collectors who gave the blank census forms out, and collected them after completion. (Collectors appear to be different from Enumerators in this case).

My wild guess would be that privacy concerns meant that the detailed stuff was destroyed but these checklists escaped to leave us with tantalising clues, but no more.