Census Confusion

Returning to Grandfather, Leonard’s early childhood: he was just three years old when his father James lost his life to the river Ely. 

Between the death of his father and the 1901 census, Leonard found himself as part of his uncle’s household in Abertillery (Fig 1).  We can only speculate as to why this was the case.  Perhaps he just happened to be visiting and it was easier to simply count him as part of the family when completing the census return.  Maybe he was a troubled child following his father’s death and too much for Clara to handle along with two under-fives.  The home at 71 Bridge Street, in which Leonard’s mother Clara was living was a retail shop and the 1901 census (Fig. 2) indicates that she and her brother were establishing a business as booksellers.  Added to this, Clara’s brother Alfred Eggar, himself recently widowed, was living at the same address with his daughter Elizabeth.  The two families were clearly having to deal with a lot of issues, emotional and economic.

How I came to establish finally my great grandparents names, that of Clara’s brother and her second husband was the result of searching the archives; and not without its difficulties.  My initial research that began with the 1901 census return (Fig. 1)  led me not to the father of my grandfather but to his uncle, John and wife, Lilian Fry.  Leonard is living with them in Abertillery and listed as their son. 

My first genealogical lesson: making sense of archive material can lead you in the wrong direction, but which can later prove to be enlightening, hinting at lived experiences as opposed to the simple outlining of chronological facts and administrative registers.

 Fig 1: 1901 Census for John Fry Family

Fig 2: 1901 Census for Clara Fry family