Her father's what? COMPLETED with thanks

[c-side]

Father ??  written under occupation in 1841 and crossed out.

Any ideas please?

It looks like Malder and if this is what it says - any thoughts on what it might mean

[Ecneps]

Feather is first word, not father    Can't quite read 2nd word, could be Moulder? It's not exactly crossed out, that will be the mark made by the clerk checking the page.

Usual occupations are feather-beater, dresser or driver, which meant cleaning feathers for sale

Barbara 

[Subaru]

Could it not be 'Father malster'? (malster meaning brewer)

On some of the next pages, there are similar crossings out, over things like 'husband fishing' and 'husband sailor'.

Elizabeth is only 17 years old, and is in charge of many siblings.  Could their father not have been at work when the census was taken?

It seems that the census-taker, instead of adding the person onto the census as though they were there - gave the excuse for why they were missing.

I wonder who crossed them out though?  Whether he had realised his own mistake, or the person above him did it.

Rosemary

[Ecneps]

Hi Rosemary, I hadn't looked at the actual census page before replying, but having looked now, that does make sense and there aren't any other feather workers round about.
As I said though, the crossing out was usually done by the clerk checking the form.  They sometimes made additions to make occupations clearer
 
c-side, do you know who Elizabeth's parents were, do they appear in a later census - perhaps the father's occupation might be there?  In 1851 I can't see the whole family, they may have left home, but there is a William the right age with parents Samuel and Sarah, and Samuel is an Innkeeper at the Ship Inn in Carlton Colville, which could be a connection

Barbara 

[Subaru]

That would fit in with him being a malster in the 1841 census.

He probably progressed and got his own place

Rosemary

[Nick29]

I was just wondering if this was not an occupation, but a statement of relationship, i.e. giving the name of the daughter's real father ?

[Subaru]

It looks like they all have the same surname, and her being the oldest (and probably most responsible) got to be the one with the father's occupation beside her. 

[Ecneps]

Could they be staying with the family above on the census page, maybe?

c-side may have the answers 

[c-side]

Look what happens when my back is turned!

Firstly, this is my friends family, not mine, and she's been dong family history for precisely one week since she found a bunch of certificates and other papers and realised how much information she already had.

I've left her to look at freebmd and family search but I've been having a go at the census records.

The person we are interested in is Elizabeth's younger brother, James.  He becomes a mariner and ends up in Northumberland.  We have him on every census but 1851 (probably at sea then)

According to IGI extracted record the parents were James and Elizabeth Durrant but they do not appear on any census that I can find.  There are a lot of Durrants in this area and another couple called James and Elizabeth living not too far away but with other children - so not them.

It appears that Elizabeth, age 17, is in charge of all her siblings with no sign of either parent which is why I thought the reference to father in the occupation column could be important.

All suggestions gratefully recieved.

Christine