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Census wrong birth place.

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  • Census wrong birth place.

    My cousin was very close to our granddad, living next door to our grandparents for many years. He has given me lots of bits and pieces that have enhanced my research.

    Our grandparents name was miss-transcribed on the 1901 census and it took a long time to find them but when i did it was obvious to me that the "s" had been mistaken for an "r".

    They are living in a road only half a mile away from where my cousin says they should be, but he is adament that this cannot be them as granddad never mentioned it to him.

    The names are right.......John and Kate Maudesley.....their ages are right....granddad did work in the docks.......but it says he was born in West Ham, Plaistow....he was not he was born in Liverpool.....But Kate his wife was born in West Ham, Plaistow.

    I need to convince my cousin that this is them and that the enumerator got it wrong.....with granddads strong Liverpool accent he may have just plumbed for where gran was born.

    Would any of you agree with this????

    Kathlyn

  • #2
    You cannot convince someone if they are sure they are right.

    But if you have the right names, ages, occupations and as Maudesley isn't as usual as Smith etc, then I would say that you are almost certainly right. The mistake could occur anywhere. Maybe grandad was working in the docks and wife filled in the form and didn't think it mattered. Or the enumerator wrote information down and made assumptions, or the person copying the original enumerator's form made an error. Or granddad/grandma lied for some reason.


    I can only suggest that you tell your cousin that from personal experience in doing mine and my husband's trees, that places of birth can be
    - just plain wrong
    - differ with every census -my gt gt grandfather has 5 different ones, 1841-1901!
    - be transposed - ie wife and husband's birthplaces swapped
    - invented
    - all of the above!

    My husband has one family member who has 3 different counties as her birthplaces, with three villages that seem to be variants on the same name.

    I'd also point out that if the one you've found ISN'T granddad, then where is granddad?
    Last edited by Little Nell; 30-08-08, 12:42.
    ~ with love from Little Nell~
    Chowns, Dunt, Emms, Mealing, Purvey & Smoothy

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    • #3
      Presume the 1901 census you are referring to is
      RG13; Piece: 1579; Folio: 27; Page: 46
      transcribed as Mauderley

      Have you found John on an earlier census.
      What evidence do you have that he was born in Liverpool.
      Have you got the marriage certificate of Kate and John - or do you know the the names of John's parents?
      Elaine







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      • #4
        Presumably the geographical link is docks and shipping. I have a family firmly rooted in Sunderland but with one or two births in Liverpool.
        Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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        • #5
          Elaine,

          Yes, this is the census for John and Kate

          Granddad changed his birth name of Roberts to the maiden name of his mother, Maudesley.

          I have his birth cert when he was John Roberts and I have the marriage cert of him and Kate.

          I have the marriage cert of his parents. His father died in 1884, I have this cert and his mother remarried in 1894, I also have this cert.

          John was born in Liverpool, as were both his parents. His father died in Liverpool, his mother re-married in Liverpool.

          John ran away from home as he did not get on with his step-father, and took ship to Australia on a two year voyage. On his return from this trip the boat docked at the Royal Victoria Docks, London, and that is where he met grandmother Kate.


          I have found other relatives whilst doing research that have shown different places of birth on different census years, and I have found John on census prior to 1901, but of course this was using his birth name of Roberts.

          I have done a 1901 census search just entering the name Maudesley, birth year, West Ham, but none have been found, so I am sure !! this is them.

          Kathlyn

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          • #6
            Census information is by far the weakest of all recorded information in my opinion!

            For a start, it isn't a primary source - it is copied from the individual schedule sheets - lots of room for error there. We have no idea, at this distance, who gave the information which is recorded. It could have been anyone in the household, or even a neighbour's child, roped in to do the writing.

            The questions asked could have been misunderstood "Where are you from?" rather than "Where were you born?" for instance, produces different answers, especially if you don't know why the Asker wants to know!

            Finally, census information was not concerned with being absolutely accurate - it was taken for statistical purposes, not for the purpose of closely identifying every person in the UK.

            As you have certificated information, I would go with your information and ignore this little error on ONE census.

            OC

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