Genealogy Chat

Ive heard that sometimes birth year is sometimes a few years out when it comes to census information, mainly cos they were pretty dumb and didnt know when they were born. But what about where? I have a Clara Edith Johnson/Johnston, born in Norfolk about 1863. The one I definatly know is in my tree is born Middleton Norfolk, 1863, Last Census information on her was 1891 (I think), and before that her Marriage to Walter Berry in 1889. This Clara Edith Johnson/Johnston is not mentioned before 1891, but a silimar one is, born 3 years out from mine, but in Yarmouth, Norfolk. To me it sounds as if there isnt enough evidence to say this second Clara is mine. What do you think?

Oh yeah and thats the other thing - I have Johnson, and Johnston.

Hi Paul I've had a similar problem with my Gt Grandfather His marriage cert. gives his age as 23 making him born on 1870, BUT the only person who he can be, is down on census's as being born in 1866 but CHRISTENED in 1870! Perhaps this is part of your problem - I know people were a bit lax on places and birth years, but sometimes I get the feeling I am trying to fit a square peg into a round hole! Cheers A

Perhaps you can use the father's name given on her marriage certificate, and possibly witnesses' names, to work out where she is on earlier censuses to help narrow down which is her birth registration. I would say if you can find her on the 1871 census her age will be more or less correct because people usually knew roughly how old their children were; it's only when they get older that the ages on the census get less accurate. Kate.

Ages on censuses and deaths can be quite a few years out. It's not unusual for people to only age 7 years between censuses. One of my mother's ancestors was born in 1859 but was 19 on the 1881 census. I now tend to note the ages at which they appear on the various censuses in their record.

If you were the enumerator, you might get different responses depending on how you phrased the question: Where were you born?.......or.......Where do you come from? How old are you?......or.............When were you born? (enumerator's mental arithmetic might not be brill!!) Merry

I suppose lying on the census records, was a Victorian form of cosmetic surgery!

it's equally true that there seems to be no evidence for two different Claras. Walter thought he was born in Middleton himself. It was a small village near Kings Lynn, which is a long way from Yarmouth. He was there in 1871. By 1881 the family has moved to the next village, North Runcton. He's still there with his wife Clara and kids in 1891, as a farm labourer. But in the meantime he's been in Norwich, because that's where the wedding was. Maybe he went there to work. He could easily have met the daughter of a Yarmouth fisherman in Norwich. So is it somehow possible that he somehow thought this fisherman's daughter was from the same village he was born in? Or could he have met a Clara in Norwich who really was from Middleton, and previously unrecorded? Or did he meet this mystery girl at home and for some reason they married in Norwich? All a bit improbable. Maybe he found some way of filling in the census form wrong, and repeated the trick in 1901. You need the marriage cert. The bride's father's is going to have to be the decider.

Dont know If it means anything... I know in the early days of the Census, people after the age of 15, age were round up to the nearest 5. I find the best thing to do... is to try and work out when they died.. from there work backward. Of course,... there were cases of people just being vian!!! Nicoa

I don't think working backwards from when they died is a good idea. As I said before, their age will be most accurate on the census when they were children and may lose accuracy every census after that. And their age on their death certificate only reflects what the informant thought it was. Kate.

I've a man who was 36 on the 1861 census but by 1881 was only 48, this was because his wife was shown as 20 years younger , but she was actually 27 years younger..... Kim