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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: mergendy on Wednesday 20 March 13 19:11 GMT (UK)
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Hi all,
I'm having some trouble with contradictory ages in censuses, and my record-keeping is still not ideally cross-referenced!
My ancestor David King, who lived in Lowestoft (Raglan Street if anyone's interested!) is given as (or at least I thought he was) age 47 on the 1891 census...that was according to previous notes, and I had him as a widower, living with his three daughters, aged 19, 12 and 9...
However, now I search for him again, it seems he's listed as being 67 in 1891, but that's not all...it also seems he's 59 in 1881, 47 in 1871, and 35 in 1861...oh, and not there at all in 1851...
So my question is, er, help? I thought his birthday was ca. 1844, but now I've no idea...is it really likely he fathered a child in 1882 in his late fifties?
I appreciate the individual case is difficult to unravel, but I'm really just looking for help re: the discrepancies in age...I thought it was only the 1841 census that rounded down to the nearest five years?
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So that we know we have the correct David King(!), what were the names of his wife and/or children?
Remember, though, that each census was held on a different day of the year.
And also, people weren't all that bothered about how old they actually were! They probably guessed?! ;D
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So that we know we have the correct David King(!), what were the names of his wife and/or children?
Hi there KG...My previous record shows David KING, Carpenter, Widower (47?) living at 314 Raglan Street, Lowestoft in 1891, with daughters Alice, Mabel (my great-grandmother) and Florence...I have no idea at this stage what his wife was called, and indeed my basic search on the 1891 shows a David King aged 67...however, might the ? on my record indicate that the 47 was hard to read, and someone's misread it as 67 and put it online? 47 certainly makes more sense regarding the kids's ages, namely, 19, 12 and 9...
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One of my ancestors rounded down his own age by five years about the time he acquired a much younger second wife! ;D So there could be some bending of the truth in places.
On another census of a different ancestor of mine, one of the ages is just badly written down and open to interpretation.
Hope you manage to resolve your issue.
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1881 Class RG11 Piece 1904 Folio: 131 Page: 46
North Raglan Street Lowestoft.
David King 59 years. Carpenter. Susannah King 40
Walter King 17 David King 14
Susannah King 10 Alice King 7 Mabel King 2
Sandra
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The 1891 looks like 67 to me if it's any help. People often find that their ancestors give wildly differing ages in census so don't worry too much :D
Suey
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A David Henry King married Susannah COOPER March Q 1872 - Ipswich 4a 806
Suey
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Same family as in reply 4 (at Raglan Street) ???
1871 Class RG10 Piece 1780 Folio 123 Page 42 - 227 Raglan Street.
David King 47 years - Carpenter. Susannah King 30 years
Walton King 8 David King 5 Susannah King 8 months old.
Sandra
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1881 Class RG11 Piece 1904 Folio: 131 Page: 46
North Raglan Street Lowestoft.
David King 59 years. Carpenter. Susannah King 40
Walter King 17 David King 14
Susannah King 10 Alice King 7 Mabel King 2
Sandra
Many thanks Sandra! So it does seem as if he is indeed the same as the one who's listed as 67 on the 1891 census...maybe he's actually 69 then, or 57 on this one...who knows? :)
Hmmm, I had him down as being in 314 Raglan St in 1891, and you've got North Raglan St in 1881....I wonder if that's the same road...maybe North and South were merged in the meantime...
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A David Henry King married Susannah COOPER March Q 1872 - Ipswich 4a 806
Suey
Many thanks to you as well Suey...it really is amazing how quick and helpful people are on this here interweb... :)
You'll forgive me if I don't yet quite get the relevance of the letters and numbers at the end...I presume they were married IN Ipswich, or is that just a larger district of which Ipswich is the centre?
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Although...if the 1871 census gives her name as Susannah King, then presumably she wouldn't have been Susannah Cooper in 1872?
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The Ipswich Journal October 25, 1873
Lowestoft petty sessions.
