1851 & 1861 Scottish Censuses on Ancestry.com today ....

Post by **SarahND** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 3:11 pm

grannysrock wrote:I'll try to put it in the gallery

Good!! I was getting so curious I was about to look it up myself

Look forward to seeing the original and trying to puzzle out what the OCR "saw"

Sarah

Post by **AndrewP** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 4:04 pm

Hi Sally,

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-932

You have set quite a challenge with this one. I will have a go at it, but I think you will need to fill in a ScotlandsPeople contact form and seek a copy to be sent out by post.

G_____ for a .......... ......
ordinary occupation of the ......

All the best,

AndrewP

Post by **Jean Jeanie** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 4:13 pm

Hi Sally

Looks like

"Grocer not a merchant in the ordinary acceptation of the term"

Whatever that means!!!!!

Jean

grannysrock · Post by **grannysrock** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 4:29 pm

Jean

I want your glasses ! ( and if you tell me you don't need any , then I will sob jealously !) - I think you're very right.
But my wee brain has not a clue what the phrase means - It's like something that turns up in one of those "unwanted mails" .
Was the enumerator making some kind of class distinction ( I can't believe wee George gave that mouthful as his occupation

)
Or did he just have a shop and not sell anything. He must have got the hang of it - 10 years down the road he's a grocer and provision dealer.

Sally

Post by **Jean Jeanie** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 4:35 pm

Hi Sally

Definitely need the glasses

A year of transcribing censuses for Freecen helps enormously

Jean

Post by **SarahND** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 4:41 pm

I agree with Jean (got my glasses on!) but wonder also what a merchant was "in the ordinary acceptation of the term"? No wonder the poor wee OCR programme had some trouble...!

Regards,
Sarah

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 5:07 pm

Jean has got this one dead right.

My take on this is "Not a merchant in the current acceptance of the term"

Magnify that section
Convert image to 'negative'
As you revert to positive image it just about shows up.

Russell

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 5:16 pm

Hi all

I wondered if a grocer would only get that designation if he actually exchanged goods for cash.
It would depend on the instruction enumerators were given before they started.
Someone who bartered his wares for goods would not fit this description.
Oddly in 1841 Kilbarchan had a grocer called Barr who would probably have done some of this type of exchange for small re-saleable woven items, pirns of wool or cotton or silk.
I have no proof at all but barter was a fairly common method before the advent of proper roads and easier transport.

Russell

Bertha · Post by **Bertha** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:24 pm

HOORAY success at last!
A big thank you Susanna for tipping us off about the Free Ancestry.
I may not have had any success on my Ross family but WOW!!!
When I put in my gr gr grandmother Margaret Orrock's name it came up with a tree and there were all her family! It had her parents, her husband's parents infact right back to a full set of 4x gr grandparents. I didn't have these, this has now opened up a massive hole in my brickwall on that line.
The wires are going to be hot across the Atlantic tomorrow when I contact another of Margaret's gr gr grandaughters with the info I have found. Like me, she had only got back as far as Margaret & her parents. Now I have loads more info on her husband's line and now going to see what else I can dig up on them.
Have contacted the person who's tree it was but not heard anything yet.
Will now have to rest my eyes, eat and have a long toast to all my new found rellies!
All the best to everyone doing the clicking on Ancestry here's hoping it lasts a wee bit longer. If not, with all the help it has given me,I just might hint to Santa what I want in my stocking!
Regards
Bertha

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 9:00 pm

Och that's easy !!

Russell and others were only a tiny abbreviation away !!

"Grocer Not a Mercht in the ordinary acceptation of the term".

OCR obviously rules, OK

David