Hi all
I'm not really a beginner since I've been doing my family tree for many years. However this is my first post here and I'm sure where is the best place to ask. So I am a beginner here. Also I am sure there are plenty of helpful people reading the beginner board who can offer general or specific advice on a few issues with said George Cleough/Clough, a 2nd great grandfather of mine. I think I have found a double record of him in 1911 and am wondering how common it is.
He was born in Norham, near the river Tweed in Northumberland and spent most of his youth in agricultural labour in the NE of Northumberland - Ford, Belford, Detchant, Middleton etc.
However by 1901 censuses, as was common, he had become a mining labourer in Choppinton Northumberland. I have done extensive research on his family and have complete continuous census records of his family from 1871 to 1911. I have cross-checked the family and it is clearly the same family in terms of his childrens names, ages and the resident inlaws. He also had the name Cleough through all the records 1871-1911 which was the name in my private family records. So in 1911 his family home was in Scotland Gate, Choppington, Northumberland where there were a number of pits.
I was initially confident of the 1861 census too where a George Clough (different spelling) was living as a 17 year-old farm labourer with his parents in Ford (very close to all the 1871-1891 records). Same birth year (+/- 1 year) and birth place (Norham, not a big place really) so initially was confident this was the same person. I still believe it is although I now have doubts due to the following record from 1911.....
There is a second 1911 census record of a George Clough, mining labourerer from Norham (same birth year) living as a boarder in New York, Murton, near the Murton Colliery - not a million miles from Choppington. I know the name is different but given he was a boarder someone else would likely have given the name.
There seem to be no other census records of similar aged George Cloughs/Cleoughs born in Norham, from other years between 1861 and 1911 other than this one double record in 1911.
So my supposition is this. He lived in the family home in Choppington but also boarded in Murton to work at the colliery too. That is he, as I am sure was common moved around as a mining labourer. He was listed as mining labour in Choppington and surface labour in Murton.
Is it common in census records for there to be double counting like this. I am fairly confident it is the same person double counted and not two different people.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Even better if there happens to be someone with specific information.
Cheers Duncan
