Thanks everyone for all the thoughts and information and summaries!
I'm afraid I'm working only with what's been posted and with freebies online - I don't subscribe to 1837online or to Ancestry - which is why I asked so many of these questions ; (
And I'm very far indeed from doubting that all the people we are talking about are the same family - but answers to some questions might rule out all possibility that they are not (if that's not too convoluted!)
<snip>
Where is Hugh Moody ROBERTSON (b 1869) in 1871 and 1881?
Has anyone found a death record for him, or found a possible Hugh ROBERTSON in the 1871 census?
This one seems to be a real puzzle.
We have Hugh Moody ROBERTSON b 29 Mar 1869 (we don't know where) and bap 27 Jun 1869 at St Dunstans Stepney, son of Charles McCrae ROBERTSON and Alice.
The only Hugh R b ca 1869 in the 1871 census seems to be one b in Liverpool and living with father Hugh ROBERTSON in West Derby. And there's a Hugh R b ca 1869 in West Derby in the West Derby Union Workhouse in 1881. So, yes, one would have to think that Hugh in the Workhouse is the same as Hugh son of Hugh.
If that's the case, where is Hugh Moody, son of Charles and Alice in 1871 and 1881?
So it would be great to have all the GRO Index records of a Hugh ROBERTSON born (anywhere) ca 1869, and deaths of any ditto from then until after the 1881 census. We have a possible death record for Charles Macrae between 1871 and 1881 but what about Alice ROBERTSON?
That 1873 death in West Derby of an Alice ROBERTSON certainly sounds an interesting possibility - but I guess it could be unconnected.
Has anyone found Statutory Register birth entries for Helen (or for an Ellen Emily), Agnes M, and Lilias?
If anyone can find these it would be helpful if only to rule things out.
So far we have an Ellen Emily ROBERTSON bap 1864 Stepney in the IGI, and a Helen ROBERTSON 10 b Stepney, Agnes M ROBERTSON 8 b Hertfordshire, and Lilias ROBERTSON 5 b Stratford, in the 1871 census.
And in 1881 (at Ockham School, Hampshire) Alic(sic) ROBERTSON {age 29 (should be ca 20!), b London, Asst Matron}, Helen ROBERTSON {age 17, b London, scholar}, Agnes ROBERTSON {age 14, b Bushey Hertfordshire, scholar}; and (at school in Cheshire) Lilias ROBERTSON {age 13, b London}.
Getting the births of Ellen Emily and/or Helen, Agnes M, and Lilias ROBERTSON in the GRO Index would be useful if only to ascertain their real ages.Still puzzling,
JAP