Where was grandpa and his dad that day? Should have been in Newcastle!

[Gen List Lass]

I know we aren't allowed to do 1911 census lookups on here but can anyone suggest a possible residence for my grandpa and his dad on census day?

Robert WATSON born 1892 in Newcastle, occupation fitter
and his father
Charles Stewart WATSON born 1865 in Newcastle   whitesmith and heating engineer

I tried all sorts of name variants all over UK. I've wondered whether they were working abroad on an engineering project. Some of the family went off to work on the Tay and Firth of Forth bridges.

They did come back, Charles to father another child and Robert to marry and father 5 children

Gen in NBL England

[Tickettyboo]

I had a similar problem with my Granda, the very first person I looked for when the 1911 census was released. Both he and his brother were awol from the family home. I searched the length and breadth of the country I looked at every census return for a person of his first name/ last name/ combination of one or the other or both. I pinned my hopes on them being in Scotland but drew the same blank when those records were released. Tried passenger lists but nothing concrete enough to be sure.

I'd 'almost' given up hope (but would still poke around yet again now and then).
Then I got the answer. Granda was a joiner and the records of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners  were released online. Amazingly it showed that Granda had transferred from the Gateshead Branch of the Union in April 1910 to the Toronto Branch :-) Given the year and date I managed to find a "on balance' correct record on the outward passenger lists.
Following that, the Union had a record of his transfer from the Regina, Saskatchewan branch back to Gateshead in Nov 1911. Knowing where he had been in 1911 allowed me to pin down a 'possible' in the Saskatchewan 1911 census - and his brother was with him. I then found both on the incoming passenger lists. They arrived home just in time for his brother to be married in Gateshead and Granda was his best man.

I know this doesn't help with your immediate problem, but you never know what seemingly unrelated information will turn up - it could take a while but the possiblity IS there for something to turn up to give you that first tiny snippet of info that will lead to more.


and that YESSSS!!! moment will be wonderful :-)

Boo

[Gen List Lass]

Thank you Boo. You have mentioned various avenues I haven't explored, my "little grey cells" are now thinking worldwide in the search for grandpa and his dad in 1911. Maybe I should think "gold rushes", international engineering projects and looking in newspapers around that date for recruiting adverts...

Gen in NBL England

[Gen List Lass]

Found them! Working up in Dundee. It's only taken me years, since the 1911 census was released for England.

I had a newsletter today from Scotland's People mentioning re-activating lost credits, which I did and whilst on the site, realised I'd only looked  at the Scottish census via Ancestry.com.

They were boarding in a house in Constitution Road, Dundee. The age of Charles was a bit off but the occupations and place of birth clinched it. Whitesmiths from England. In the same room were  two whitesmiths apprentices, one of them Robert, grandpa!

The reason they were in Dundee was also given but the writing is a bit unclear. Looks like "Fitting up stoking? apparatus in Infirmary". Charles had given his occupation in 1901 as "whitesmith and heating engineer" so this also seems to fit?

Gen in NBL England

[SelDen]

I think that is a capital H, making it "Heating apparatus" etc which fits with the 1901 description you mention.

Congratulations on finding them- must be a wonderful feeling. An inspiration to have another go at looking for some of my own family members who went awol in 1911.

[Gen List Lass]

SelDen

That would make more sense, heating apparatus! Thank you for your input.

Good luck with finding your own elusives :-)

Gen in NBL England

[StanleysChesterton]

That's a double winner!  You've not only found him, but know EXACTLY what he was doing there, that information that he fitted heating systems in large buildings has plumped out your knowledge of what his job was/what he did ... and you now know he didn't just work locally, but worked all over the place.

[Tickettyboo]

Whoopee! Really pleased you have them at last AND with such detail as to why they were there and where they were working.
I agree with the opinion that it does say 'Heating', but you could try comparing it to other entries if any of those have a capital H to be more sure.

Though I am slightly puzzled when you say you looked at the 1911 Scotland census via Ancestry, as far as I am aware the 1911 for Scotland is only available on Scotlands People?

Still, the YESSS!! moment must have been a really good one :-) Well done!

Boo

[Tickettyboo]

hmm, may be relevant.
There is an article in the Dundee Evening Telegraph & Post 12th December 1910, page 2, column 5

In the paragraph headed Infirmary Affairs the Infirmary Directors reported on various aspects of the Infirmary and other hospitals that also came under their jurisdiction.

This snippet caught my eye :-)

At present none of the wards in the Infirmary were heated except by ordinary coal fires, but the Directors looked forward to the gradual adoption of steam heating to the whole of the Infirmary, and thus bring it into line with the best modern practice.

Boo