Under the Radar

[clairec666]

To answer your original question - yes, a family could go under the radar. A lot of births weren't registered, and some households were missed from the census.

However, having read everyone's suggestions, it looks like Alfred Love could have been known as Alfred Hefford in earlier years. This is definitely worth pursuing. But you might never find a reason for the change of name.

Suggestion - look for military records for Alfred. A relative of mine changed his surname to his mother's maiden name, and this was documented in a series of letters attached to his army records.

[PeteBrooks]

Thanks Claire,

It seems to me that it wouldn't be that unusual to find an ancestor missing from a particular set of records.

Would I be right in thinking that death records are the most reliable? I would imagine that everyone had to obtain a death certificate before a body could be buried.

Or was that not the case either?

Pete

PS. Can I add how friendly and patient everyone has been. This has certainly not been the case on another forum to which I've posed questions. Definitely a "pat on the head and don't be silly" vibe on there!

[Kay99]

Yes - ancestors can be missed of records, but they can also be mistranscribed.   

Sadly the age of a person on death records is only as good as the knowledge of the person who registered their death.   My own grandmother was rather creative with her age and took years of her age each time she married  

Re death  certs I have had elderly relatives disappear in 1840/1850's with no sign of a death cert and I have checked all the possible certificates and burial records.    An earlier  thread on missing death certs may be of interest http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=65806.0

Thanks for your kind comments.   We all love a puzzle.   However most are not as intriguing as your family!

Kay

[clairec666]

Would I be right in thinking that death records are the most reliable? I would imagine that everyone had to obtain a death certificate before a body could be buried.

In theory, yes, but I've found a couple of relatives who were definitely buried but there's no sign of them in the death index.

Here's an interesting article about registration of births and deaths - it explains why some births were not registered: http://www.sog.org.uk/learn/help-getting-started-with-genealogy/guide-three

[GailB]

Just found the article below detailing Mary Ann's fate, although her surname has a typo. It was in the Nottingham Evening Post on 8 November 1881.

[PeteBrooks]

Thanks for that Gail.

It seems that the Hefford children, Alfred, Martha and Charles disappear off the face of the earth after the 1871 census so I suppose it's possible that they all changed their name to Love.

That would give me the Martha Love/William Warsop marriage, a link to the Alfred Love/Sarah Scott marriage at which Martha is a witness, and the fact that there is a Charles Love on the 1881 census with the same age that Charles Hefford would be but no Charles Hefford.

But why do they change their name when their mother (?) Mary is still alive, and before Mary Ann Love appears in 1881?

Interestingly Mary Ann Love appears to be an "inmate" and I do know that the County Asylum was virtually next door to Front Row, the address on the 1881 census.

Good job it's demolished. I think I'm rapidly heading there!

I have a sort of mind map/flow chart on excel but it's not allowing me to attach it. Shame.

Thanks again for the article.

Pete

[PeteBrooks]

Converted it to pdf if anyone is interested in having a look