hi polly, had a wee look at your post and the best i can come up with is
1841 census: larg mains, inch
caleb emerson...age 20...draper...born ireland
1841 census: charlotte street, stranraer
Elizabeth emerson...age 40...ind...born wigtownshire
elizabeth emerson...age 14...born england
i am going to add the 1851 census in the hop that someone else may be able to help.
1851 census: mc culloch place, inch
elizabeth emerson...head...age 53...annuitant...born stranraer
elizabeth emerson...dau...age 24...born england
they have a servant in the household
the 1861 census says that there is no emerson's living in the wigtownshire area.
so i assume that caleb and elizabeth were in england for the birth of their daughter and that he went back to england or being irish and young he went back to ireland.
with a name like caleb i do not think he will hide for ever in the censuses
happy hunting
Joe