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Toon_Turner
28-10-2008, 3:34 PM
Hello, this is my first post.
I have an ancestor from Oswego but can't find him on any shipping records, he married Eleanor Wiley in Liverpool in 1890 so you would think thats the port he arrived at. Eleanor then died in 1895 and just 6 months later he married Beatrice Morley from Yorkshire which is my ancestor.
He had one child with Eleanor called Maud and 3 more with Beatrice called Beatrice, Samuel & Muriel. On the English 1891 & 1901 census he has said he was from Oswego. He does however have different names on the census' On the 1891 census he is Sam Holmes which is also the name on his sons WWI record and his marriage certificate to Beatrice. However his name on the 1901 census is Daniel but i know it is the same man as it has the correct wife, children and ages of all mentioned.
I have also noticed on the 1901 English census he has written Oswego (British Subject) in brackets? Would Oswego of been under Canadian or American control in the late 1800's?

blue eyes
28-10-2008, 4:02 PM
Hi,

It maybe that the enumerator misheard his name as the ending of Samuel and Daniel sound the same.

It looks like it came under New York, see link below 'History of Oswego County NY'

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyoswego/oswegocounty/oswegohistory.html

Toon_Turner
28-10-2008, 4:11 PM
I did think that could of happened. But what convinced by my mother that i was clutching at straws. I guess it would of been a noisy room with so many people having details taken.

ChristineR
30-10-2008, 6:12 AM
The census taker did not actually go door to door to take down the information.

Each household was given a householders schedule which they were required to fill out for collection after census night. If the household did not have anyone who was literate, then they might get the person who came to pick up the form to fill it out when they saw it was not done. Else they made other arrangements for a friend or neighbour to fill out the form.

After the household schedules were collected, the enumerator was then required to transfer the information to the enumeration schedules which is what we see.

So there is ample opportunity for errors to creep in. The person who filled out the householder schedule may have bad handwriting, the enumerator may have been tired and would have been only working by candlelight if late. Sometimes the names are abbreviated thus - Danl and Saml - so that could also cause a mistake in transferring information.

If all the other information tallies, birthplaces, ages, forenames, then it is nothing to worry about.
:)

Toon_Turner
30-10-2008, 3:40 PM
The census taker did not actually go door to door to take down the information.

Each household was given a householders schedule which they were required to fill out for collection after census night. If the household did not have anyone who was literate, then they might get the person who came to pick up the form to fill it out when they saw it was not done. Else they made other arrangements for a friend or neighbour to fill out the form.

After the household schedules were collected, the enumerator was then required to transfer the information to the enumeration schedules which is what we see.

So there is ample opportunity for errors to creep in. The person who filled out the householder schedule may have bad handwriting, the enumerator may have been tired and would have been only working by candlelight if late. Sometimes the names are abbreviated thus - Danl and Saml - so that could also cause a mistake in transferring information.

If all the other information tallies, birthplaces, ages, forenames, then it is nothing to worry about.
:)
Are you sure?
I assumed that families went to a public place and queued up to have details taken.
I doubt that families filled it out thereselves as the handwriting is exactly the same all the way down the page.

Mona
30-10-2008, 3:52 PM
Re-read Christines post. It is the enumerators copy of all the household schedules that we see, so therefore all in the same hand

Each household was given a householders schedule which they were required to fill out for collection after census night.

After the household schedules were collected, the enumerator was then required to transfer the information to the enumeration schedules which is what we see.

Toon_Turner
30-10-2008, 4:57 PM
Oh, my mistake then.