Genealogy Chat

My greatgrandfather in 1891 born Bristol in 1901 Gravesend Kent, with the surname of Williams where do I start he was married in Falmouth Cornwall, sending for his marriage cert may tell me more. ANNABEL

I was also once told that the poorer people tended to say that they were born where they were living, if it was different to their real birthplace, as they always feared being told to move on back to where they came from! Lou

I think by 1871 (anyone know better?) people were asked to give as their place of birth 'the nearest identifiable town' if they were born in some little village. Mine go from tiny village to the nearest town over three censuses - but I found the birth recorded as the village given on the earliest census. Marjorie

The area around Golden Lane and Whitecross Street (off Old Street and included in the parish of St Luke's) was another rookery full of pubs with doors at the back for quick getaways etc. Sometimes place of birth can vary - my grandmother was born in Lower Holloway, Islington and on the census she sometimes says Holloway, sometimes Islington. I suppose both are correct. I did go on a wild goose chase with my gt grandmother Ruth when the enumerator put Langley. This is a village near Limpenhoe where Ruth lived most of her married life. But she was actually born further north - in Langham. Similarly, my gt gt grandmother Ann was born in Farnham Royal, but on one census it just said Farnham and I thought it would be Farnham, Surrey as she lived in Surrey all her married life. Most frustrating is my husband's great grandfather. He is on 3 different censuses with 3 different birthplaces - all in London, yippee - and he was unable to get his own birth cert when he applied for it. As his name was Charles Carter and there is some doubt as to whether he was born in 1863, 4, 5 or 6 you can see how tough it is. I know his mother's maiden name, but of course that isn't in the birth indexes!!!! nell

<<Added by Margaret Margareto on 21/03/2005 13:20:14 Was St.Giles a famous slum then?>> If, as tourists, we had undertaken a 'London Walk' early in the 19th. century we would inevitably have come to the hideous slum of St. Giles, or the 'Holy Land', the most feared and deplorable of all the rookeries, described eloquently by Charles Dickens, Henry Mayhew and George Sala. It was said to have had for Dickens 'a profound attraction of repulsion'. Early in the 19th. century a parish beadle (officer) had defined the core of the area as: 'One part of the High Street, back of Great Russell Street, and what we call the back settlement, down the right side of George Street (otherwise Dyott Street) including Buckeridge Street, Church Street, Church Lane, Bainbridge Street, Carrier Street and Lawrence Street'. It is easier to grasp its boundaries today if we think of it as extending from Great Russell Street south to Long Acre, with Drury Lane and Charing Cross Road as its eastern and western boundaries. It was not the most extensive or dangerous of the capital's rookeries. What made it so feared was its location. It was easily accessible from Leicester Square, the Haymarket and Regent Street, the haunts of masses of thieves and prostitutes. They could slip down dark alleys and courts and reach the asylum of St. Giles in minutes. More at :- http://www.camdennet.org.uk/groups/blmsbry-pntrshp/articles/item?item_id=12610 dave

Yes.....a lot of mine put different places of birth....very confusing to say the least. One ho was born in North Wales suddenly decided that he was born in South Wales!! l think the longer they lived someplace then they decided that is where they were born!!!!!

My worst one had five different places of birth. However when I really started looking at the maps it turned out these were wider or smaller areas in the same place. It had us confused for ages because some of the names were such common place names. Anne

Goodness, it is more of a problem than I thought! Paul, it just says Isle of Wight on the census, nothing more. she lived all her life in and around Surrey as far as I am aware. May be she was born on holiday?? I guess we just have to fork out for more certs to confirm in situations like this. Claire xx

thanks for replies I did not realise it was that bad no wonder I am getting more and more confused but that does give me hope too as I thought I had found someone but was going to dismiss it as the wrong area

I still think that some use to ask the question where are you from, not where were you born. If they couldn't spell it they they put down where the others were from. You will even find that some people didn't know where they were born only the county if the parents died when they were young or went into service which again was up to the head and what he decided to put down. Irene

I have one lady who was born India, Isle of Wight, Stepney or Westminster depending on which census you are looking at. I also have a few where the spouse who spoke to the enumerator on the night obviously made a wild guess as to his/her partners place of birth. I suppose someone born in the workhouse or in a famous slum like Old Nichol or St Giles, who had come up in the world probably wouldn't admit to their true origins. Where you have lodging houses or institutions the master/manager probably didn't go round asking all and sundry where they were born. The most infuriating are those who just give a parish, i.e St Johns, St Lukes etc with no county. I suppose the answer is slightly more acurate than the ages given by the ladies. dave

1 of my rellies was born in Hertfordshire in one of the census said he was born in....Holland. We only knew it was him cos of where he was living at the time.

many seem to change census to census and i guess somewhat dependant on who they were and their circumstance and who returned the info. I bet many young girls in service were recorded wrongly, born islington - an employer would probably say London. Of course, if their employee had what was an unsuitable name they would have changed it anyway. many called their servants what they like so 'Florence born in Islington' may well have been listed as 'Sarah from London'. Jess

clare on the certificate with isle of wight did it have Barton I. on it....we got this on my grandads and my nan had no idea she thought he was born in greys,essex. we did a map search and it come up barton, isle of wight. michelle

Although I haven't had that problem yet, judging to others comments it does appear to be wrong quite often. I imagine that the earliest census for a person would be the most accurate.( hopefully having been completed by the parents) If you'd never asked your parents where you were born,you could assume you were born where you were brought up.

Well a rellie of mine is born in Camberwell on 1881 and Isle of Wight on 1901 and they are not even close!!! I can't even begin to imagine how that misunderstanding would occur. I guess some people didn't know, or the enumerator mis heard, or it was mistranscribed. So the place of birth CAN be wrong, but in my case, that is the only incorrect one I have come across. All my other rellies are where they should be. :o) Claire xx

would it have been fairly common for people to put a different place of birth from census to census