* Why Census fact again?

[dklbrooks]

Been away from FH for a while so this may have been covered already:
If I create facts like residence, occupation and anything else I find in the census record
why do I then also need a "census" fact, as seems to be implied in the KB?

[Jane]

It's up to you, if you create Residence facts you don't need a Census one. Personally I don't create Residence facts, I simply use the Census fact.

If you are using Ancestral Sources to record information you will need to configure it to match your requirement.

[Gowermick]

If the residence comes from a census, I use a census fact. If I get a residence from elsewhere ( e.g. Poll Book or Military record etc) then I use residence fact. I can then see at a glance which residences didn’t come from a census.

Also, having census information stored under a census fact, simplifies queries when trying to identify people who have not been found in a particular census year.

NB I even store the 1939 register details as a census fact.

As Jane said, this is a personal choice, and others may do things differently

[mjashby]

Perhaps turn the original question around, as it may be influenced by the gross/sweeping misuse of Residence Facts by Ancestry.com

If you record a Census fact, which includes details of the address and place the a person was located on Census night, do you really need to record a (possibly incorrect) Residence Fact, which, on its own, is simply a conclusion drawn from a single Census record, rather than a proven Fact?

Was/is a Census record intended to provide a definitive statement of every person's precise place of residence on the night of the Census, or is it really just a record of where he/she happened to be on that night? What about the very substantial minority of people (including family members) who weren't actually resident at the locations where they were enumerated in the Censuses, including one of my ancestors who was enumerated on a Ship located on a river in China, but whose actual residence (and family) was in Portsmouth, Hampshire?

Then there are the research/documentation practicalities: If you have no visible (recorded) Census Facts how would you track/query whether or not you have gathered and recorded all appropriate Census records? None of the many research utilities designed to help with that checking will work as, as far as I'm aware, they all look for recorded Census Facts.

[tatewise]

I guess the how_to:recording_census_records|> Recording from a Census Record is the advice you have found.
As explained there, and by the earlier replies, it is your choice, but many utilities rely on Census Events to help you research Census records.