Fresh eyes needed.

anner · Post by **anner** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 10:14 am

Hi All,
I am trying to find on the 1891 census in Dundee my Ross family.
Robert b.1853
Ann b.1852
James b.1873 (may have moved by now)
Robert b.1877
Ann. b.1880
William b.1881
Alex b.1882
John b.1884.

William is my grandfather and by 1901 he is in the army serving overseas. I havent been able to locate any of them on the 1891 and hoping that someone with fresh eyes will see them.
Robert snr died in 1896 in Dundee, and all the family were born there. What is the likelyhood of them all being out on census night?
I have also looked for them in England, just in case, but cannot find any that look right or any where near them there.
Thanking all in advance
Anner.

Post by **AnneM** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 11:18 am

I have to say that I am at a complete loss with this family. Could they just have been missed?

Anne

anner · Post by **anner** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 11:44 am

Hi Anne,
Thanks for looking, I thought I was being really dumb, as I couldnt find anything for them.
I also wondered if they could have been overlooked, but what are the chances of that happening.
I have got them on 1901,(on ancestry) and two of the children have their birth years round the wrong way, but thats ok.
It does seem weird that the only one I cant find them on is the 1891, and maybe your right that they were missed out.
I should be used to it as their mother Ann is proving really hard to find before the marriage in 1873, especially as now I have two different places she was born in, Dundee and Edinburgh.
Again thank you for looking.
Regards
Anne.

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 12:36 pm

Hello Anner,

What was Robert snr. occupation? Maybe including that in a Ancestry search with various mixes of other data, Scotland & England, will increase the range of possibilities.

Alan

anner · Post by **anner** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:05 pm

Hi Currie,
I have tried that. In 1881 he was a Factory Labourer living 16 Mid Road, Dundee. On his death cert in 1896 he was a Masons Labourer. I have tried both of those but with no luck, it is a real mystery.
When he married he was in the army and stayed there until about 1877, from then he becames a factory worker. I cant find him in the 1871 either but with being in the army I wouldnt know where he would have been posted.
Regards
Anne.

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:44 pm

I've run into this problem more than a few times. Sometimes it's just misspelling of the surname, but sometimes I think the family was either missed by the census taker or avoided talking to them maybe. It seems strange that a family will be missing for one census, then show up again ten years later for the next one.

Carol

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:46 pm

Back again Anner,

Nope, couldn't find anything.

Alan

anner · Post by **anner** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 4:42 pm

Hi Carol and Alan.
I am now assuming that they arent on the 1891, I have looked all over England and Scotland. I may get a hit with one or two names but not with them all. They must have been having an early night and didnt hear the door knock.

. Funny enough, Robert snrs father was born Kelso, and on Ancestry it was misspelled. Even my eleven year old can spell that.
Thank you all for your help. I can now say I am not going mad.
regards
Anne.

Post by **joette** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 5:15 pm

speleobat2 wrote:I've run into this problem more than a few times. Sometimes it's just misspelling of the surname, but sometimes I think the family was either missed by the census taker or avoided talking to them maybe. It seems strange that a family will be missing for one census, then show up again ten years later for the next one.

Carol

Having served as a Census enumerator on one occasion I can say with confidence that very often they did their level best to avoid us.It was the infamous Poll Tax era & I'm sure many thought we were there to pass on info to the Council and/or the DSS.Telling them things were confidential for a hundred years just didn't cut the mustard.
I worked in my local area & I knew a lot of what was written/ told to me was a load of old tosh.
Vets must have been able to holiday in sunny climes by the number of dogs who ate the forms.

I really tried my hardest to collect this info especially as a lot of this area was in flux & subject to much social change.I wanted them to be honestly represented but a lot bore more relation to Catherine Cookson than hard facts.

anner · Post by **anner** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 7:17 pm

Hi Joette,
Thanks for that, that explains it beautifully. Like I said They had all probably turned in for the night and didnt hear the enumerator at the door.

.
Like I said I thought I was being a bit stupid, but I feel better now.
Regards
Anne.