Hi Leah
Welcome to Rootchat!
It's great fun and you'll get loads of help!
I've been having fun with a friend's gypsy and hawker family and my Hoeys seem to have joined in too!
She has some Harrisons married to one of her Berry family.
As far as special records including census are concerned, they're special all right! They're invisible on occasions!
I'm no expert, buit I'm told, and the evidence confirms it that none of these communities liked to appear in official records. Also, the way of life endorses that.
For censuses, we have loads of blanks for the early censuses.
The ones we do have are such as "Group of families camping by road", "Behind the hedge" and even one in America "Living in wigwam by the lake"!
Even where they are more down to earth, often the birth place is given - incorrectly as the place where they are living - so did they say that to cover up, or did the enumerator just give up and write something to keep his job?
We reckon and I've seen it in articles as well, that many of the early bmd's just weren't registered, but on topoif thaty, if they moved between the birth and the baptism, the census, even if it's right wont lead to a baptism.
Presiumablky most of them were buried but of course deaths and burials were just where they fell, so if they were on the road away from any of their usual haunts you've had it almost.
Many of them didn't marry, or not officially in church or civil ceremony's. It was just "Across the Brush" or "Over the broom", or similar - ie in front of their own people.
As I'm told true Romanies don't accept charities or benefits, there is very little mention in charity records which have helped me no end with the poorer end of my families.
Keep plugging away though. It's all great fun!
Have you seen the posts on travellers on Rootschat too?
Good luck!
Best wishes
Emms
