Why would one child be left behind while the rest of the family emigrated?

[KitHannay]

Hi all,

Doing some research for a friend and found their ancestors - John and Eliza George (nee Spittle) - living in Abersychan in the 1841 and 1851 census. They had eight kids in Wales - Emily, Thomas, Henry, Elizabeth, Louisa, Mary, Caroline and William between 1837 and 1854. In 1856, they all emigrated to America (I've found Eliza and the kids in a ship record, I assume John went over ahead of them) except for Henry (who would have been 14/15 at the time). I can't find a death record for him and in fact, think I've found him in the 1861 census in Bristol where he's recorded as a 'visitor' to the household.

Would it have been normal to leave one child behind while the rest of the family emigrated? He wasn't even the eldest, there were two older than him. Seems very strange to me. would love any insights people might have!

[Galium]

In Richard Madeley's book about his family, Fathers & Sons, he describes how his grandfather, as a child was left behind when the rest of his family emigrated (they didn't even tell him). He was left with older relatives - it's a while since I read it, but I think that the idea was so that he could be a help to them, and because they had helped with paying for the others to travel to Canada.

In my own family I have come across a young woman who stayed behind with her maternal grandfather when her father, stepmother and half-siblings went to Canada.  She was the only child of her grandfather's deceased only child, and in this case I think she remained so that he was not left without family nearby.

[normamac]

Hi all,

Doing some research for a friend and found their ancestors - John and Eliza George (nee Spittle) - living in Abersychan in the 1841 and 1851 census. They had eight kids in Wales - Emily, Thomas, Henry, Elizabeth, Louisa, Mary, Caroline and William between 1837 and 1854. In 1856, they all emigrated to America (I've found Eliza and the kids in a ship record, I assume John went over ahead of them) except for Henry (who would have been 14/15 at the time). I can't find a death record for him and in fact, think I've found him in the 1861 census in Bristol where he's recorded as a 'visitor' to the household.

Would it have been normal to leave one child behind while the rest of the family emigrated? He wasn't even the eldest, there were two older than him. Seems very strange to me. would love any insights people might have!

Could be as simple as he did not want to go with them.
Norma

[Lisa in California]

Could he have been sick (long term, not a cold) and the family knew that he would be turned away upon the ship docking in America?

[bearkat]

At 14 he could have been bound as an apprentice which would have meant he couldn't leave until he was 21.