Lodger on the Census

[Madhatter153]

Hi,

I've managed to trace back my family to early 1800s, but I'm struggling to find my 4x great grandfather. I think I've found his wife from the 1851 census as it shows their children, but the only male present in the house is described as a lodger and carries a different surname to the woman and all 4 children. The same lodger appears again in the 1871 census at a different address, with the same woman, but no children. Any ideas what this could mean and how I can find the father of the children?

Thanks in advance!

[PaulineJ]

Welcome.

Is the 1851 woman a wife or a widow?
same for 1871?
Who, when and where are these 4 kids?

It's always MUCH easier to work from when we have been told the base information...

Pauline

[Craclyn]

Take a look at the ages of the children. If the mother was widowed you may find that some belonged to her husband and some have arrived afterwards and may belong to the lodger.

[Maiden Stone]

If the children were born 1837 or later in England, their births should have been registered. Maiden surnames of mothers have been added to many entries in GRO births index. Not always foolproof though. A female ancestor of mine didn't give her maiden surname on the birth certificate of the baby born after her 1st husband's demise/departure. She married again when the child was 3.

[Guy Etchells]

Hi,

I've managed to trace back my family to early 1800s, but I'm struggling to find my 4x great grandfather. I think I've found his wife from the 1851 census as it shows their children, but the only male present in the house is described as a lodger and carries a different surname to the woman and all 4 children. The same lodger appears again in the 1871 census at a different address, with the same woman, but no children. Any ideas what this could mean and how I can find the father of the children?

Thanks in advance!

Have you thought the lodger could be the "wife's" brother?
Try looking for a marriage between your  4x great grandfather's surname and a woman with the lodger's surname.

It could of course simply be that the woman was widowed and needed to take in a lodger to make ends meet and it was convenient for him to move when she moved (you do not mention how far she moved).
Cheers
Guy