info on 1871 census

[alig99]

I may have found my great grandfather William tucker Baggs in 1871 cenus age 1 as a boarder living in St Saviour parish in Southwark south london. He was boarding with a family named Fryer. Does anyone no why/how a child of 1 come to be boarding with another family without its mother or father or could one of the Fryer's children be his parents? Ali

[Anne in Carlisle]

There could be all sorts of reason. 'Boarder' covers a multitude of different meaning - more than it was meant to do. Its not uncommon for a known relative to be described as a boarder.

In the case of a child of 1;
perhaps he was actually fostered (often called 'nurse child')
perhaps he was just the child of a friend who happened to be being looked after on census night.
perhaps he was there because his mother was temporarily ill or out at work
perhaps there was no room that night in his own house
perhaps he was the child of a reative but they just didn't know how to describe the relationship (or maybe they did describe it but the ennumerator couldn't fit 'son of wife's sister's daughter' onto the sheet LOL!

Anne

[Velma Dinkley]

Have you located his parents?

[Mary from Italy]

He was born in the same area:

Births Dec 1869
Baggs William Tucker St. Saviour 1d 18a

The birth cert will give his parents' names.

I've had a look for a baptism in the Southwark area on Ancestry and Familysearch, but I can't find one.

[alig99]

Hi

Anne thats an interesting and impressive list. Guess I'll not find out the correct reason he was boarded with the Fryer's.

Velma, no haven't found his parents yet.

Mary thanks for the birth info, not really sure he is a relative yet, I guess I need to see the marriage cert of my Grandmother Eva first.

Thanks for all your replies, kind regards Ali

[Velma Dinkley]

In genealogy research it's advisable to work backwards from what you already know - so I would not only order your grandmother's wedding certificate, but also her birth certificate... and then locate her parents' marriage, the certificate of which will give their parents' names etc...

[alig99]

Thanks Velma will do :D