Timothy Clarkson - varying ages struggling to trace him

[amondg]

Just in case, children found so far of Timothy Clarkson and Mary nee Jones

Jemima bap 29 March 1808 married William Davies 24 May 1841, witness Timothy Clarkson, Jane ?
dies after 1881 census.

Anne bap 18 March 1810 married Thomas Millman 25 June 1835 at Condover, witness John Williams and Emma Millman.

Sarah bap 1 March 1812 - 1861 a Nurse in Hackney, 1881 age 69 living with her sister Ann Millman. Died 1884 still single.

Timothy bap 26 June 1814 -died 1867 - (1851 Patient, 1861 committed to an asylum) single.

Mary bap 25 August 1816 died 1893 single. (1851,1861, 1871 Housekeeper, 1891 living with sister Ann Millman)

Job bap 8 August 1819 buried 1 May 1820 age 8 months Leebotwood

Martha bap 20 January 1822 died 1907 single. 1901 visiting Mary Millman - housekeeper a daughter of her sister Ann Millman.

[Dundee]

It may not be totally applicable in this case but in the 1841 census almost all ages above the age of 20 were rounded down to the nearest 5 or 10 years. It sounds unlikely but just check a page and you will see that almost every adult's age ends in a 0 or a 5. So someone aged 54 would appear as 50 and someone aged 59 would appear as 55.

Not everyone knew their exact age in 1841 so someone aged say 57 but guessing their age as 54 could appear in the census as aged 50, 7 years younger than they really were. Just something to be aware of with differences in census ages.

The instruction given to enumerators was that ages above 15 years were to be rounded down.

'Write the age of every person under 15 years of age as it is stated to you.  For persons aged 15 years and upwards, write the lowest of the term of 5 years within which the age is'

https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/GHP/HelpPage1841

In this case Timothy's age is 55 in 1841 and appears to be 80 or 82 in 1851, Mary is 50 then 73, so a bit much to have anything to do with rounding.

Debra 

[jonwarrn]

Not that it really helps but remember that surnames were not always recorded consistently in the registers, so perhaps bear in mind any Timothy Clark(e) baptisms