What Did Our Ancestors Do Between The Census Years?

[coombs]

My ancestor was a 22 year old printer in Dacre Street, Westminster in the 1851 census. He married in March 1856 to his brother's wife's younger sister, in Hackney parish church then they settled in St Pancras near Oxford Street. I often wonder what he was doing inbetween March 1851 and March 1856. Probably a printer but working for various people in London, and still a single man. I wonder where he lived inbetween 1851 and 1856. I guess the Westminster and Pancras area.

Sadly the 1861 census for them at Colville Place seems to be missing, like a number of streets in the St Pancras district were at the time, the streets are in the enumerators description but the actual schedules for that street are missing.

20 years ago I looked at the 1861 St Pancras name index at Holborn Library and could not find my ancestors yet they had a son born in 1860 in the Pancras district then 1863 and 1865 (info thanks to later census returns). Aidan, the man who was one of the top archivists, said that while they may have lived in Pancras, if they were in Yorkshire on holiday for example, then they would be enumerated in Yorkshire. I got the address by buying the 1860, 1863 and 1865 birth certs and it all gave the same address and I then went to the library on my next visit and found that street was missing hence why I cannot find them.

Great work to come up with an answer though.

Although you were unable to find them, at least you have a reason they were not in the census.

Yes, it has at least confirmed why I could not find them. I still lay in the tiny hope that one day at least some missing pages from 1861 can be found in some vault somewhere.

Another ancestor is in the 1881 census in a small Durham village and in 1891 lodging with family in a nearby village. He had actually travelled 4000 miles to America in Sep 1886 and returned to the UK in about 1890, is recorded in 1891 in County Durham, then left the UK again in April 1892 and stayed in the US until he died. So inbetween 1881 and 1891 it looks like he never left the UK.

He had 2 daughters who had emigrated to the US in the early 1880s and his others stayed in the UK.

[Greensleeves]

I've always thought trying to track me down as a child might prove difficult if only census returns are relied on. 
I was born in Suffolk but the 1951 census would show me in Norfolk.
The 1961 census shows me back in Suffolk.
But in actual fact between 1951 and 1961 I lived in Norfolk, Yorkshire, Huntingdonshire, Cyprus (2 years), Blackpool, Suffolk again, Cambridge & then back to Suffolk.

So when I'm researching I try to bear in mind that people didn't necessarily stay in the same place all the time, even if the ten-yearly view of them might suggest that.

[chiddicks]

My ancestor was a 22 year old printer in Dacre Street, Westminster in the 1851 census. He married in March 1856 to his brother's wife's younger sister, in Hackney parish church then they settled in St Pancras near Oxford Street. I often wonder what he was doing inbetween March 1851 and March 1856. Probably a printer but working for various people in London, and still a single man. I wonder where he lived inbetween 1851 and 1856. I guess the Westminster and Pancras area.

Sadly the 1861 census for them at Colville Place seems to be missing, like a number of streets in the St Pancras district were at the time, the streets are in the enumerators description but the actual schedules for that street are missing.

20 years ago I looked at the 1861 St Pancras name index at Holborn Library and could not find my ancestors yet they had a son born in 1860 in the Pancras district then 1863 and 1865 (info thanks to later census returns). Aidan, the man who was one of the top archivists, said that while they may have lived in Pancras, if they were in Yorkshire on holiday for example, then they would be enumerated in Yorkshire. I got the address by buying the 1860, 1863 and 1865 birth certs and it all gave the same address and I then went to the library on my next visit and found that street was missing hence why I cannot find them.

Great work to come up with an answer though.

Although you were unable to find them, at least you have a reason they were not in the census.

Yes, it has at least confirmed why I could not find them. I still lay in the tiny hope that one day at least some missing pages from 1861 can be found in some vault somewhere.

Another ancestor is in the 1881 census in a small Durham village and in 1891 lodging with family in a nearby village. He had actually travelled 4000 miles to America in Sep 1886 and returned to the UK in about 1890, is recorded in 1891 in County Durham, then left the UK again in April 1892 and stayed in the US until he died. So inbetween 1881 and 1891 it looks like he never left the UK.

He had 2 daughters who had emigrated to the US in the early 1880s and his others stayed in the UK.

Incredible! and the perfect example of how easily you can be fooled if you only looked sat the census alone.

[chiddicks]

I've always thought trying to track me down as a child might prove difficult if only census returns are relied on. 
I was born in Suffolk but the 1951 census would show me in Norfolk.
The 1961 census shows me back in Suffolk.
But in actual fact between 1951 and 1961 I lived in Norfolk, Yorkshire, Huntingdonshire, Cyprus (2 years), Blackpool, Suffolk again, Cambridge & then back to Suffolk.

So when I'm researching I try to bear in mind that people didn't necessarily stay in the same place all the time, even if the ten-yearly view of them might suggest that.

Who would ever know! That is an incredible amount of movement, Military reasons possibly?

[casram]

The 2001 census would show us in Hampshire and the 2011 in Scotland. Missing would be the 7 years between that we spent in Canada.

Carolyn

[JAKnighton]

Was surprised to discover that a relative who I assumed never moved away, as he and his family were recorded living in the same place in the 1881 and 1891 censuses, actually had two children in that time who were born (and sadly died) in a completely different part of the country. Turns out he made an unsuccessful attempt to be a miner up north but reverted to being an ag lab in his native village.

[chiddicks]

The 2001 census would show us in Hampshire and the 2011 in Scotland. Missing would be the 7 years between that we spent in Canada.

Carolyn

Thanks Carolyn, there are so many examples like this that if you only looked at the census returns, it would give you a completely false picture

[chiddicks]

Was surprised to discover that a relative who I assumed never moved away, as he and his family were recorded living in the same place in the 1881 and 1891 censuses, actually had two children in that time who were born (and sadly died) in a completely different part of the country. Turns out he made an unsuccessful attempt to be a miner up north but reverted to being an ag lab in his native village.

This shows the real value of looking at the details of all your ancestors. If you hadn't seen the birth and death certificates of the two children that sadly died, you would never have known!

[coombs]

Mum should be on the 1951 census with her twin brother and older sister in Little Wakering, Essex, and should be on the 1961 census down the same street. From June 1956 to Sep 1958 the family lived in Singapore. Grandad was in the RAF.