Genealogy Chat

See Selena's thread 'daur to last head - what does this mean. Can anyone beat this chappy as no I enumerator? Carole

My number one enumerator was in Hull and, unusually, was a woman. On the first pages before the actual entries she had drawn a MAP of the streets she had to do. How helpful was that!!! Can't just put my hands on it just now, althoug I probably could search about for it if someone really needed to see it. Anne

And people say women are no good at map reading! Merry

Not bad! But did she draw little arrows on the map to show in which order she had enumerated the houses?

This thread would not be complete without this entry: A Man with A Big Nose abt 1831 Stockport, Lancashire, England On Tramp Dent Yorkshire Enumerated by Anthony Carter! ****Round of aplause for Tony, who did his best**** Merry

Merry, think you should start a thread for the 'worst enumerator'

But he did TRY, Carole......! Merry

Yes, OK - must have been pretty frustrating putting up with pig-headed people who just wouldn't co-operate - but I hope he got a laugh out of it

I found one today where an unmarried man and woman were in the same household. In the address column the enumerator had written 'COHABITATION'. You could almost hear the sniff of disapproval.

I found a page where the enumerator had written (in large letters) PROSTITUTE for almost all the women on the page, whatever their age! Ahhh! takes me back to the days of trawling through hundreds of pages of censuses, before Ancestry! You certainly got more of a flavour of the area. Anne

The most unusal one I came across was where the enumerator had committed suicide and had to be finished by another! Pauline

Pauline You want to laugh at the situation - but it is black humour.... what's the refernce if you have it on hand?

Sorry Carole it was months ago.I will ask my friend Linda at the weekend if she can remember. Pauline

That's OK Pauline..not to worry - just a thought as I was wondering what they had written on the cenus!

The returns that make me laugh are the ones started in lovely flowery writing, which then gets worse and worse. Eventually it is taken over - mid page sometimes - by another hand. You can just imagine the family scene 'All right dear?' 'Hmm, getting bored of this' 'Oh dear, let me do some for you then' Anne

I've got one in 1901 where the eldest child is shown as 'ill. son' - I just wonder how he knew?! The householder was literate as he ran his own business, so is that what he actually put on the form?!! Or did the ennumerator decide that this was the best description?! Maz. XX

Can I add one for least helpful enumerator. I've just found a whole parish with no street names and no house names - really helpful! Barbara

a few of my favourates that I've seen Name: Infant Hayward Relation: Daughter Gender: Female Where Born: Barton On Humber, Lincoln, England Civil parish: Barton St Peter County/Island: Lincolnshire Country: England Street address: Pasture Road Occupation: Born A Few Minutes Before Midnight Source information: RG11/3290 Registration district: Glanford Brigg Sub registration district: Barton ED, institution, or vessel: 13 Folio: 91 Page: 6 This one is a twin and both are recorded the same: Name: Baby Jordan Age: 20 minutes Estimated birth year: abt 1871 Relation: Daughter Gender: Female Where Born: Bristol, Gloucestershire, England Civil parish: St Philip and St Jacob Ecclesiastical parish: St Simon County/Island: Gloucestershire Country: England Source information: RG12/1980 Registration district: Barton Regis Sub registration district: St Philip ED, institution, or vessel: 8 Folio: 159 Page: 35 Miriam Powell abt 1898 Ystradgynlais, Breconshire, Wales Bastard Great G Daur Ystradgynlais Glamorgan

It wasn't for one of mine but was on the same page. Name, Age, Status, Place of Birth and then in Occupation,,,, Died at 10 of the clock this morning and gave the date...Half a death certificate already for some lucky person :)))) Mind you I did have visions of the body on the kitchen table when the enumerator called round :(( Chris

Can I nominate the person who did the 1831 census for High littlleton in Somerset and saved his book so we have a record of all the names of head of household and occupation and number of people in the household. I also found one yesterday who recorded an old man of 92 occupation labour done so much nicer than aged pauper or decayed miner.