Looking for new meaning for Son-in-law

[jinks]

I've been doing some research in to a Lehan / Lehane / Leaghan and and eventually Levison (this family is the bane of my life at the moment)

But couldn't find them in the 1861 Census Today I found them transcribed as Sehan - maybe just a mistranscription but my confusion is now due to the Son in Law?? or daughter for that matter

Census 1861 Waterside, Great Bolton, Lancashire, England

:Andrew Seahan   Head   M   32   Ireland
:Mary Seahan   Wife   F   26   Ireland
:Mary Seahan   Daughter   F   4   Ormskirk, Lancashire
:Sarah Seahan   Daughter   F   1   Ormskirk, Lancashire
:Peter Ward   Son In Law   M   35   Ireland
:Bridget Ward   Daughter   F   28   Ireland
:John Horan   Boarder   M   20   Ireland

Mary's maiden name could be Horan - along with Haran / Haren / Arden!!
So I will be looking into John
BUT really don't understand the Son in law reference
Brother in Law / Sister would be the only thing I can assume

[Andrew Tarr]

I presume you have checked the GRO website for the births of those children born in Ormskirk? That should give you the MMN, hopefully correctly 

And 'son-in-law' is no odder than 'daughter' to whom he is presumably married?  I would guess that relationship must be to the parents of the 'head' or his wife?

EDIT  -  I've just had a look and can't find any matches for Seahan, Sehan or Leahan ...

[PaulineJ]

There's 1857 (lancsbmd)
LEAGHAN   Mary   HORAN   Ormskirk   Preston   OK/9/67

Freebmd Births Dec 1857   Leaghan    Mary        Ormskirk    8b   527

[Ruskie]

Could it be intended to be brother in law? Did Andrew, the head of household, have a sister called Bridget?

Or .... did the household run over the page, and Andrew is mistakenly listed as “head”?

[jinks]

Oh they are all there

I kid you not

Children

:1857 LEAGHAN   Mary   HORAN   Ormskirk   Preston   OK/9/67
:1860 LAYIN   Sarah   FODEN   Ormskirk   Preston   OK/10/77
:1865 Catherine - No valid Birth Register Entry found
:1868 LANE   Bridget   HAREN   Ormskirk   Preston   OK/14/54
:1871 LEIGH   Ann   ARDEN   Ormskirk   Preston   OK/15/73
:1875 LEHAN   Sarah   HAREN   Ormskirk   Preston   OK/17/2
:1877 LEHANE   Michael   HAREN   Ormskirk   Preston   OK/18/52

And census Lehan and also Lehane then they become Levison

I was just wondering about Son in Law! I am wondering if this is the Irish sense of humour

[jinks]

Could it be intended to be brother on law? Did Andrew, the head of household, have a sister called Bridget?

Or .... did the household run over the page, and Andrew is mistakenly listed as “head”?

I do like the idea of Bridget being a Sister, one of Andrew's Children (not this one obviously)  is Bridget - I will see if I can find a marriage

[Andrew Tarr]

Oh they are all there

I kid you not

I was just wondering about Son in Law! I am wondering if this is the Irish sense of humour

That all just goes to show that if the informants cannot say how their names are spelt, the enumerator can only try to put down what he hears - in this case in some sort of Irish accent.  Which we all know can vary a good deal from North to South (and flavour of religion).  It must be next to impossible to track this family when spellings are so unpredictable.

[jinks]

It's been fun  Luckily Andrew Lehan / Lehane / Levison does state in one Census County Mayo and his wife also, a later Census his Wife also states Westport - and yes there's a Westport in County Mayo so I think that's correct - Also almost positive they are Irish Catholic not found any marriages in a Parish Church even though some English Catholics did marry in them.

Just had a look for a Peter Ward marriage to Bridget only found one ESNE in 1853 Ormskirk not to happy with it, but made a note can't find the family Peter / Bridget with any certainty after The couple in Northumberland are a slim possibility (could have been counted twice in 1861) but again not with any certainty Also found one back in Ireland in 1911 - at this point no Certainties 

Andrew Tarr yes it is a little challenging, I have no idea which 'Surname' to try.

I mentioned that I couldn't find a Catherine Lehane - I actually have found one - but its LOGAN and CathArine - think the Maiden name is O'ROUKE both not too far from Lehan and Horen/ Haren / Horan.

Because of EVERY Census / Birth Registration / Marriage (Leighen)  being different then I am beginning to believe there might have been some trouble back home  They only constant seems to be when the surname changes to Levison - Heywood found me another family (I had seen them) that also changed their name from Lehan to Levison

[Andrew Tarr]

And then you have to allow for the mistranscriptions ....

I recently came up against a family from county Clare who had fetched up in the lead-mining parts of Durham/Northumberland.  After a while their name settled down as Hahir, though it is more commonly Hehir or Hare in England.  Needless to say there were variations.