Niece to daughter in 10 years

[lostinspace]

I have found an 1881 census listing for an ancestor who is at age 3 the daughter of the head of the household. 10 years later, she is listed as his niece.

There's no doubt in my mind it's the same people- ages, places of birth and occupations all match- and the head's job is as a police constable, so I wouldn't have thought it's just a mistake he made.

Had it been the other way round, I'd have presumed adoption.

Any guidance or thoughts?
Thanks in advance..........

[pattenwalsh]

Yes, the head of the household had an unmarried sister who got pregnant,and, when the child was born he then listed her in the census as his daughter.Ten years later he has forgotten what he put on the census earlier and just puts down that she is his niece,which in reality she is.
I had an uncle who's birth cert has his uncle and aunt as his parents,but in reality it was his uncles sister who had had the child.

[Nicolina]

if you can give us some names etc. maybe we can help to sort them out. The more information the better.

[lostinspace]

I've uploaded the two census returns. The name to look for is Harris Garton, his wife, and then the daughter/niece.
I've looked at Free BMD and can't find whether an Edith died between the two cencus and can't find one (maybe I'm on the wrong track with that one).
Other parts of my tree show Edith Maud married into the Burdett branch of my tree, but the question is, are the two Ediths one and the same?

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g355/major69/Garton1891censusHarris.jpg

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g355/major69/Garton1881censusHarris.jpg

[pennydog]

If you look at the 1911 census entry for Harris RG14 PN19649 SN148 crown copyright/care of TNA, you will see that Harris and his wife Hannah have been married for 34 years and against Hannah entered 1 in the column "Total Children Born Alive" and 1 in the column "Children Still Living". If you have not found any other child for this couple it looks like Edith Maud was Hannah's daughter.

As Edith was entered with the surname Musson in 1891, have you considered she may have been Hannah's child?

There is a birth registered for an Edith Maud G Musson March qtr 1878 Lincoln 7A 556

[pennydog]

I cannot see a birth reg for Edith Garton, but do see that Harris Garton married Hannah Musson in 1876 Dec qtr Grantham 7A 1017.

In your place I would purchase the birth cert for Edith Maud G Musson and see just who is named as her parents.

[Nicolina]

at first glance I thought that maybe he was Hannah's daughter, born pre marriage but it now appears that Edith Maud was the daughter of one of Hannah's siblings.

Marriages Dec 1876
GARTON Harris Grantham 7a 1017
MUSSON Hannah Grantham 7a 1017

Births Mar 1878
MUSSON Edith Maud G Lincoln 7a 556

Edith Maud may have married as a GARTON
Marriages Jun 1900
GARTON Edith Maud Ashby Z. 7a 237
on same page
BURDETT William Ashby Z. 7a 237
WILLIAMSON George Ashby Z. 7a 237

[Nicolina]

according to the 1901 Census (RG12/2974/132 Page 21) for:
Brook's Lane, Whitwick, Leicestershire
William BURDETT b. abt. 1869 in Ashby Magna, Leicestershire occ: Railway Wagon Builder Iron Works
Edith Maud BURDETT b. abt. 1878 in Grantham, Lincolnshire

[Nicolina]

the 1911 Census (RG14PN28165 RG78PN1609 RD512 SD2 ED9 SN96) for 117 Tickhill Street, Denaby Main, Rotherham has
William BURDETT b. abt. 1869 in Ashby Magna, Leicestershire occ: Coal Miner Hewer
Edith Maud BURDETT b. abt. 1878 in Grantham, Lincolnshire

and children:
Harris William b. abt. 1903 in Whitwick, Leicestershire
Edith Hannah b. abt. 1905 in Denaby Main, Yorkshire
Phyllis b. abt. 1906 in Denaby Main, Yorkshire
Alice Irene b. abt. 1907 in Denaby Main, Yorkshire
Wilfred Stanley b. abt. 1909 in Denaby Main, Yorkshire
Sydney George b. abt. 1910 in Denaby Main, Yorkshire
Frank b. abt. 1911 in Denaby Main, Yorkshire (aged 3 months)

[lostinspace]

And I thought genealogy would be difficult................

I'd actually found most of this, so it's nice to know I'm heading on the right lines. It's putting together the discoveries which I haven't got my head round yet!

I wondered whether the "G" in Edith M G Musson might stand for Garton? But even if it does, I don't know what that snippet would gain me.

Looks like I'll be buying the birth certificate at some point.

Edith died in 1941(prior knowledge). My mother knew and remembers her grandmother as having the maiden name of Musson, a name which is famous in the family. "Musson's Pride" is the term given to all family members with big backsides!

[Nicolina]

unfortunately Lincoln Archives are closed until middle December, for maintainence, or else you could have nipped across to search the Parish records, so buying a copy of the certificate seems to be the only way to get to the bottom of the puzzle (at the moment). If Edith was the illegitimate daughter of one of Hannah's sisters then a certificate, most likely, will not give a father's name whereas there is always a chance that he'd be named in the PRs.
I've had a wonderful vision of Musson's Pride.

[pennydog]

Looking at Hannah, with her parents in 1861 RG09 2350 19 31 (crown copyright/care of TNA)

She has 2 sisters:- Sarah & Eliza and 2 brothers:- Robert and John (appologies lostinspace if you already know this) and her father is also a police constable.

[Heather Barford]

Maybe it was as simple as the sister filling in the form and ticking daughter or maybe the wrong box or column being ticked happens all the time these days with form filling so why not in the past?