Which one is right

[elizabeth.a]

Hi i was wondering if someone could take a look at two census for me and give me your advice the 1871 census for a Thomas Greeley he was my 2nd gg granddad
the first census is the name on this census is spell't Graley CLASS RG10 PIECE 3867 FOLIO 112 PAGE 32
The second is and this is the one i have in my tree CLASS RG10 PIECE 3864 FOLIO 150 PAGE 31
They both have a father and brother named Patrick there are so many things that are the same but the first census the one spell't Grayley this Thomas is living with his mother and siblings. The Second and the one i know is my ancestor is living with his wife and children .Is it possible to be on two census on one your married with children and the other your single . There is two family tree members that keep telling me that they are one and the same person . And i keep telling them i don't think they are . I would really appreciate a second or third opinion . With kind Regards Elizabeth

[Nicolina]

when and where was he born. Also where were they living in 1871. I can only find one Thomas GREELEY and the reference is different to both of those you gave.

[Pam Downes]

My gut feeling just by looking at the entries for that one census is that they are two different people as the ages are different.

You say that both Thomas' have a father and brother named Patrick. Does this mean that you have found them on other census?
If so, can you give us the references for those entries? It's always easier to give a more informed opinion when you look at several census.

Pam
whose gut feeling has been both right and wrong before

[Pam Downes]

when and where was he born. Also where were they living in 1871. I can only find one Thomas GREELEY and the reference is different to both of those you gave.

Nicolina - the name in the first reference has been transcribed by Ancestry as Grelay. Thomas aged 34, living in Sutton Lancashire. Born Ireland.

Second Thomas is Grealey, living civil parish of Eccleston, town of St Helens Lancs. Aged 30, born Mayo, Ireland.

Can you not just input the census reference? I know it gives you everyone on the page, but it's then a second's work to scroll down to the name.

EDIT: FMP have the names transcribed the same way as Ancestry.

Pam

[Megan Roberts]

In the first one where it is a widowed mother with 3 sons, the youngest son is said to be born in Liverpool in 1850, so I thought that I would have a look to see if I could see that birth, and see whether or not that revealed anything. Well I haven’t found it BUT searching surnames including variants of GRELAY, produces four results: 3 using GREALY and 1 using Grille.

So its clear that search engines will see the two surnames as interchangeable.

Have you found your ggg grandad’s birth? If so who was mother? You talk about the father being Patrick, but neither entry has a father.

The only way you can eliminate the first set of results (i.e. mother & 3 sons) is to follow each of the people backwards and forwards until you can see whether or not there is a connection.

I think that it is perfectly possible for there to be 2 entries in any census for the same person. The enumerator relied upon what was being told to them, and someone could have got confused.

At the time of 2001 census I was living in two places (London and Lancashire) and could filled in census forms in both places: nobody would have been any the wiser. In fact for the one that I did not fill in I was chased remorselessly to do so, even though I kept saying that I had filled in at my other location.

[elizabeth.a]

1871 census CLASS R10 PIECE 3864 FOLIO 150 PAGE 31 Thomas Grealey living in Eccleston St .Helen's Lancashire living with wife Cathar / its Catherine really . the other one is Ellen Grelay 1871 CLASS RG10 PIECE 3867 FOLIO 112 PAGE 32 living in Sutton
St Helen's Lancashire with son Thomas and James . There all so in the 1851 census CLASS HO107 PIECE 2178 FOLIO 225 PAGE 46 in Liverpool Patrick Ellen Thomas and many more. I'm not very good at writing things down so i do hope you will forgive me if i don't explain it very well . Elizabeth

[Pam Downes]

Hi i was wondering if someone could take a look at two census for me and give me your advice the 1871 census for a Thomas Greeley he was my 2nd gg granddad
the first census is the name on this census is spell't Graley CLASS RG10 PIECE 3867 FOLIO 112 PAGE 32
The second is and this is the one i have in my tree CLASS RG10 PIECE 3864 FOLIO 150 PAGE 31
They both have a father and brother named Patrick there are so many things that are the same but the first census the one spell't Grayley this Thomas is living with his mother and siblings. The Second and the one i know is my ancestor is living with his wife and children .Is it possible to be on two census on one your married with children and the other your single . There is two family tree members that keep telling me that they are one and the same person . And i keep telling them i don't think they are . I would really appreciate a second or third opinion . With kind Regards Elizabeth

Should have picked this up first time round.
What proof do you have that they both have a father and brother called Patrick?

Do you have the marriage certificate of Thomas and Catherine, which says that Thomas' father is called Patrick?

Pam

[Nicolina]

there is a marriage at Prescot in 1863 between Thomas GREALEY and Catherine PENKETH. So according to the 1871 Census she'd only have been 14 when they married.

[Pam Downes]

there is a marriage at Prescot in 1863 between Thomas GREALEY and Catherine PENKETH. So according to the 1871 Census she'd only have been 14 when they married.

That's the one I found, Nicolina.
I think the enumerator has got Catherine's age wrong on the 1871 census - 24 or 27 would have been more
accurate.
She appears to be 15 in 1861 (RG9/2751 folio 45 page 20), and 36 in 1881 (RG11/3739 folio 51 page 53)

I've found a possible for Thomas/Catherine's hubby in 1861 - same district and piece number as Catherine, but I can't find the other family.

Pam

[Nicolina]

Lancs BMD has Catherine PENKETH born in St. Helens in 1847. Found the family in 1851 but cannot see Catherine in 1861. Time for a "silly search".