McGarry 1881 & 1891 - incorrect census details - Is this usual ?

[debbie b]

Can anyone help?

I have 2 sisters :
Ann McGarry born Co. Roscommon 1825
Catherine McGarry born same place 1829

I have tracked them from 1841-1871 inclusive. All appears normal.

When I reach the 1881 c - RG11/4039 folio 129 page 14
They are living at 65 Dale Street, Ashton-U-Lyne
Ann is 48yrs - Catherine is 45yrs - both listed as born AUL

By 1891 - RG12/3279 -folio 113/page 13
They are still living at 65 Dale Street AUL
Ann is now only 44yrs and Catherine is only 43yrs - both born Ireland !!
Ages are abt 20yrs out.

I have never come across such a difference before and wondered if this is normal and an
enumerators error of both census records or incorrect info given on census night.

I believe it's too much of a coincidence for the sisters in 1891 NOT to be the same ones
as the 1881.

By 1901 - Ann is living with her nephew (all her details are correct)
and no sign of Catherine and cannot locate a death with an almost correct age.

Has any one else had a similar puzzle?

Many thanks - Debbie

[patrish]

Hi Debbie b

On the 1881 RG11/4039/129/14  Ann McGarry Mill Hand is 45 (b 1836) and Catherine McGarry Card Room Hand is 40 (b1841) I think the place of birth is Ashton, Lancashire.

Maybe someone else could take a look and see what they think 

[Shropshire Lass]

I agree with Patrish about the details on the 1881 but that doesn't stop them being your relatives.  It looks as if they were very hopeful in refusing to age!  The two sisters in the 1881 and 1891 are surely the same ones and their ages are 1881 - Ann 45, Catherine 40 and 1891 - Ann 44, Catherine 43!

By the 1901 it must have been impossible not to age otherwise "aunt" would only have been a few years older than her nephew and he would have know that wasn't right.

Other thoughts - in the 1891 Catherine doesn't give an occupation.  I wonder if she was unwell/unable to work?  Could she have gone back to Ireland?  It's hard to understand the birthplace in 1881 being wrong - I'm willing to bet that both ladies would still have an unmistakable accent.  My Irish relatives certainly did after a lifetime living in England.

Monica

[debbie b]

Hi Patrish & Shropshire Lass,

Thank you both for looking for me. On the 1871 c the two of them are listed as both born Ireland
and both Cotton Frame tenter's. Ann is 46yrs and Catherine is 42yrs - which is correct.

I suppose my only other theory is they both died or went back to Ireland and the girls I
found on the 1881 & 1891 are not my family !

I can't locate marriages for either of mine nor deaths that fit but I do have Ann in 1901 with her correct age of 65yrs (unmarried) living with her nephew (her brother's son) so my previous theory wouldn't really work - sorry just thinking out loud.

I'm just more confused than anything.

Many thanks - Debbie

[Shropshire Lass]

Debbie - if you only had one census where the ages were wrong then it could have been a coincidence and they could have been a different pair of sisters but with the evidence that they refused to age between 1881 and 1891, I reckon they're likely to be yours.

I wouldn't worry too much about the place of birth being wrong.  It's amazing how some ancestors change their birth place from one census to another.  Alternatively it could just be a mistranscription when the census returns were copied into the books we see.

Monica

[debbie b]

Thanks Monica,

I'm going to claim them as mine ! There are too many coincidences for them to be different but I have put plenty of question marks on my paper files.

Thank you for your reply - Debbie

[jayjj]

Hello my mums family were mcgarrys and live in ashton under lyne i wonder if they were the same family