Hi Lynne,
It would be a miracle, quite frankly, if every single person in the country was captured on a census.
The enumerators did a great job as it is - going from house to house, often having to fill in the household return for the many people who couldn't read or write. In the towns particularly, many families shared a house - and a cellar! Often they rented just one room. It would be incredibly difficult for an enumerator to know whether he had accounted for everyone in a particular building.
In addition people did move about -- they could arrive to live in a different house AFTER an enumerator had 'done' that area - and BEFORE another one had covered the area they had left. Thereby being missed altogether.
People from the south moved to the north for work -- travelling by canal -- whilst returns were supposed to be done in these cases - I suspect many were not.
So to answer your question -- you will not necessarily find an ancestor on a census -- but in the vast majority of cases you will.
With a name like 'Rourke' you will probably find many mis-spellings or mis-transcriptions. To search on a census it is often easier to search on the christian name of a child only, with an approx birth year -- and insert a father or mother's christian name in the appropriate field.
You can also use a wild card -- ie an asterisk* - after the first 3 letters --- or at the beginning of a name, and input the last 3 letters. However, with 'Rourke' -- you cannot guarantee just where a mis-spelling may occur, so a wild card may not work.
You can also try a birthplace search -- but Manchester was a big place so that may not be practical. Other people may be able to give you other hints and tips, but I hope this is of some assistance.
Regards June
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Topic: Rourke's Manchester (Read 4095 times)