Genealogy Chat

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I found my great-great grandfather William Williams on 1881 census widowed, with children of his first marriage, and a love-child, born in Cirencester Union. In 1901 William is with his 2nd wife Susan. I found a marriage registered Dec 1881 for Susan Chaplain to a William Williams. So I looked for Susan in 1881 and found her on the same page as the Colesbourne Inn in Colesbourne, Glos. thus: Susan CHAPLIN Head M Female 48 Colesbourne, Gloucester, England Sophia CHAPLIN Daur Female 15 Colesbourne, Gloucester, England Dwelling Room Over Stables Census Place Colesbourne, Gloucester, England RG11 Piece / Folio 2553 / 68 Page 12 No sign of Mr Chaplin and underneath them, but not seemingly attached, is Infant Not Named DEAN Son Male 3 d Colesbourne, Gloucester, England On the image it has something like 'son of George Dean' and a bit more I can't decipher although one of the words looks like 'paper'. I don't think he's anything to do with me, but he seems to be all by himself and I can't see any Deans on the same page or the one before. Ideas anyone? nell

go to page 5 of images cottage 24 there is george Dean and at 14 cottages there is a dean family too!! jeanette

did you see thses two? View Record George Dean abt 1842 Colesbourne, Gloucestershire, England Son (Head) Cottage, Colesbourne, Gloucestershire, England View Record George Wm. Dean abt 1878 Colesbourne, Gloucestershire, England Son Cottage, Colesbourne, Gloucestershire, England

just looked on family search they didn't write the note as well thought it might have been easier to read:( Jeanette

Jeannette/Jess Thanks. I just felt this poor baby, only days old, all by himself in rooms above the inn! Still can't read what it says about him. Even wierder, I thought I'd try to find Susan in 1871 - she's in Colesbourne as 'wife' but in head of household position, with Sophia and a son called Thomas Hatker. The next household is headed by William Chaplin, with his wife Mary. RG10/2645 fol. 7 p.7 nell

What a fascinating entry! The enumerator has left two lines between the Chaplins and the Infant and has written 'School and Church' in the 'Name of House' column. The Infant doesn't seem to be attached to anyone on the page. I think the writing after 'Son of George Dean' looks like '?? No. 4 paper' There is a Dean family on pages 3 & 4 but the father is Christopher. So I don't know whether that helps or not! Monica

Monica This census stuff is so addictive. I mean, I don't even KNOW that the Susan on the page is my gt gt grandfather's 2nd wife yet, and if she is, she isn't a direct ancestor of mine anyway. But every census image tells quite a few stories - or would if we could just understand it!!!! nell

There's a George Dean on page 5. Maybe he belongs to him and his wife? Just noticed he's on schedule 24. Maybe that's what's under the blob? I'm thinking the enumerator sent round the papers, and he didn't think about the baby as it was just born, but when the enumerator went round to collect and heard the screaming baby he asked why he wasn't on the papers?

This is what happens when men fill in the census forms and male householders give the answers. A woman wouldn't forget she had a new baby! nell

I've seen entries on the censuses where the enumerator added people after he had finished - one had soem chinmey sweeps who had 'spent the night of the census sleeping in a barn'. Another entry, from the same enumerator, read something along the lines of ' two people spent the night at the Inn, but left too early for their names to be collected' (now you know where your missing ancestors were!). I can't for the life of me remember where this was, but it did make me laugh. I'd say that the baby was an addition, and nothing to do withte two women living above the stable. One very honest enumerator added a note to his work 'horrendous handwriting!!!) I didn't know if he meant his, as it was truly horrendous, or the people whose information he was writing up.

How about this one on the 1851 census living Eston..........Strangen came ont hayshed (thats how its spelt) born 1821. Anyone got a missing man born 1821 Margaret

Margaret, he must have slept the knight in the barn. I think it reads 'Stranger, came out hayshed'. The head is a farmer. would love to be able to read what it said in the occupation part lol

What a fascinating story. I have not seen the image but was wondering if the word could be pauper. I found that added when I was looking at a census for someone else.

This makes very interesting reading. Please let us know if you ever solve the mystery, Helen. Vicky

I think Tracey has the answer. If the splodge on the page is a '2', then it reads 'No 24 paper' which is where we find: William Dean, Head, Widower, 77, Labourer. George Dean, Son, M, 39, Gardener Labourer, Domestic. Sarah Dean, Wife, M, 37. George Wm Dean, Son, 3. All born Colesbourne, Glos. RG11/2553, folio 65, p 5. Now in the 1891 the family appears again, with a son of the right age. RG12/2031, folio 54, p 6. George Dean, Head, M, 48, House Porter, Domestic. Sarah, Wife, 46. George W, Son, 13, Farm Carter's Boy, Horse. Thomas H, Son, 10, Scholar. Charles E, Son, 6, Scholar. I think Thomas is the baby from the 1881 - but how they forgot about a new baby in the house, heaven knows! Monica

Perhaps the enumerator cheated and did the census round the night before! :o)

Its quite obvious from all this that none of you know your Norah Lofts novels at all! In one, she has a poor orphaned girl, sent to work at the local Inn. The Wicked Innkeeper has his Wicked Way with her and the result is a baby. He grudgingly allows her to keep it, but says she must keep it out of sight, in the hayloft where she sleeps. As the child becomes more active, she has to tie it to a beam. She is rather worried about all this as she frequently cannot get to the Hayloft all night, as her services are required in the Inn. Sorted. Olde Crone

Forgive me if this sounds daft, but could it be just a question of babysitting?. Maybe when the enumerator did the Deans room the baby was with susan and when he got to susan and she said the baby is a dean he went back to the deans room and they had left for work! and as they worked downstairs in the main bar and it was late and the punters were drunk, the enumerator was too scared to look for daddy dean so he just stuck babys name on the bottom of susans form, or maybe the mum of baby was sophie and there was a cover up!because mrs dean was there and did not know where daddy dean was sneaking off to. I like the first one better....MOE!

I think the baby isn't with Susan - there's an empty schoolroom in between. It was obviously added as an afterthought, poor mite. No name, no home! Nice to know he does get a name and to live with the rest of the family later!!! nell