Orphan

[XPhile2868]

My great great grandfather was an orphan at the time of the 1871 Census, as shown below -

Henry KIRBY bc1818 Garstang
Jane KIRBY bc1819 Preston
William KIRBY bc1847 Preston
John KIRBY bc1854 Preston
Thomas KIRBY bc1857 Preston
David PARKINSON (lodger) bc1853 Preston
Charles HARLING (misspelt as Hearling) bc1867 Preston

RG10/4213
Folio 11
Page 16

I have a few questions that I hope someone can shed some light on -

If the Kirby's fostered/adopted him, why wasn't his name changed?

If he was a blood relative (or relative by marriage) then wouldn't his relation to Henry Kirby be something other than orphan?


Stephen

[XPhile2868]

This is him in 1881, where his name is mistranscribed again and he is now considered a lodger (why would he be considered a lodger at 14 but not at 4?)

10 Thornton Street

Henry KIRBY bc1813 Garstang Labourer
Jane KIRBY bc1820 Preston Labourer's Wife
Annas SUMNER (widowed) bc1843 Preston Cotton Winder
William KIRBY bc1848 Preston Labourer
John KIRBY bc1854 Preston Cotton Peicer
Thomas KIRBY bc1857 Preston Cotton Peicer
Charles HARDING (should be Harling) bc1867 Preston Cotton Creeler

RG11/4231
Folio 51
Page 6

Stephen

[andrewalston]

It seems to be a matter of personal preference what an adopted child was called (and probably still is). There's no "official" adoption until the 20th century anyway.

In a friend's tree, a girl appears as "adopted daughter" with her original surname. My relative's ancestor was 53, the child 10. The younger sister appears at the home of another mining family nearby, also an "adopted daughter", but with the adopting father's surname. When disaster overtook the family and they lost both parents, workmates at the colliery must have rallied round.

[liverpool lass]

One of my rellies was orphaned and taken in by her much older brother. On the next census she is down as his daughter and on the marriage cert hes registered as her father. That took some untangling I can tell you!!

[XPhile2868]

EDIT - just checked 1861 and 1871 censuses - he is in gedney, spalding in both.

Stephen