Joseph Daffern

[Kazzerg]

I need some help tracing Joseph Daffern b. 1826 (Lichfield St Chad). He appears on the 1841 census in Shenstone, Staffs as a Tailors apprentice and married Maria Hunt in 1846 in Shenstone. They had 2 children, William (1846) and Mary Ann (1848) but after that the trail goes cold. He is not with the family on 1851 census, and then his wife Maria died in 1855 - He doesn't seem to appear on any other census and I can't find a record of his death. The only thing I do know is that he appears to be still alive in 1872 (On his son William's 1st marriage certificate his occupation is down as "tailor") but by 1892 he is dead (Williams 2nd marriage certificate refers to him as "Tailor (Master)" and he's deceased). Can anyone help - I'm getting really frustrated!

[jorose]

Unfortunately "deceased" or the lack of it on children's marriage certificates is not very reliable.  All you can say is he obviously was out of the household on the night of the census in 1851 - whether he'd abandoned them, was simply looking for work in a neighbouring town and got missed off that particular census, or was overseas.

It wasn't uncommon for the husband to emigrate first, find work and somewhere to live, then send for the family (perhaps once he'd saved up the cash to pay for their tickets).  The second part didn't always happen for whatever reason (he died, they lost contact, she refused to go)

The timing would also be right for him to have gone off to seek his fortune ('49ers gold rush in California, for example). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush

[Sarah Lorraine Hunt]

Hi I have just seen your post about Joseph - who is also my direct descendant - I also discovered the absence of Joseph but history docs tells us that persons not on census were either in an institution, on shipping records' or at a different address. I have some records filed away and will have a look through them and let you have information that I have. How are you related to Joseph? William is my get, grt., get grandfather :-). Sarah @ ^(*)

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[stanmapstone]

I also discovered the absence of Joseph but history docs tells us that persons not on census were either in an institution, on shipping records' or at a different address.

Welcome to RootsChat.

Everybody was included in the censuses, those in institutions, in the coastal shipping trade, and at whatever address they were at. If individuals were working that night, or were travelling, they would be enumerated in the house to which they would normally return on the morning after they had finished their shift, or where they were to stay at the next stop on their journey.
The purpose of the censuses was to enumerate everyone in the country alive at mid-night on the day of the census, wherever they were, and all Institutions like Workhouses, Prisons, Hospitals, Lunatic Asylums, where people were inmates were included.
Stan

[Kazzerg]

Hi Sarah,
Joseph Daffern is my great great great grandfather through his daughter Mary Ann. I've given up trying to find him on the 1861 census. My gut feeling is that he is in Lichfield at that point, maybe with his children, William and Mary Ann (their mother died in 1855) but I know that the 1861 census is the worst ones for missing sections and this includes parts of Iichfield. I've found the children on every other census, butstill can't find joseph. I understand all the reasons that people can be hard to find/ missed off the census's but it's his death I really want to find. I've eliminated all of the joseph daffern deaths I can find by tracing them backwards. Any help would be appreciated.

[keyboard86]

Hi I have been searching for Joseph to no avail at present!

If you do not have the marriage of his daughter Mary Ann here it is:-

24th June 1867 Litchfield, St Mary

Joseph Pegg 22 occ Gardener Father William Pegg occ Gardener
Mary Ann Daffern 19 Father Joseph Daffern occ Tailor
Both resident Bakers's Lane, Litchfield
Witnesses Frank Horton and Elizabeth Baker

In 1871 they were with new family visiting a Richard Coton at Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire
Census Ref RG10/3262/78/6
Keyboard86