Genealogy Chat

Some of mine reckoned to have a 1-year old when they were in their 60's. The baby's birth record shows that the child was the illegitimate child of one of their daughters. This would probably explain the 5 and 8 year olds too!! I reckon that this was quite a common occurance and easy to hide in such big families.

I always take ages and descriptions on the census with a piece of salt - seen so many mistakes in relation to my family, i.e. On one census all the children have the a middle name the same as their surname , i.e. Burt King is down as Burtking King!! I think the censor probably asked what is the name of your children and they said the full name and he then added the surname on the end of it as well! Some childrens ages were increased so that they could work. As for descriptions to head of household, this seems to vary so much. I have what are clearly step children on a couple of census but for the one in between they have gone down as brother and sister in law!

Actually, there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for the first one, though I expect the 8-year-old is really a grandson - head of household married once, had first son, wife died, remarried a much younger woman, had second son, second wife died, then he married again to a woman about his age. Kate.

There's a lot of that about! In one of mine, 'mum' of a 6=year old is in her 60's. On the next census, and although 'mum' is still alive, the 16 year old (now 18) is living with his 'big sister' who is 15 years older than him ............................... Methinks big sister was probably the real mum! Bev x

Don't forget they told ' porkies ' to the Enumerator. The boy is just as likely to be a grandson, stepson or a child they were looking after. I've got one lot where the wife is 10 years older than the husband and husband would have been about 11 (!!!) when the first child was born and 16 - more realistic - when the second child appeared. Don't believe a word of it and suspect they were either children of wife's 1st marriage that I haven't yet found or children of other members of the family.

I saw at interesting occupation yesterday on the 1871 in Southwark just above my lot there was a guy who was a 'submarine diver' Wow.

Did you see image Nell? Poor old Thomas was a ''Lunatic from Birth'' What a lovely way with words they had back then! Sam

And this little lot from 1901. At least Ancestry have not compounded the errors by mistranscribing the surname. Chas H Wall abt 1876 Whitechapel, London, England Son Camberwell London Elsie F Wall abt 1882 Southwark, London, England Daughter Camberwell London Emma J Wall abt 1878 Southwark, London, England Daughter Camberwell London Harold J Wall abt 1880 Southwark, London, England Son Camberwell London >>>Mary Wall abt 1828 Marylebone, London, England Head Camberwell London >>>Nina E Wall abt 1891 Newington, London, England Daughter Camberwell London Thomas E Wall abt 1887 Southwark, London, England Son Camberwell London

Thomas LEWIS Head M Male 70 Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales General Labourer Elizabeth LEWIS Wife M Female 69 Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales Thomas LEWIS Son U Male 27 Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales No Occupation William LEWIS Son Male 8 Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales Scholar Source Information: Dwelling Penyrheol Census Place Swansea Lower, Glamorgan, Wales Family History Library Film 1342293 Public Records Office Reference RG11 Piece / Folio 5363 / 69 Page Number 12

found this on LDS 1881 census