We have a census mystery that looks quite reasonable at first glance- so reasonable that a cousin has added the details to online tree
Background- my grandmother's parents (both born Canada) lived on an island and had 6 daughters &
1 son (youngest child)
- all are fully documented (birth, baptism, school records, etc.) & the places they lived (with dates) are known. A few months before the census her mother died.
Now, the 1930 U.S. census lists father as widower, 2 unmarried daughters, 2 grandsons and a
son. No problem, right? WRONG!
The 'real' son is living with his wife and child on a boat at the island so appears as the next census entry. The 'mystery' son is given as same age as my grandmother with same birthplace as most of the children, same occupation as his 'father.' His first name is a surname (not one found elsewhere in family). Strangely enough, a boy the same age with the same first name appears in a previous census in the same town with a different surname (his mother and sister both have yet again different surnames and I've been unable to trace any of them in other records).
When the census record was released I asked all living relatives for information but none of them remember this person, hearing the name or any mention of an illegitimate child. Based on all I know I find it difficult to believe at my grandmother's bereaved father would not have acknowledged a child or would have had an illegitimate son staying with the family but if such a thing did happen then his family would certainly have known about it.
To further illustrate misleading census information- same great-grandfather, a brother and a sister are listed in the 1911 Canadian census in the childhood home with mother as head of household. All three had lived outside Canada for years and were only home for a visit.