Hi Norman,
My G/Grandfather according to all censuses from 1851 thru 1891 gives
his place of birth as Liverpool c. 1835. (I have not traced
his birth/baptism so I have to accept this).
His elder brother and sister, who I know were baptised in Denbigh, North Wales in 1824 and
1826 respectively, both have stated in
censuses that I have seen, that they were born in Liverpool. The sister also stated in
one census that she was born in Ruthin,
Nth. Wales. I can accept this as she may have been born in Ruthin and baptised in
Denbigh.
Both have also stated they were born in North Wales.
While most census birthplace records are OK, I find that you always have to take them with
a pinch of salt until you can correlate them elsewhere. I have a couple of families from
the Wrexham area and their birthplaces vary with practically every census! My Great
grandmother was born in Ffrith, in Flint, in the late 1850s and her mother was born in
narby Minera. In the 1861 census the whole family is listed as being born in Hope.
That's explicable on two grounds: Hope is the civil parish Ffrith was in at the time
and the other is a transcription error by the enumerator. Don't forget that the
records we see are all transcribed, with the inevitable errors that brings.
In 1881 my Great grandmother and her sister are working in Bridgnorth and give their
birthplace as Wrexham, Flint. Again, Wrexham's never been in Flint and they
weren't born in Wrexham but Wrexham was the then registration district for Ffrith.
Their widowed mother is living with her brother in Bwlchgwyn and they're listed as
being born in Brymbo! Only in the 1891 census do the birthplaces come right. The only way
I know which is the right one is by using other sources and using the census as a starting
point.
Regards,
Keith
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