William Scarlle , a fish hawker was fined £1 including costs for assaulting Susannah the wife of David King ,carpenter.
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The Ipswich Journal October 25, 1873
Lowestoft petty sessions.
William Scarlle , a fish hawker was fined £1 including costs for assaulting Susannah the wife of David King ,carpenter.
Well well, the things that turn up...the mind starts racing, to be sure...
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A David Henry King married Susannah COOPER March Q 1872 - Ipswich 4a 806
Suey
Many thanks to you as well Suey...it really is amazing how quick and helpful people are on this here interweb... :)
You'll forgive me if I don't yet quite get the relevance of the letters and numbers at the end...I presume they were married IN Ipswich, or is that just a larger district of which Ipswich is the centre?
It's the reference to order the certificate if you want to
March quarter 1872, district Ipswich, volume 4a, page 806
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Ah, I see...thanks Suey...
Can you throw any light on the apparent mystery in the dates
Susannah KING is listed in the 1871 census, and then in 1872, Susannah COOPER marries David King...was it normal for women to take their man's name even before they were married?
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Can you throw any light on the apparent mystery in the dates
Susannah KING is listed in the 1871 census, and then in 1872, Susannah COOPER marries David King...was it normal for women to take their man's name even before they were married?
Not unusual, I have a lady living with and using her future husbands surname 4 years before the marriage ::).
However, I wonder if I've misled you, it looks likely :(...this could be your David King
June Q 1866 Mutford RD 4a 1100 - David King and on same page Susannah BAKER. Mutford Registration District includes Lowestoft where the Kings were living.
My apologies I missed this entry first time around...
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Could be the death record ???
David King born 1822 and died 1897 (Q2 Apr/May/June) Mutford. Suffolk. 4a 517
Sandra
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Could be Susannah ???
Q4 - Dec 1889 - Mutford - Susannah King Aged 46 years. - 4a 514
Sandra
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Regarding the age at becoming a father, my g/g/grandfather remarried in his very late 50's and went on to have a further 3 children, to add to the 7 he already had 2 of which were older than new wife!
His mother was also very economical with the truth about her age. Until her husband died she was always about the same age as him, but after he died she revealed that she was 11 years his senior.
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Do you have a birth record for your grandmother? Worth getting if you haven't as then you would be sure to know who her mother was.
FreeBMD has the following for the Suffolk area.
Mabel Emily King/ Mutford (this will be the registration district which may cover Lowestoft)/Vol 4a/page 813
This was the only birth I could find for the Suffolk are between 1878 and 1880
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I know her mother's name was Susannah since I've found David and A Susannah in the census, but my problem now is which of those two marriage records to order if I want to go further back...
Is it sensible to order the "more likely" one of the two? (i.e. marrying before 1871, and in Mutford rather than Ipswich) And to what extent can I be SURE at this remove which one is correct? Advanced tips appreciated!
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If you get a birth certificate it will show the mother's maiden name and then you will be certain about the marriage. Guessing will never work unfortunately.
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That's part of my problem though...I don't know whether Susannah's maiden name is Cooper or Baker, but I know my David King married A Susannah and produced my great-grandma...which is why I ask if there are any advanced tips I should be aware of...there must be SOME way to be sure, but maybe it's more circuitous than I'm thinking at the mo... ???
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As you've already been told - your great-grandmother's birth certificate will show her mother's maiden name.
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Oops sorry, you can tell I'm still a beginner! Guess I'm on the right board then(!) I think I read "marriage certificate" for "birth certificate"...in my defence, it was late... :-\
Ah well, I'm learning slowly but surely (emphasis on first adverb) :)
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The birth certificate will show her mother's maiden name.
A marriage certificate only shows father's names and, you still have a choice of 2!
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But then I'll have cracked it, right? Because Mabel King's birth cert. will show her mother's maiden name, which will be either Cooper or Baker (I imagine Baker) and then I'll know which marriage cert. to order...right?
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Correct!