Away from home on census night

[annesthreads]

I'm looking for James Hilton, b Salford, Lancs  in 1844 on the 1891 census. His wife and family are all at home, but James isn't there, and so far I've failed to find him on the indexes. He was a mining engineer - I suppose it's possible he was out of the country for some reason. Any ideas?

[nanny jan]

Where and when did James die?

[iluleah]

Do you know when he died? .and do you have him on the 1901/1911 census?

http://www.lan-opc.org.uk

[annesthreads]

Do you know when he died? .and do you have him on the 1901/1911 census?

http://www.lan-opc.org.uk

He died in Newburgh, Lancs in Feb 1906. I've found him on the 1881 and 1901 census. His wife is Elizabeth Ellen and they have children Anne, Daisy, Dorothy, Elizabeth, James, Mabel (my grandmother) and Olive (phew!).

[iluleah]

So the likelihood is he was either missed, wife forgot to writ him down as he was at work... check mining websites see if there were any issues/disasters at the mine he worked at or the enumerator didn't copy his information onto the census return or he was somewhere away from home/country

I have lots of missing ancestors from census returns, yet for example a female ancestor I know where they were because they gave birth around census time and a few days later baptised their child locally yet I can't find them(their husband or any of their other children) anywhere in their own  home or elsewhere

[barryd]

Some Mining Engineers did travel abroad. I my extended line I have them in Brazil, Chilie, Malaya and South Africa. Wherever Mining Engineers were required. Some stayed. Some returned to Britain.

[annesthreads]

I have lots of missing ancestors from census returns, yet for example a female ancestor I know where they were because they gave birth around census time and a few days later baptised their child locally yet I can't find them(their husband or any of their other children) anywhere in their own  home or elsewhere

It can be so frustrating! I wanted to find James because there are a lot of James Hiltons in Lancashire, and the two census returns that I have found give different birthplaces. Maybe you're right and Elizabeth forgot to include him - trying to remember all the children was probably challenge enough!

[iluleah]

It can be so frustrating! I wanted to find James because there are a lot of James Hiltons in Lancashire, and the two census returns that I have found give different birthplaces. Maybe you're right and Elizabeth forgot to include him - trying to remember all the children was probably challenge enough!

Yes it is frustrating however I think that is what keeps us going... think outside the box, look at other records, so his childrens baptism records ...maybe he was a witness on someones marriage, the mining disasters websites, with his job he could have virtually lived there during or after a pit fall/trapped miners and there are some great mining websites...the local newspapers.
I would look at all of those before searching where he might be in the World.. unless you come across partnership working with another mine elsewhere or mines owned by the same company elsewhere

[barryd]

Back to where he died. His Will (index) gives his address as Highfield House. Pemberton, near Wigan, 23 February 1906. Lancashire is not my specialty but there is no indication of him residing and dying in separate places.