Genealogy Chat

I actually complained to ancestry some time ago about that page, its obviously written not that long ago in a young womans writing. Also, one of the addresses given is a well known world wide chain of lodgings for back packers. (You can tell Im the mum of past students). My guess is this was a student filling in during holidays but it does put the records into disrepute and they really ought to change it.

and he was 52, but his wife was 97! Now what kind of international playboy has a woman who's 45 years his senior?!! (OK, a lunatic one LOL)!

Thanks Richard.I did wonder about it but never thought it was put in as a prank lol.Its a bit of fun though.Forgot to mention it has lunatic written in the column next to the International playboy

Margaret... I think that particular page does demonstrate that someone at the public records office has a sense of humour, at least! Good for a laugh, but consider: (1) Most of those servants names sound very English, considering their exotic birthplaces (and I don't think that they were ex-colonials either, as many of those places were never British colonies!). (2) The use of double-quote marks for ditto (the previous page, and indeed most pages, use the abbreviation 'do'). (3) Different handwriting from the previous page (and a different street!). (4) No district or parish info at the top of the page (5) It is the last page of the enumeration district - coincidence that there's just enough names to fill the page? Yet the previous page still had lots of space after the last name. (6) The enumeration books were in 'folios', i.e. printed on both sides. If a district finished on an odd-numbered page, the next page would be blank! Could be tempting for a potential prankster? The worrying thing is that the LDS have transcribed it word for word, seemingly without question, into their database! Makes you wonder about the credibility of the rest of their data! Richard

And dont forget the international playboy on the 1881 census.His son was a ponce TRUE THE IMAGE IS CLEAR.Think the playboy should be pianist but the son definately says ponce.They have lots of servants from different countries who really do come from those countries. Look at the image.Type in ponce no name and have a look.

Shows that common sense isn't always applied. I've just had a relative with a child called Ann, down as a 'son'. I looked at the image and admittedly it is hard to read, but it certainly isn't Ann and doesn't even begin with an A! nell

Quite a few of mine have been from Somalia (not somerset as their birth certs state!) lol

Oh brilliant guys, I wish I could remember what area of London they had as Ohio the other day.

Or how about Salford, on Mars? Marjorie

If that's too hot, there's always Loughborough in Liechtenstein.

Oh brilliant Geoff, I think I prefer my Deptford in Kenya though if I have to live in one of them.

My latest Ancestry find puts Croydon in Syria.

Love the Ferret Officer Heather...bet he was short and hairy lol Sheila

I had to jump in, just trawling ancestry for yet another missing person and found these two: Nergenia Wales, Surrey (Virginia Water) and Ferret Officer (First Officer) Made me smile anyway seeing as the cert that arrived this morning only proves I wasted £7.