Author Topic: Who was Richard Hall, born 1870, Antony, Cornwall?  (Read 965 times)

Offline Brentor boy

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Who was Richard Hall, born 1870, Antony, Cornwall?
« on: Tuesday 06 March 18 09:50 GMT (UK) »
There appears a simple explanation for this anomaly,  but is the easyy answer the correct  one?

In the hope that it will better help others to help me, and also open up my rationale to scrutiny, I will give a quite detailed account of this family.

Mary Ann Rendle was baptised at Stokenham, Devon on 3 May 1835.  Between 1855- 1870 (approximately) she was cohabiting  with a married man,  James Wheaton Raymond (b c 1800 Sidbury). During that period she had three children - Richard (1859), Mary Ann (1864), and Sarah Ann (1867). All were rgistered in the name of Raymond and were born in Devonport.

In 1870 she married Thomas Hall, a R N seaman. In 1871, when Thomas was at  sea (?),  she was recorded as living in Coomb Park, Antony, with daughters Mary Ann Hall and Sarah Ann Hall. Also included in the household was Richard Hall, aged 11 months, born Antony.

It seems unlikely that Mary Ann would name a second son Richard when her first son Richard was still alive. Although I cannot find  him in 1871 I believe he was still alive. ( see below).  It is also impossible that he could be her grand child.

I have searched all baptisms registered in St Germans, 1869/70, all Richards born Devon and Cornwall over the same period,  and all baptisms in name of Rendle, Raymond and Hall likewise and can find none that appear to relate. Neither  can I find him in any subsequent census nor any obvious record of his death.

My first ( and only thought) is that it is an erroneous  entry for Richard (1859), but whilst it easy to understand 11 years being entered as 11 months, it less easy to explain why he was recorded out of chronological sequence and I can think of no reason why his place of birth  should  be given as shown. Who was he? Have I missed  some important detail?  Is their a flaw in my logic or conclusion? Is there another explanation?

Richard Raymond married  Harriet Stevens, Newton Abbot , 1879. In 1881  Richard Raymond, aged 22, born Devon port, was living with wife Harriet at 1 Hoxton Road, Torquay. In 1883 Richard and Harriet were witnesses to the marriage of his sister, Mary Ann Raymond and Frederick Saunders.

Thomas Hall died in 1879 and in 1880 Mary Ann Rendle/Raymond/Hall (of 1 Hoxton Road) married  James Sanders, of 7 Hoxton Road, father of Frederick.

Any observations or suggestions that might help me straighten out this tangled family any further will be greatly appreciated.

Offline AMBLY

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Re: Who was Richard Hall, born 1870, Antony, Cornwall?
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 06 March 18 11:08 GMT (UK) »
My thoughts are in agreement that the 11 month old in 1871  could well be  an erroneous entry and is meant to be 11 year old Richard.

The data in the Census we see is not the original household schedule....

    1) Perhaps the original filler-in'r of the house schedule put Richard out of sequence (we 've often seen a child of a household getting tagged on at the end, momentarily overlooked, out of birth order and sometimes even after 'visitors' etc.)  You could see how in this case, a later transference of data from schedule to book could mean the enumerator made  an assumption that the age 11 needed a 'mth' appended?

        2) Perhaps the enumerator him/herself, copying and writing, copying and writing, from schedule to book  - and perhaps employing various methods to write down the data (ie, writes in all first names, then all surnames, then all ages, then all occupations), could also have gotten Richard out of sequence, and tagged him on end, and perhaps later in unintentional error added the 'mth'?

Cheers
AMBLY
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Offline Brentor boy

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Re: Who was Richard Hall, born 1870, Antony, Cornwall?
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 07 March 18 09:06 GMT (UK) »
Thanks, Ambly,

I was coming to the conclusion that the confusion was the consequence of some form of clerical error but I wanted to satisfy myself as far as I could that the entry was not a true record.

It's good to have a second opinion, particularly when it's in  accord with one's own

Offline groom

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Re: Who was Richard Hall, born 1870, Antony, Cornwall?
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 07 March 18 09:19 GMT (UK) »
I agree it does look like an error. The only odd thing is his place of birth, however this could also be an assumption when the enumerator was copying up the census. He may have just assumed that as Richard was 11 months old he must have been born where the family were living i.e Antony.
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Offline Brentor boy

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Re: Who was Richard Hall, born 1870, Antony, Cornwall?
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 07 March 18 09:41 GMT (UK) »
Thanks, Groom.

That seems a perfectly reasonable explanation.