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Aggh My Grandfather's family have disappeared on the 1901 Census

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  • 03-06-2010 8:22am
    #1
    Bicycle
    Registered Users Posts: 798 ✭✭✭


    Is there any chance there are gaps?

    They are all there, in the 1911 Census.

    The name is very unusual, and I've checked the townlands etc.

    I also know that all of the children born prior to 1901 were born in the Limerick-Tipperary area yet the family don't appear on the 1901 Census.

    I've browsed and searched and even searched for the names of individual children, but I can't find anything (I was on the census at 12.45am this morning!!)

    Now, I know a bit about the family through other research, but I was possibly hoping to find more relatives on that side (I've already managed to verify a story told to me by my aunt who supposedly has dementia, on the other side of the family)

    If anyone could give me some guidance please, that would be great. I almost feel they are lost totally now because of their non-appearance. And they were literate and professional so there would be no reason for them to be fugitives and not complete the census.

    Thanks in advance.


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    #2
    caroj
    Closed Accounts Posts: 48 ✭caroj


    I have the exact same problem. I have found my great grandmother on the 1911 census but I cannot locate her on the 1901 :mad:

    I've tried searching from several different angles but no luck. I know from the 1911 census she was living with her stepfather and her mother was dead, so 10 years previous is abit sketchy as she could have been anywhere. very frustrating..


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    #3
    shanew
    Registered Users Posts: 2,777 ✭✭✭shanew


    It's worth trying variations of spelling for the surname as well as various wildcard searches.

    Even in cases when someone in known to have been able to read & write there can be forms that are difficult to read, or have been mistranscribed, plus sometimes spelling of names evolved a little over time.


    Shane


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    #4
    Bicycle
    Registered Users Posts: 798 ✭✭✭Bicycle


    Shane, thank you.

    I even tried my great grandfather's first name plus his year of birth in the whole county and didn't find anything....

    And I can find the other (3 families) relatives outside Dublin and Northern Ireland but can't find that particular family.


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    #5
    getz
    Registered Users Posts: 5,255 ✭✭✭getz


    shanew wrote: »
    It's worth trying variations of spelling for the surname as well as various wildcard searches.

    Even in cases when someone in known to have been able to read & write there can be forms that are difficult to read, or have been mistranscribed, plus sometimes spelling of names evolved a little over time.


    Shane
    many irish moved back and too between england and ireland,and changed their names to fit into english society,mine ran away from ireland for reasons other than economic,worth trying to check out the UK census sites


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    #6
    owenc
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,524 ✭✭✭owenc


    caroj wrote: »
    I have the exact same problem. I have found my great grandmother on the 1911 census but I cannot locate her on the 1901 :mad:

    I've tried searching from several different angles but no luck. I know from the 1911 census she was living with her stepfather and her mother was dead, so 10 years previous is abit sketchy as she could have been anywhere. very frustrating..

    You can look at her birthplace, it tells you what county the person was born in.


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    #7
    Bicycle
    Registered Users Posts: 798 ✭✭✭Bicycle


    getz wrote: »
    many irish moved back and too between england and ireland,and changed their names to fit into english society,mine ran away from ireland for reasons other than economic,worth trying to check out the UK census sites

    Thanks Getz.

    However, I've got the birth dates (roughly - haven't got the birth certs yet) of all the children born to my great grand parents. Some of them were born prior to 1901, some after 1901, all were born in the same area as the family was in 1911 and where I would have expected them to be in 1901.

    And there were newspaper reports in the late 1880s about the only Great grand-uncle that I can find and his name was spelled the same way that the family still spell it, so I would only expect to find an error in transcription - but expected to find the family in the same townland as they were in 1911.


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    #8
    caroj
    Closed Accounts Posts: 48 ✭caroj


    owenc wrote: »
    You can look at her birthplace, it tells you what county the person was born in.

    I have my great grandparents marriage certificate, which gives her address so on the 1911 census she's at that place and subsequentlylived there for a further 8 years until her marriage in 1919.

    I have approx DOB aswell and have checked all woman with that DOB all over Ireland with no luck. I'm just thinking she may have been lodging somewhere in 1901 while working and then by 1911 was back in the family home.

    She has a most common surname - Power! I know she had one sister who's also in the family home in 1911 but no such luck in 1901. Unless they were in England.

    My great grandfather went to the US for a few years in 1903 but came home and my Dad never know this until a neighbour told him and sure enough I located him on a passenger list for Boston so there's the possibility she could be in England and it's been lost down through the years.

    To think I wasted all that time in the library going through microfilms and now I still can't find them electronically...:mad:


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    #9
    pinkypinky
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,622 Mod ✭✭✭✭pinkypinky


    If you know a place, you could try browsing the whole area. There's always going to be mistakes on work of this size. You could also try a wildcard search with a question mark. Also, is it possible they completed the census in Irish? People are usually there. I've a few absent strays (spent most of morning online) that I can't find yet. They'll be there somewhere.

    Genealogy Forum Mod



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    #10
    Bicycle
    Registered Users Posts: 798 ✭✭✭Bicycle


    Found them!! Found them!! Found them!!

    Thank you so much everyone.

    Their name starts with a B but it was under D and the townland was misspelled as well.

    Your kindness is appreciated.

    Carol - I hope things work out for you too.....


