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Post by everso on Jan 16, 2009 19:17:02 GMT
Some of you may know that I'm into rearching family history. I don't know if any of you have heard, but the 1911 census is now available on line and I was trolling through it earlier. If you live in an old house it's possible to see who was living there in 1911 and, as my daughter lives in a house that was built in 1902, I thought I'd take a look. Now, my daughter is married with two toddlers and is in the process of moving to a larger house (the one she's in at the moment is a 3 bedroom mid terrace Edwardian). It's too small for them apparently. In 1911, a Mr. and Mrs. Smith lived there with their two adult sons, three adult daughters, two grandchildren and a boarder. Ten people! If you're interested the web page is www.1911census.co.uk/You have to register and you can look at the census index for free. However, if you want to look at stuff in more detail they make a nominal charge.
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Post by riotgrrl on Jan 16, 2009 19:42:20 GMT
Everso
Didn't you find out that one of your ancestors was African or something?
And definitely Irish.
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Post by everso on Jan 16, 2009 19:50:29 GMT
Everso Didn't you find out that one of your ancestors was African or something? And definitely Irish. I have Irish ancestors on two branches of my tree. Not African though. Although, Mr. E. has a little bit of Jewish and a little bit of French to make him interesting.
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Post by Patrick on Jan 16, 2009 21:19:12 GMT
It's an oft told tale of how my Granny, a successful estate agent - having lied about her age - effectively got the sack from her office (because she was over 65!) back in the seventies. Only (because she was good) to be immediately snapped up by another estate agent!!! I looked at the 1911 census as soon as I heard about it on "Today" t'other day - and was interested to discover that having thought my Gran was born in 1904 - The census states that she was born in 1905! So, she lied about that too! Mind you - the census was taken in April, and her birthday was October. It gives her age at the the time of the census as "6" which would make her birth year 1905 if you deduct that from 1911, but - then she would be 7 in October which would indeed make her birth year 1904. A slip in someone's mathematics perhaps! I'll have to up my credits on "Find my Past" as I'm a member to look at the original documents.
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Post by everso on Jan 17, 2009 1:25:32 GMT
It's an oft told tale of how my Granny, a successful estate agent - having lied about her age - effectively got the sack from her office (because she was over 65!) back in the seventies. Only (because she was good) to be immediately snapped up by another estate agent!!! I looked at the 1911 census as soon as I heard about it on "Today" t'other day - and was interested to discover that having thought my Gran was born in 1904 - The census states that she was born in 1905! So, she lied about that too! Mind you - the census was taken in April, and her birthday was October. It gives her age at the the time of the census as "6" which would make her birth year 1905 if you deduct that from 1911, but - then she would be 7 in October which would indeed make her birth year 1904. A slip in someone's mathematics perhaps! I'll have to up my credits on "Find my Past" as I'm a member to look at the original documents. Patrick, I find it fascinating when I look at the census returns. It's hard to think of my daughter's house being inhabited by 10 people. It looks crowded when there's 6 of us in their living room. How women coped, as well, I'll never know. There would have been no bathroom (the one now has been made by carving a bit out of one bedroom) and the kitchen would have been more like a scullery. Hard times indeed.
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Post by Patrick on Jan 17, 2009 1:44:39 GMT
When I went into the attic of my Victorian Flat in Tunbridge Wells - all the mechanisms for the "bell pulls" were still "in situ" Lots of delicate little pivots - still with the wires attached. Yet the building was only basement, ground floor and first floor! How grand though! It certainly made me imagine lots of "Upstairs Downstairs" shenannigans! It could only have had space for three bedrooms or four, if no bathroom then three rooms downstairs and the same in the basement.
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Post by housesparrow on Jan 18, 2009 20:18:07 GMT
Our house is one of three identical 1920s four bed detached houses - the fourth bedroom isn't more than a boxroom. Next door's hasn't been touched and still has the servant bells. This puzzles me, because: a) a good yell can be heard from most parts of the house b) there isn't anywhere obvious for servants to be.
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