Re: Balance of probabilities

On Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:25:11 +0200, Renia wrote:

Not common practise, but it happened.

It was common practise :))

The enumerator wrote down the details as told to him by the family.
The family's details (or the notes he gleaned from them) may not
have been clear so that when he finally wrote up his schedule, he
may have mis-read his own notes or misunderstood what the family
had said. If the head of house gave his own surname but didn't
specify the surnames of any children living with him or the
relationship, the enumerator probably assumed the surname was that
of the head of house.

The enumerator wrote up in his summary books what was given on the
household schedules. Whether those household schedules were completed
by the head of household, another family member (immediate or
otherwise), a friend or neighbour is unknown now because the household
schedules no longer exist.

The enumerator himself would not have had time to call at several
hundred houses and complete the forms himself. There may have been a
handful of occasions when it was necessary but that would have been
all.

If you want to believe otherwise, sobeit.

CYA
--
Genealogy: is it a thing of the past??
If the IPS has its way, then, yes!!
.