Hi emp
A potted 'history.....
The information we see in the Census Enumerator's books - are taken from individual "Household Schedules" which were given to each householder just prior to Census night to fill in and to return to/be collected by the enumerator. Sometimes the enumerator, or a neighbour/friend etc would fill in the schedule if the householder was illiterate or was not at home to hand over the Schedule. Each Schedule in the enumerator's walk had a unique ID number. The Enumerator would then transcribe the information from the schedules into his book, the one we get to see (so, it's from this point that transcription errors, omission, misreads, etc can occur!). We no longer have the actual schedules - they were destroyed.
Read more here:
http://www.censusuk.co.uk/history.htmIn the first column of the Census sheets in the Enumerator's books, is written the Hosuehold Schedule's number. This is how we know what is a household. Often, multiple Households occupy one dwelling. Sometimes they are related. Sometime not. In theory, each household should be headed by a "Head of Household".
In the case of Esther M BLOOD snr in 1891 & 1901 she is in the same house as other people. In both cases she is on her own Schedule. She also does not appear to share any similarity with the families (which is why I checked the places of birth for the others - if either one of the couple heading the other family had been born in the same place as Esther, it may be a clue they were actually related).
In the 1891, Esther is listed as a lodger (even though, being alone on her own Schedule she should be a "Head"). This means she probably was Lodging with the principal tenants of the house but was unrelated to them.
In the 1901, Esther is listed as "Head" of her own schedule sharing what appears to be half a dwelling house with another family. I thought it odd, that she was occupying 3 rooms (this information, if occupying less than 5 rooms, is also provided in a column in the census) for this is quite a princely number of rooms considering she was apparently alone & clearly not a woman of any means at all (and the fact she was working as a Laundress supports that).
The reason is clear....it appears she was probably living with Mr WEBB a good few years before they got married - approx 16 or 17 years earlier at least by the looks of it. And the 3 rooms were probably occupied by she, he and their daughter Clara. Except that, on Census night 1901 he and Clara were elsewhere:
1901: 8 Scrooby Street, Lewisham, London (Catford Ward) RG13 / Piece: 553 / Folio: 63 / Page: 12
Head: Joseph WEBB 69, Housepainter, b Shoreditch
Wife: Clara O WEBB 69, b Hackney
Son: Joseph J WEBB 45, single, House Painter, b Hackney
Grandchild: Clara O WEBB 8, b LewishamWith this information, I'd be wondering why wait until 1910 to marry - and could it be because the mysterious James BLOOD was known to be still alive until shortly before that time, or he was officially missing from approx 1903 (7 years before the re-marriage of Esther to Mr WEBB).
You say the son Charles H BLOOD is on Vessels in 1891? Could ask what was listed as his place of birth?
BIRTH : Clara Olivia BLOOD - Lewisham - Jun Qtr 1893, 1d, pg 1138
Cheers
AMBLY
