Genealogy Chat

In the 1901 census one branch of my family have all changed their places of birth. Three of the children putting Ontario Canada and both parents changing their birth places. I could have understood this in the early cenuses but not 1901.! Any ideas.

Hard to say without knowing their details. Why not post them here? Rose

Yes, it was looking at this that I spotted it. Not sure about errors because they are ALL wrong. Anyway it is an idea.

The parents were on the 1881 and 1891 cenus as being born in Paddington and another place I could not read. The children were down as being born in Bingley, then on the 1901 they all seem to have changed where they live. The names match and everything else, but not where they were born. Strange I think.

Enumerator's error? Have you seen the image? OC

My great grandfather was listed as being born in Gravesend Kent when he joined the navy in 1876, also same place 1881, and 1901 census but Bristol in the 1891 census, and I can not trace his birth. In the 1901 census he had a sister living in bristol who gave her place of birth as Gravesend kent, also no trace of her birth, in 1909 she was on his death cert living in Bristol he was living in Gloucester. cheers Annabel

Some people just did not want the Government to know their business. One branch on my tree gives birth places of cheltenham and birmingham alternately in the census. Another man was born in New York in every census from 1841-1891, but suddenly in 1901 was born in Birmingham. Sometimes the enumerator just wrote 'ditto' down the page, I am sure and did not check carefully with his household schedules. Or may the OCR indexing has chose Ontario Canada as the nearest likely place. Can't remember which year but there are people living in Somerset who were indexed as born in Somalia, most likely because the abbreviation is the same. Di

in the 1901 census my greatgrandfather William Eckersley is down as born Northwich Cheshire, he was born in Salford, my greatgrandmother Eliza is down as born in Warrington and she was born in Macclesfield Cheshire, so I don't know who filled in the census, or who answered the door to the census man. Chris.

& you never know if they were illiterate & the person helping them with their forms didn't ask quite the right question. One of my relatives put the last place he was living for place of birth. Was he asked 'Where are you from?' Ozi.

Ozi I think that might have been the question asked at my great grandmother's house. Her husband is listed as born Salford,Lancashire whereas previous census show him from Shipley, Yorkshire. In Salford I found his supposed family-( going by father's name and occupation from son's marriage cert.)and the other children were born Shipley. Another set of relatives in 1901 'forgot' where their young son was born and said it was a Herefordshire village although I have a birth cert. that shows it was in a valley in south Wales. Gwyn

Whilst sorting out some papers recently I discovered I have spent the last ?? years filling in MY place of birth incorrectly, my descendents are going to love me!

I have a rellie in the 1861 census who`s birth place is down as Mexico.........It turned out to be a mistranscription of Middlesex. Kathlyn

Michael that really makes sense about the workhouse as that was the bigest fear my grandparents had, never heard of the rule before of sending you back to where you were born thanks for the information, Chris.

Along the same lines of keeping the authorities noses out...... ... I have often thought that if you lied about your place of birth (or anything else) on one census, how likely are you to remember which lie you told TEN YEARS later??!!!! I forget things I said last week, LOL Anne