Genealogy Chat

Victoria If you are missing a 20 year old on census night they could literally be anywhere to include Army, Navy, Infirmary, Workhouse, servant in somebody's house, even abroad getting married or abroad working. The best way to find them is to know as much info about them and just key them in so if b Poplar 1861 and you are looking in 1881 Census, just key in the name and all those B that year in Poplar will come up. If you are lucky only a few names come up and you can make an informed decision on all the info you already have. However if the name is William Smith you may not be so lucky. If they are actually at sea then they will not be recorded but if they are in a shore based establishment and many were then they will be recorded. It is worth a try and I have found 2 of mine by using this method but I did have detailed info on the people I am looking for. Janet

Occasionally you find some sort of comment written in the census that a person or whole household is away. MB

My Great Grandfather was absent on two census - he was a sailor. I found a Great Aunt on a census in a pub where she must have been working that night. (Well I suppose she was working!!)

Victoria Type census at sea in the thread box

victoria I have lots of rellies who appear to be missing on one census and then popup again for the next. Found one lot mistranscribed on ancestry so I expect there are likely to be logical explanations for the others too, just need to be creative in my approach ...... like throwing the computer through the window AHhhhhhhhh........ Alice

I saw this message and thought I would ask.......... If a persons mother, father and siblings are all on the 1881 British census in London, Middlesex England where could another member of the family be if they are not on it.? If your a 20 years old male I guess you could be anywhere ? If you were at sea at the time would you just get missed out? Any ideas? Thanks Victoria

Tjank you both, Now all I've got to do is find her! Alce

One of my relatives was a monthly nurse. She looked after mother and baby for that first month. So, she's never anywhere longer than a month while she is in employment. Although her home was Portsea, she was working in Sussex in 1881. She would be with a family, rather than in a hospital. Census night 1981 found me in Portsmouth, celebrating a great aunt's 90th birthday (she even got a card from the enumerator!). So I appear twice in the statistics. I made it a point of honour to be away from home in 1991 too, but they changed the system for 2001. In the 1800s, it was supposed to be where you slept on census night, but I've certainly turned up one or two recorded twice. Brenda

Hi. Yes - she could (or should) only be recorded once and that should be where she actually was. Have seen at least one of mine recorded in 2 places but the circumstances added up. Suspect your problem will be finding out where she was nursing, which is not necessarily in the local hospital. Good luck. Keith

I'm trying to figure out where one of my relatives was for the 1871 census. Husband is at home no mention of her but he is recorded as married. By 1881 she was living with daughter recorded as age 73 'formally nurse'. My question is, if she was on night duty in 1871 would she have been left out as she was not in the house ? If so why isn't she recorded else where? - eg in hospital where she was working? Of course this is a guess but I wonder why I can't find her anywhere! Alice