How much to census returns really tell you?

[coombs]

I am in the 2001 census at my current address and in the 2011 census. I filled in the 2011 census form. Inbetween 2001 and 2011 I went to Australia, China, Thailand and Singapore. Yet it seems I never left my village if you look at the censuses.

In 1881 my ancestor is in North Bedburn, Durham and in 1891 St Helen Auckland, Durham but in 1886 he went to America for a few years, popped back then in 1892 went back to America again for good to join his 2 daughters there. His other children remained in Blighty.

[locksmith]

I always cursed those pesky ancestors who dared to move around between censuses, until I realised that the 6 that I've been on, I have been in 6 different places and don't particulary think I've moved around a lot.

Simon

[Dyingout]

The census is a snapshot taken mainly for government statisticians, it wasn't designed for family historians!

Yes but they got a little bit better at it after 100 years. Most people wouldn't have known about children dying young, if not for the 1911 Total children and alive.
From 1851 you could gauge wealth (Employer of so many men. Workhouse.) (servants etc ) mental issues. Illegitimacy. So as a tool for statisticians It worked out quite well.

[groom]

Gs & Ruskie,

I think this topic has highlighted quite a few things which are often mistaken for other things as sometimes people are too quick to make assumptions 

Annie

That's very true, Annie. How often do people on here say that "Fred" was living with his grandparents, when in fact he may just have been having a sleep over while his parents were at a party?    The census is very useful, but we do have to keep in mind that it isn't the full story - 10 years is a long time.

[Kiltpin]

I was recorded three times on the 1981 census.

Firstly, as a single Airman living in barracks at RAF Honington (without my knowledge).

Secondly, I and two others, were building a model railway exhibition layout. We should have been at a friends house building, but his wife was taken seriously ill. Instead of the four in his household, plus the three of us, making seven, there was in reality no one in that house that night.

Thirdly, I spent the weekend with my girlfriend and was correctly enumerated.

Not being a householder at the time, all these events passed me by. It was a couple of months later that I was aware of it but by then no one wanted to know.

Regards

Chas

[coombs]

The census was not designed for family historians but 1851-1911 are very helpful and as we know they give birthplaces, names, occupations and ages, just sometimes that info can be inaccurate and misleading. The 1841 is the first useful census even if relationship to head of household was not given and you only put whether born in county of residence or not.

[Blue70]

Directories and electoral registers can fill in the gaps. It's best to use as many resources as possible. You're never going to get the full picture if you're looking into the lives of ancestors but the more resources you have for your research the more of the picture you will see.


Blue

[Rena]

I was recorded three times on the 1981 census.

Chas

On the 1891 census my Scolttish engineer grandfather was entered twice - he was recorded as being a railway ticket collector in the south of England and as a lodger up in Manchester, Lancashire.   As a newbie at the time I wondered which man was my grandfather. It took a while to realise his job as a trouble shooting railway engineer being sent all over the country meant that he'd been duplicated and actually neither of his hosts knew his occupation..

[Greensleeves]

In the 1911 census,  my great uncle,  Walter Sedgwick of Hartlepool, Co Durham,  appears in Stafford as Sidney Rainbow, together with his wife and children.  It was thanks to Jan (Groom) that he was found, and we suspect that Sidney was  unofficially sub-letting the house to Walter Sedgwick, and that Walter, in a panic, took his name on census night.  His wife and children retained their forenames, but also appeared as Rainbows!  Another example of how census returns can be misleading.