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census and birth registration story

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  • census and birth registration story

    My early xmas present is the parish records of Wantage so I've been working on some sibling lines. 1881 census has Lizzie b 1877 and Lily R born 1880. Then in 1891 the family has a Lizzie R 1880. mmm I say --- where is Lily. By the time I get to 1901 Lizzie and Lily are back. I suspect the census taker was transcribing the records onto the master sheet and skipped a line --- started on Lizzie and finished with Lily.

    Then there was the family on 1891 census who had a daughter born 1883. The birth was registered in free bmd in 1887.

    So just a note for beginners. One must be a detective and think outside the box when working with these old records. They were not created with us, 21st century genealogists, in mind:D
    Donelda

    searching for the Berkshire Hobbises, Rowles, Staniford, Rogers, Parkers, Thackhams, Gouts, LeBouviers, Heaphys and Wilsons

  • #2
    Donelda

    I agree. I have several instances where I am positive the enumerator filled in pages of the census by column downwards, rather than by line across, leading to some confusing information for the unwary. I am also sure he got fed up occasionally and just did a column of dittos for "place of birth".

    It is well to remember that a census record is not a primary source of information (apart from the 1911, when the householder filled in the form himself and made his own, original mistakes, lol)

    OC

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    • #3
      Best to be wary about any information and not expect census info to match up. I'm always quite surprised if I find everyone has aged the appropriate 10 years exactly between censuses and if they still have the same name without variations, as well as the same birthplace!
      ~ with love from Little Nell~
      Chowns, Dunt, Emms, Mealing, Purvey & Smoothy

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      • #4
        I've just had a positive contact from a GR member. Way back they had a different set of parents for someone. Having rechecked my information, they had got it right. I had latched on to the forenames in the 1841 census, which were completely different from later censuses. But since it's the Ancestry transcription of Scottish censuses, anything goes. Now I have a family living in the same street for nearly 50 years and a consistent surname spelling, which makes much more sense than what I had.
        Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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