Identifying a mystery person in a census return

[M_ONeill]

So I'm trying to find out who a mystery person in my ancestor's 1841 census return is and I have no idea where to start.

My 3x Great Grandfather John Monckton (30) is listed as living at Nore Hill Farm, Patshull Staffordshire along with his wife Jane (née Taylor, 26) and their two young children. The mystery member of the household is an 'Elizabeth Williams' (25).

There is another family living on Nore Hill, the Ash family, but Elizabeth is explicitly listed as an unrelated member of the Monckton household. There is no profession listed for anyone in the household.

I can't find Elizabeth in any later family censuses, and the surname Williams doesn't appear linked to the family in any other way (sisters-in-law, cousins, etc). So I'm stumped.

What advice would you give when trying to research such a mysterious person in a census record?

[Milliepede]

Maybe she was someone (unrelated) who simply helped out in the household or on the farm.   

Likely she could be married by the next census and under a different surname.   

[CaroleW]

The 1841 does not show relationships so she could not be "explicitly listed as an unrelated member of the Monckton household"

Ages from age 16 were rounded down to the nearest 5yrs.  Precise birthplaces were not shown.   

As they were living on a farm,  Elizabeth could simply have been an employee, boarder or similar

[Andrew Tarr]

The 1841 census gives only sketchy info about anyone, but it usually shows a double stroke between dwellings and a single stroke between families and other non-relatives in the same dwelling.  Many, if not most, households contained lodgers or servants, though servants often had f.s. or somesuch against them.  I would guess a lone female lodger might be rather unusual, but not impossible.

Don't fancy your chances of tracing any Elizabeth Williams with certainty though.

[stanmapstone]

You can see that there is a single oblique stroke before Elizabeth Williams, so she is not part of the Monkton Family..

In 1841 the beginning of the first 'family' coincided with the beginning of the house but its end was signified by a single oblique stroke on the dividing line between the houses and names columns. The next 'family' then began, ending with a single stroke unless it happened to be the last household in the house when the end of a house was marked with a double stroke.

Stan

[M_ONeill]

EDIT: Andrew and Stan beat me to it. There is indeed a double line between the Ash and Monckton families, but only a single stroke between Elizabeth and John's family.

Sadly no one has any profession against them in the Monckton household. I'm not even sure if John is working on the farm himself. I think Nore Hill is part of the nearby Patshull estate, home of the Pigot Baronets. I'm not sure whether or not the inhabitants of Nore Hill farm are tenants of the estate or not.

[jinks]

Sometimes a 'Boarder' or even 'Servant' does turn out to be a relative so in that case when you start looking at Siblings of John and Jane then she might turn up.

The 1841 Census usually states 'County' so you have a little knowledge to go on (assuming it's correct) If the county is Staffordshire then have a look at the local church for a Baptism of Elizabeth and marriages before 1851 to see if its possible she marries prior to the next Census.

If there's only one and no burials there will be a good chance that's the person you are looking for. If there's more than one it's a case of elimination.

If she is born Wales - for now I'd give it up 

[M_ONeill]

Heya Jinks, thanks for the suggestions! I did do a search for Elizabeth Williams’ born in 1816 in Staffordshire... sadly it did the opposite of narrowing things down! A lot of Elizabeth Williams were born in Staffs that year. 

I guess that part of the issue is that I’m not sure exactly what kind of residence Nore Hill Farm is at this point. I think it may be a tenant farm of the Patshull estate but I’m not sure if that’d make John and family or just hired farmhands - the latter might make sense given how old the Ash parents are.

[jinks]

I actually meant around the Patshull area, Wealthy people do seem to have Servants from all over the Country but most 'servants' in working class families do seem to be local, nevermind maybe it's one for the back burner