I know what happened to people on Trains that night.
They got transported to somewhere else.
Seriously though, only the overnight sleepers like the London/Edinburgh, but only from whenever such things were introduced, would be affected. The Census asks for who actually slept there that night. So early dates like 1841 wouldn't probably have had night services at the extent of later ones like the 1901.
Are you saying that in 1891, people on an overnight train would be enumerated?!
If so, where might I find a train enumeration! My man has such a common name and I have trawled the 1891, but it has occurred to me that he may have been driving a train overnight (he was supposedly a train driver, thought he was a liar, but now not so sure)
I'm fairly sure he was perched up on the moon on census night 1891, but I keep having these little flashes of inspiration (or desperation?).
I have never believed (his) story that he was an engine driver. However, he died in lodgings and the informant (householder) said he was an Engine driver (locomotive).
I imagined this was some tall tale he had told, but I've just had a look at the census for the informant, who was himself a Train Driver. He would surely have known if my man was telling lies, being in the job himself? Also, they lived almost on top of a huge railway sidings/engine shed and I wonder if that is how my man came to be his lodger?
I would suggest the big flaw in that thought is the census always took place on the night of Sunday to Monday morning.
As a result very few people worked all night and I doubt even if sleeper trains ran over the Sunday night, in those days.
The most likely scenario (if he was a train driver) is he stopped overnight at the train destination.
Sorry Libby, I was meaning to ask OC what his status should be! lol I think his wife Ellen from the Isle of Man was dead by 1891, but I've forgotten. I think the stationery engine driver says married, but that doesn't matter as lodgers details were often wrong. I just looked to try and find that man in 1881 and couldn't see him which could be good, but there's so much that might keep him hidden!
I have exhaustively (I think) investigated railway records - a very expensive site, which turned up nothing at all for him.
He was a widower by 1891, but may not have known this...family legend says that his sons kicked him out sometime in the 1880s (drink) and his wife Ellen died in 1888, having moved back to live next door to her sister.
Manchester would be fine as a birth place - he lived in Manchester for at least 25 years, and if in lodgings it is feasible that he said "I'm from Manchester" and the head of house thought that was good enough for a birthplace.
Guy:
Yes, I can see the flaw! As I said, straw clutching on my behalf.
I'll have a look at that Eccles bloke when Ancestry stops playing up. Thankyou!
Born c1824, Wheelton Lancs, died 1898, Patricroft (Eccles) Lancs. Appears only on the 61,71 and 81 census.
61 and 71 - Engine driver. (I eventually assumed stationary engine driver in a mill or something)
81 - SHOPKEEPER!
Patricroft was a big steam loco shed right up to the end of steam in the late 1960s. For long distance drivers etc. the railways had their own lodgings at places like Kings Cross.
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