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    #11
    genie
    Registered Users Posts: 975 ✭✭✭genie


    Check my post on the 1901 Census Thread as some families I am researching are listed in the Index for the wrong county. :)


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    #12
    ergonomics
    Registered Users Posts: 1,810 ✭✭✭ergonomics


    I'm having the same problem and I've tried all the tricks above. The entire family seem to have disappeared. I've tried variations of the second name (Walshe) all over Ireland, tried looking under just first name and age, etc., but they aren't coming at all. Anyone have any ideas? I know they didn't leave the country at all, they were definitely in Ireland in 1901.


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    #13
    pinkypinky
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,622 Mod ✭✭✭✭pinkypinky


    Did you try Breathnach? Or variant Irish spellings? I haven't heard that any sections are missing but I have seen some horrendous transcription errors. Have you tried searching for profession plus religion plus age and just the surname? There are a lot of combinations you could search under.

    Genealogy Forum Mod



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    #14
    John Mason
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 10,661 ✭✭✭✭John Mason


    jaysis so have mine :eek:

    i have them living in bray, county wicklow on the 1911 census

    mary o'shea head of house 48 (Great-great grandmother)

    kate o'shea daughter 25 (great -grandmother)

    patrick son 23

    william son 20


    all single - kate didnt get married until she was in her late 30's, the name on her gravestone is catherine

    i have searched under
    shee
    shea
    o'shee
    o'shay
    osyacgygi
    osega
    ossega
    o'siag

    they have disappeared completely :eek:


    i have found my great -great grandfather on the other side, his age was incorrect so i sent a message to census people - they had had him at 32 instead of 52


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    #15
    Bicycle
    Registered Users Posts: 798 ✭✭✭Bicycle


    Irishbird, have you checked the townlands?

    Don't just do a name search, do a browse in the area (it will be time consuming but you MAY make progress). Thats how I found my family - even though the townland was spelled wrongly.

    And the names may be put down wrongly. In my other thread (about the great grannies who took ageing pills!!) I mention how my great grandfather on my Mum's Mum's side was called James, but in the 1901 census the ennumerator appears to have written down the details and put him down as John - who just happened to be his brother living next door. James reverted to James in 1911.

    I've been lucky in that most of my antecedents have either unusual or very unusual names...


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    #16
    Alicat
    Registered Users Posts: 10,264 ✭✭✭✭Alicat


    Irishbird, I found this, it doesn't fit exactly, age is slightly off and she's put her birth place as 'Bray' but probably worth keeping in mind. As I have found, people were always giving incorrect information.

    She has herself down as 'domestic servant' which is not far off a parlour maid


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    #17
    John Mason
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 10,661 ✭✭✭✭John Mason


    great thanks, that is probably her :)

    i have been search under the surname for all counties - i missed that must have gone googly eyed :D

    am going to keep searching for the rest of them. heading into births, death and marriages in the next few weeks to see what i can pull up :)


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    #18
    caroj
    Closed Accounts Posts: 48 ✭caroj


    I'm glad to see several people have been successful in locating their 'lost' ancesters on the 1901 census. It gives me hope I'll locate my 'lost' ancesters.

    I still cannot find my great grandmother. I've even signed up for a pay as you go on ancestry.co.uk in the hope she might have been in the UK, but no luck either. arrrr!!! :mad:. Why oh why has she the most common surname in Waterford - Power :p. Here's the link http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Waterford/Waterford_No__3_Urban/Mayor_s_Walk/673507/

    I might call into the local GRO office and ask the nicely could they get me the marriage cert for my great grandaunt, which I found on LDS. Luckily her husband had a relatively uncommon name - Percy, so at least I can then cross reference her marriage cert w/ my great grandmother's one to make sure their father is definitely Michael. I haven't got the correct birth certs either. The search must go on:)

    What's really frustrating is I cannot even find their stepfather on the 1901 census or them. I'm determined to get to the bottom of it.


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    #19
    pinkypinky
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,622 Mod ✭✭✭✭pinkypinky


    Caroj,

    You can order the cert from the GRO HQ by fax or post. I believe that getting an old cert in one of the local offices very much depends on the individual civil servant's kindness! I have details on how to order from the GRO in the sticky.
    Also, consider looking in Irish for the surname and if you know whereabouts in Waterford, you could try browsing the whole town - time consuming, but you might get lucky. She may also be living in a house with people of a different surname and could easily be missed. I missed someone crucial once because of that.

    Genealogy Forum Mod



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    #20
    caroj
    Closed Accounts Posts: 48 ✭caroj


    pinkypinky wrote: »
    Caroj,

    You can order the cert from the GRO HQ by fax or post. I believe that getting an old cert in one of the local offices very much depends on the individual civil servant's kindness! I have details on how to order from the GRO in the sticky.
    Also, consider looking in Irish for the surname and if you know whereabouts in Waterford, you could try browsing the whole town - time consuming, but you might get lucky. She may also be living in a house with people of a different surname and could easily be missed. I missed someone crucial once because of that.

    Pinky, I've been into the local GRO on a couple of occasions over the past 2 years and the woman who is the registrar did not mind too much getting certs for me, once I had the exact details.

    On one occasion she even obliged me by searching for a death record for my mam's brother who died when a baby in the mid 1950's but she could not find it- she said it's possible he might not have been officially registered but I'm sure the church had record but I never followed it up.

    I'm heading to Dublin soon & might visit national library again to view Church records to search for some other details on other family branches pre official registers. I got some shock the first time I visited and realised it was all in Latin:o You learn as you go.. I love the detective work involved in family research:D


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