Listed twice in census

[pimpernel]

Hi, I'm sure this has been raised before, but I wonder how common it is for children to be listed in separate census entries? I've a case of two brothers, James (9) and Henry (6 or 7) Davies, living in Ruabon, Denbighshire in 1851. Here they are listed with their parents John and Mary (nee Dodd) Davis in Morton Above: ED, institution, or vessel:    2n Piece:    2503 Folio:    314 Page Number:    9 Household Schedule Number:    36

However it appears they're also listed as living with their pauper widowed grandmother Elizabeth Dodd nearby in Penrhos, Rhosllanacrugog! Sub-registration District: Ruabon ED, institution, or vessel:    1a Piece:    2503 Folio:    359 Page Number:    43 Household Schedule Number:    172

How common is this? Which should I choose? It's definitely the same two boys.

Many thanks!

[stanmapstone]

The census forms were distributed in the week before the census day, and could have been filled in at anytime assuming who would be in the house at mid-night on the Sunday. Therefore you sometimes get people enumerated twice, at their usual home and at a house they happened to be visiting.
This is a reasonably common event and has been mentioned before on RootsChat.

Stan

[pimpernel]

Aha, I thought something like that might be the case! I expect this is particularly prevalent with children?

[snooziflooze]

I've got something similar in my family tree, but what really does my head in is when a person you are expecting to be at home during census week isn't.  I have been trying to find one particular relly who is obviously away for some reason or perhaps down the pub and his wife has filled in the census, noted all the children but not him.  Can I find him?   

Not on your nelly!   

[spiderboy]

"Which should I choose?"

When I came across it with one of my families I listed both entries as it was impossible to know where they were that night.

[snowyw]

My 3x great grandmother is listed at home in London and with her own grandparents in Berwick on Tweed.
Also a 2x great grandmother was listed at home in Berkshire and also with her aunt in Lambeth.

Decisions, decisions.  I suspect both of them were away from home, but their parents thought they ought to be included with the family.  I have included both entries for both of them. 

[rosie17]

This has happened to me also Great Grandfather down as being with his wife and on the same census year with his mother obviously different days when census was taken

[stanmapstone]

obviously different days when census was taken

The census was not taken on different days. The census schedule required that every person alive at midnight dwelling in a house or tenement on the night of the Sunday  should be named, and the relationship to the head of the family etc. recorded. On the Monday,  the enumerator  collected the schedules.

Stan

[Duodecem]

I'm sure most of the double entries were due to a simple misunderstanding of what the census was supposed to show. The whole family were entered on the form because that was where they lived. Then if they happened to be spending the night elsewhere, they were included on that form too.
Quite a few of my ancestors were on ships in harbour on census nights and they generally appear at home as well.
It is useful when families do this though-I've missed out family members altogether because their parents read the form properly and they weren't included on the census.