Genealogy Chat

I have started researching my grandmother's side of the family.

Joseph Thomas Fry married Victoria Jasper in 1878 in Penzance. I have found them in 1881, 1891 and 1901 and noted several children through the census.

In the original image of their 1911 entry, Joseph and Victoria stated they had only had five children in the 35 years of their marriage. They said none had died and only five were born alive.

Here is a list of their children:

William Thomas - 1880 - 1918
Elizabeth Jane - 1881
Joseph John - 1883 - 1884
John Edwin - 1884 - 1884
George Edwin - 1886
Edward Ernest - 1888 - 1951
Leonard - 1890
Anna Louisa - 1891
Jessica - 1893
Mary Anne - 1896
Joseph John - 1900

...Just a few more than five..

Why would they have only said they had five? In 1911 they had Anna, Jessie and Leonard living with them. Also a grandson called Vivian.

It has surprised me and I'm a tad confused...

Thank you!

Maybe they didn't fully understand the question and put only the "children" that were living with them at the time, including a grandchild???

Are you aware of the Cornish web site
http://www.cornwall-opc-database.org/index.php
You can get the baptism details of some of the children there.

I don't know the answer to your question though.

There also seems to be a Joseph Thomas Fry whose birth and death (aged 0) were registered in the third quarter of 1878, who might have been their first child.

Lynski's response made sense to me. Even on the 1901 census they have 7 children, Elizabeth, 19, George 14, Edward 12, Leonard 10, Jessie 7, Mary A. 4 and Joseph 5 months.

In the censuses including 1911 (Penzance district 19 image 322 for Ancestry members) all the children are given as born in Penzance. However there doesn't seem to be an Anna Louise Fry born in Penzance district according to FreeBMD, there is one born in Poole though.

Thanks for that everyone. It just threw me off a little, I haven't, yet, uncovered any of my ancestors who filled it out incorrectly.

Thank you again!

Have you considered the possibility that the father had children from a previous marriage or that some ere 'unofficially' adopted? The question re the no of children only relates to this marriage, not any earlier ones.

My grandad's uncle remarried a couple of years after his first wife died. Both wives were called Elizabeth, and both had same pob. Their ages only differed by 2 y. If I hadn't stumbled across a parish record for his 2nd marr, I don't think I'ld have noticed from census - both wives & uncle all died before 1911 though.