Genealogy Chat

Try every spelling you can think of.On the 1901 census I was looking for Macaree's I did a soundex and voila they came up as Marsee.I've also got kids staying with neighbours.So long as the neighbour remembered to tell the enumerator.

I think people travelling were often missed off and some children in schools were just added by initials or just christian names. If you think about it there can't have been an enumerator at every station waiting for each train or at each bus stop. On the 1881 census there are over 600 entries of nk/nk not knowns so we're bound to be missing a few ancestors.I can't find my great grandfather and his three brothers. Perhaps the child was ill in hospital ? KIM

I believe (though could be wrong) that boys at one time could join the RN as cadets 13 and were sent to a school/establishment until ready for sea duty (or possibly until age 14). Think my boss told me he left school at 13 to become a cadet. If I remember correctly my parents generation early 1900's children could leave school at 14.

I can't find my Grandmother, or her parents on the 1901 either, although she wasn't a child, she would have been 18 and been in service somewhere in London, and it's possible her father was dead (he was deceased in 1903 when she married). She may turn up eventually though, I haven't given up hope totally.

In my case one of the family was staying with friends. It is also possible in your case that perhaps the child had committed a misdemeanor and was put in a children's home. This happened for relatively minor offences in those days

In my case, there were three girls born to the daughters' married name,but on the 1901 census they were down as being grandchildren of the grandparents name. Hedaux's, instead of Harding. Bob

It's quite frightening isn't it, that children could be sent away so young to be apprenticed? My other grandfather had just turned 14 when his father signed his indenture papers. My uncle gave me a copy of the papers & it was great to touch on this piece of history, as I never knew my grandfather. I have an almost haunting picture of the family handing over their boy & how difficult it must have been. I know I couldn't do it with my lads at that age. Thank goodness some things have changed for the better over the years!

Appreticeships had to be paid for, had a quick look in my book but could'nt find a minimum age. Was there anything in the disabilities column on the census page for the four year old - is it possible that the child was unable to be cared for at home ? I'm with Elizabeth, i've tried every which way to find my Gran and Grandpa in 1901 census and no-one comes close to even being a 'possible' so I guess they were somehow missed. Sue

There's always the possibility that he was staying with another family member that day, I know that I've occasionally found a couple of grandchildren on the census with my ancestors. But if that was the case I would have thought that you'd have found him by now. I've never found my great gran on the 1901 census although she would have been young at the time. I can only assume that she was somehow missed off altogether, or that her name has been mistranscribed so I can't find her. I did also have a relative who I eventually found quite a way from home aged 13 as an apprentice, so they did sometimes leave home very young.

Have found my Grandafther's family in 1901. He is not there as he was not born untill November that year. The mystery is that one of the children of the family (John McCarthy) is missing from the census. I'm not sure where he came in the order of things, but he is unlikely to have been old enough to have left home. Searching 1901 produced a 4 year old John "at school". Further searching showed this to be an orphanage, some where in the East End (Which is where the family was living) though the name of the orphanage was not on the top of that particular page. I would assume, as his parents were both alive & well, & all the other children of the family were still at home, that this is not him. What I would love is some suggestions as to why a child would not have been living at home, & particularly, if he was indentured as an apprentice for example, at what age would he have been indentured? any one ANY ideas?