Genealogy Chat

Had been trying to find my grandmother Julia DONOVAN on the 1901 census for some years. Thanks to a recent tip on GConnected I decided to use a wildcards in my search as often enumerators get the spelling wrong or the information is mistranscribed. I put in Julia DON*V*N and lo and behold there she was together with her sister! Motto here is be creative and don't take 'no' for an answer!

I have an Eade Woodruff listed as Nephew but also listed as female! No wonder I can't find her/him. Margaret

I had trouble finding my g-g-grandmother in 1901 census but then I was looking for a Leonora. She was down as Leonard when I found her husband and infant son. Wonder how she would have reacted to the unasked for sex-change?

This happened to me too with my own father the only fact I was sure about it drove me mad until I tried a misspelling and up it came Frances not Francis and my sister Joyce was transcribed as Choice!! The mind boggles. Linda

Ann, Frederick Strouvelle 3 IN 1891 which you looked up for me,so 13 in 1901 .Wilfred Strouvelle 20/21 ,They aren't with their mother in Hammersmith, 1901 She is under Strouwelle . The oldest, Percy is lodging in the Strand with some publicans.I've tried various name ranges and wild cards but to no avail. Both Frederick and Wilfred were born Croydon, although looking on the map they could call it Norwood or Selhurst Park, depending on the fashion of the time. All my grandmother knows is that My Great-g grandmother couldn't cope with them all after their father died and they were either farmed out to relatives or put in a home until they could earn a living, but they should be somewhere ...... Perhaps they went and hid..... KIM

Today in a shop I overheard an old lady give her name as BUMFORD(poor woman, I thought) but she then spelt it as BAMFORD.She had a foony accent.. Bobby in Victoria

What a cracker Kim! My gt gt grandmother Francoise Celine GAU was down as Francis Colin GAN - male - widow, also in another as Francine. ARGHHHHHHHHH Pl remind me of the ages and location of Freda and Wilma. Love A

No. the census enumerator actually wrote Louise HY Judd the J is indecipherable because the name above over laps . The thing is I've been looking up and down that street for ages. it was only now I've got the marriage certificate that I had an address to go for . He is boarding with his in laws. She is looking after grandma in a different house in the street. As they only married 4 th April 1901 they had to be somewhere near . In 1891 someone on this site kindly looked him up in London. so I had been wondering what was going on for ages... Still mystery solved now KIM

Have you seen the actual sheet, was it written down wrong or was it just transcribed wrong. If it was the latter then you can ask for it to be put right. I have done this and it has been put right. Irene

We found my husband's great grandfather Oliver transcribed as a female Olive - only found when searched his aunt's address.

We found my husband's great grandfather Oliver transcribed as a female Olive - only found when searched his aunt's address.

The other day on the 1891 I found a William clearly indexed as Female, and other similar strange things. So if all else fails, try giving your missing relatives a sex change. Jan

Having had Dales down as Dares and Judd as Tudd and Strouvelle as Stromwelle . I think the answer is to try anything vaguely similar and just let your imagination take over. Also, try writing your ancestors names in long curly copperplate script and see what it looks like first glance. If the transcriber hasn't made an error then probably the enumerator has.But having found two 'missing' people this week I hold out hope for Frederick and Wilfred Strouvelle on the 1901 which haven't materilised yet . Any one any suggestions . Perhaps should try Wilma and Freda?

I started laughing when I read of the name change -- as I never would have thought to look for a female name; but, perhaps I shouldn't laugh too much. Could explain why I can't find two of my ancestors. I've seen my Ovens ancestors as Owens and my Vaus ancestors as Vans; but, perhaps I should be looking for Jane Mumford instead of James Mumford. Nah, I still think he never existed. We've got our own personal missing link. :~)

Well done Kim, you must feel fantastic - how peoples errors can lead us up a merry path. (But hey we all make them well i do!) Well done again Suzanne

I've been looking for ages without success, for my husband great grandfather on the 1901 census, believing he was mis transcibed . I received his marriage cert today and therefore had an addrees to check as he was already lodging with his in laws. Guess what instead of Lewis Henry Judd. he is actually on the census as Louise HY Tudd now I'd tried many name combinations but not the female version. he's also down as male , poor enumerator , must have been having a bad day.Made me laugh though because he was only in the same street I'd been searching , just wasn't looking for Louise....KIM