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  1. #1
    obdavies
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    Default Odd anomaly - am I missing something?

    You know the feeling when there's one census record that just doesn't seem right, but it's the only one that fits? Well I have that feeling for my Great Grandfather, William Davies, in the 1881 census. Throughout every other census record but 1881 his birthplace is recorded correctly as Llanegryn, Merionethshire, Wales.

    It is certainly him in the 1881 census, with his wife Caroline and their first daughter Mary Jane, all now living in Middlesbrough. The problem is he records his birthplace as Aberdase, South Wales, which I take to be Aberdare, South Wales. Now Aberdare is near Merthyr Tydvil 107 miles away from Llanegryn, so why the anomaly when they don't even sound similar? No one within the household or on the rest of the census page had any association with Aberdare, William was from Llanegryn and his wife and daughter were born in Middlesbrough.

    Neither William nor Caroline signed their own name on their marriage certificate two year earlier and the whole page of the census return is in the same handwriting, so completed by the census taker but I cannot figure out where Aberdare came from and that concerns me that I am missing something important in his lfe story.

    Born 15 Nov 1850 at Rhydycriw near Llanegryn to William Davies, a joiner, and Mary Pugh.
    1851 - Class: HO107; Piece: 2511; Folio: 167; Page: 6
    1861 - Class: RG9; Piece: 4318; Folio: 41; Page: 10 (age wrongly recorded as 5, he's almost 10, but he's with his parents and siblings)
    1871 - Class: RG10; Piece: 5689; Folio: 44; Page: 7
    Married 18 Jun 1879 in Middlesbrough
    1881 - Class: RG12; Piece: 4072; Folio 100; Page 35
    1891 - Class: RG12; Piece: 4072; Folio 100; Page 35
    Died in 1899

    Can anyone suggest a reason for this inconsistency in the 1881 census return?

  2. #2

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    This is just one possibility, but I have found similar things in my own research. Census entries are only as good as the person recording them, and when the recorder is not accustomed to the strong accent of the information giver, strange things happen. Similar things sometimes happen in Parish Registers.
    I must admit that I can't see Llanegryn in a strong Welsh accent turning into something that sounds like Aberdase heard by someone with a strong Middlesbrough accent, but someone accustomed to those accents might be a better judge than me....

    Is the handwriting of the 1881 similar to that in the '71 or '91?

  3. #3
    obdavies
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    Lesley, William was still in Wales in 1871 and the handwriting on the 1891 census record (again all the page is written by the census taker) is in a different hand to the 1881 record.

    I had thought of the accent but I, like you, cannot see how Llanegryn, even with a Welsh accent, could be made to sound like Aberdase. It is literally "out of the blue" as I've looked at pages of the 1881 census both preceding and after William's page and there is no mention of Aberdase (or Aberdare) so its not as if it was on the census takers mind, associated with Wales. Particularly as it specifies "South Wales" on William's record, Llanegryn isn't in South Wales.

    I can accept it simply as an aberration by the census taker, but I have a feeling I may be missing some vital clue to William's life between 1871 and his 1879 marriage.

  4. #4

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    Is his residential address given on his marriage certificate?

  5. #5
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    I think you have misquoted the reference for the 1881 Census.

    Peter

  6. #6
    obdavies
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    Lesley, yes his address is given on his 1879 marriage certificate. it is West Street Middlesbrough.
    elsinore, yes it appears I have misquoted it, it is Class: RG11; Piece: 4856; Folio: 67; Page: 22

  7. #7
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    Well, it's pretty clearly written as Aberdare, which I agree is odd. I did wonder if he meant Aberdovey (Aberdyfi), due to its proximity to Llanegryn, but it's an airy thought!

    However, his birth was registered in Dolgelly registration district, which is correctly stated on the 1891 Census.

    Peter

  8. #8
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    A fundamental misunderstanding in this thread.

    The census enumerators' books are copies of entries on the individual household returns which have not survived (except 1911). A household return was completed by the householder or by a literate member of the family or by a literate friend or neighbour. Only if all else failed would the enumerator personally have to complete the household return. In all cases, the enumerator had to copy data from the household schedules into the enumeration book. This may well have been done after dark and without the benefit of electric lighting.

    You presumably have the birth certificate (I hope so). This is the definitive statement about his birthplace.

    Aberdare is an error which could have been made on the original household return or in copying data to the summary book. Wherever it occurred it is obviously an error.

  9. #9
    obdavies
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    Default

    Thanks Peter, I had never realised that these weren't the original copies made within each household on the day of the census (with the exception of 1911) but probably what was 'copied' by the enumerator. That is an eye opener.

    I appreciate that I definitely know his birthplace from his birth certificate, but I was concerned that Aberdare, over 100 miles from his birthplace, suddenly being recorded as the birthplace on that one census return. I was concerned about the change between 1871 and 1881 then back to the correct one in 1891, what had happened in those 10 years to make him report a new birthplace.

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