Sincere thanks to all the Listers who were kind enough to answer my query and forwarding me so much valuable information which I will most certainly follow up. Apologies for not including the name of the people I am looking for. I am looking for information on my ggGrandparents, Charles SMITH and Hester(Esther) nee BEER. They were both listed as age 25 on the 1841 Census. Their eldest child on the Census was listed as age 9, which seems to make them very young when first child born. This would also have them married approx. 1832 at only 16 or 17 years of age. Birth place of both was listed as Gloucester. I do hope all you folks on this list realise what a valuable asset you are for us who live so far away. Many thanks Joan in Oz

Joan Canning wrote: > Apologies for not including the name of the people I am looking > for. I am looking for information on my ggGrandparents, Charles > SMITH and Hester(Esther) nee BEER. They were both listed as age 25 > on the 1841 Census. Their eldest child on the Census was listed as > age 9, which seems to make them very young when first child born. > This would also have them married approx. 1832 at only 16 or 17 > years of age. Birth place of both was listed as Gloucester. No, they wouldn't necessarily have been 16 or 17. In fact, it's unlikely that they were that young when their first child was born, not impossible though, of course. The 1841 census rounded *down* ages, thus someone shown as 25 would have been somewhere between 25 and 29. Children up to the age of 15 had their ages shown exactly but a 15 year old would be anything between 15 and 19. It's the only census there was such an instruction and not all enumerators complied either. Remember as well that age wasn't as important to our ancestors as it is to us, so they may not have remembered their ages accurately either. Once someone reached 60, or believed they had, the ages were rounded down to the nearest 10. So someone of 60 would be anywhere between 60 and 69. This was something I didn't know until recently It was an archivist who told me so I've no reason to doubt it and it could account for why I haven't been able to find some ancestors - I've not been looking far enough back! -- Charani (UK)

Ages on the 1841 census were meant to be rounded down to a multiple of 5 years so if the form was completed correctly (lots weren't) they could have been 29. If you look at others on the page you can usually work out it the enumerator was following the rules. You could also check on the other censuses to see if the eldest child is listed as their child. There are no relationships on 1841 so it is easy to make assumptions that are incorrect. The child could be a sibling/cousin/niece/nephew etc. I'll see if I can find them in 1851. Karen ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joan Canning" <ja.perl@bigpond.net.au> To: <gloucester@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 21, 2007 10:23 AM Subject: [GLS] Maps & Smiths > Sincere thanks to all the Listers who were kind enough to answer my query > and forwarding me so much valuable information which I will most certainly > follow up. > > Apologies for not including the name of the people I am looking for. I am > looking for information on my ggGrandparents, Charles SMITH and > Hester(Esther) nee BEER. They were both listed as age 25 on the 1841 > Census. Their eldest child on the Census was listed as age 9, which seems > to make them very young when first child born. This would also have them > married approx. 1832 at only 16 or 17 years of age. Birth place of both > was listed as Gloucester. > > I do hope all you folks on this list realise what a valuable asset you are > for us who live so far away. > > Many thanks > Joan in Oz > > > _____________________________________________ > > Browse the list archives at: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GLOUCESTER/ > > Keyword search - any or all lists: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GLOUCESTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.410 / Virus Database: 268.17.3/642 - Release Date: 20/01/2007 > >

This looks like them, Charles is working as a porter. It seems they moved to Birmingam between the births of the 11 year old and the 8 year old. 1851 England Census about Charles Smith Name: Charles Smith Age: 38 Estimated birth year: abt 1813 Relation: Head Spouse's name: Esther Gender: Male Where born: Shire, Gloucestershire, England Civil parish: Aston County/Island: Warwickshire Country: England Registration district: Aston Sub-registration district: Duddeston ED, institution, or vessel: 25 Household schedule number: 77 Household Members: Name Age Charles Smith 38 Charles Smith 8 Eliza Smith 3 Elizabeth Smith 13 Ellen Smith 2 Emily Smith 11 Esther Smith 37 James Smith 14 Sarah Ann Smith 6 Serina Smith 4 Thomas Smith 18 William Smith 20 Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 2061; Folio: 582; Page: 20; GSU roll: 87317-87319. Karen

HI Joan, The ages of anyone over the age of 15 on the 1841 census was were supposed to be approximated to the nearest 5 years downwards so that your Charles and Hester could have been anything between 15 and 29. On the 4th Jan I sent this message to the list - did you get it? The marriage index 1800-1837 produced by the Glos FHS on CD see www.gfhs.org.uk has the following entry Charles SMITH to Hester BEER 16 April 1832 St John the Baptist Gloucester by banns. If they were both 29 in 1841 that would have made them about 20 when they were married - both technically under age - ie under 21 so requiring parental consent. Pat ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joan Canning" <ja.perl@bigpond.net.au> To: <gloucester@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 21, 2007 10:23 AM Subject: [GLS] Maps & Smiths > Sincere thanks to all the Listers who were kind enough to answer my query > and forwarding me so much valuable information which I will most certainly > follow up. > > Apologies for not including the name of the people I am looking for. I am > looking for information on my ggGrandparents, Charles SMITH and > Hester(Esther) nee BEER. They were both listed as age 25 on the 1841 > Census. Their eldest child on the Census was listed as age 9, which seems > to make them very young when first child born. This would also have them > married approx. 1832 at only 16 or 17 years of age. Birth place of both > was listed as Gloucester. > > I do hope all you folks on this list realise what a valuable asset you are > for us who live so far away. > > Many thanks > Joan in Oz > > > _____________________________________________ > > Browse the list archives at: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GLOUCESTER/ > > Keyword search - any or all lists: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GLOUCESTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

the enumeration description reads (approx) as :- "" District 1 After Sudbrook before High Orchard South Side of the road leading to.....High Orchard""" East of London FHS member All e'mail scanned by McAfee virusscan

Hello Joan A possible result on the 1881 census Dwelling: Bagstone Census Place: Wickwar, Gloucester, England Source: FHL Film 1341606 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 2512 Folio 25 Page 12 Marr Age Sex Birthplace Hester SMITH W 66 F Shipton Moyne, Gloucester, England Rel: Head William SMITH U 15 M Thornbury, Gloucester, England Rel: Grand Son Occ: Labourer Bob in Oz ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joan Canning" <ja.perl@bigpond.net.au> To: <gloucester@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 21, 2007 8:23 PM Subject: [GLS] Maps & Smiths > Sincere thanks to all the Listers who were kind enough to answer my query > and forwarding me so much valuable information which I will most certainly > follow up. > > Apologies for not including the name of the people I am looking for. I am > looking for information on my ggGrandparents, Charles SMITH and > Hester(Esther) nee BEER. They were both listed as age 25 on the 1841 > Census. Their eldest child on the Census was listed as age 9, which seems > to make them very young when first child born. This would also have them > married approx. 1832 at only 16 or 17 years of age. Birth place of both > was listed as Gloucester. > > I do hope all you folks on this list realise what a valuable asset you are > for us who live so far away. > > Many thanks > Joan in Oz > > > _____________________________________________ > > Browse the list archives at: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GLOUCESTER/ > > Keyword search - any or all lists: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GLOUCESTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message