Can the term "Boarder" in a census return turn out to be a family member

[toni*]

When completing the census the people are listed as relation to the head if there was no relation boarder may have been given even if they were in fact related to other people in the same household.

In one census i have a 2 year old listed as visitor it turns out she is the niece of the wife (wouldn't she be the husbands niece also?)

[Cell]

Hi, yes it does happen .

 My hubby's G, G Grandfather is listed as boarder in his own daughter's  house ( it's his  son - in- law who's head of  the household)
 In my hubby's G G grandfather's case I've just taken it to mean he was probably paying for his keep/ paying his own way in the household.

I also have another one that  is listed as boarder and she is  the aunt to the head of our household.
I always tend to check out the boarders in the household because sometimes  some of them do turn out to be close family members

Boarder supposedly means that they share the dinner table etc with the family,  ie they live with the family unit . So I think the term boarder can sometimes technically apply to a family member who is paying their own way.
Whilst a lodger supposedly has separate a room or rooms , meals etc to the family.
Kind Regards
 

[patrexjax]

Hello and welcome to Rootschat! Yes, I have found "boarders" to be family members....it is certainly worth the effort to check out those entries. You never know that that "boarder" could be a vital link for you. Happy hunting! Pat

[stocky 27]

My husband`s great granddad was described as a `boarder` on the 1861 & 1871 censuses when he was just a child of 2 & 12 years old respectfully. I found his birth certificate with just his mother`s name on and it transpires that he was illegitimate, conceived during the time between her first and second marriages. He was brought up by an unrelated family who worked on the canals and I presume these would be known to his mother because her first husband had been a lock-keeper prior to his death. I did read somewhere that there were ladies who reared other people`s illegitimate children as boarders and they were called `boarding women` Unfortunately I cannot now find that article because I would have liked to copy it for my records and I would like to know if these women were paid for looking after the child, considering that the alternative would have probably been an orphanage or the dreaded workhouse. Has anyone else heard this term `boarding women` and if so where did they find the information please?

[iolaus]

I've had one where he was recorded as boarder - he wasn't biologically related to the head of the house, but he was related to the wife

[iolaus]

Actually just thought once a 'boarder' turned out to be the fiancee of the son (also living in the house) they got married the week after

I agree that boarder often seems to mean that they paid board and lodge

[JACK GEE]

On a similar vein it was common for people with large families that could not afford to feed some of the children to "board" them with other relatives. Often as unpaid workers - but fed and " boarded".
They would normally be listed as Nephew or niece or similar - but boarder was also common.

cheers
Jack Gee

[Johnf04]

My great grandfather is identified as a boarder, in his mother and stepfather's household in the 1871 census.

[Maiden Stone]

Actually just thought once a 'boarder' turned out to be the fiancee of the son (also living in the house) they got married the week after

I agree that boarder often seems to mean that they paid board and lodge

I've got a similar situation on 1891 Census. The boarder later married a niece of his landlady.