Completed - Life wasn't meant to be easy

[Pudsey to Howard]

Hi

I know we've all had problems with illegible witing, mispelt name & incorrect transcriptions but this one I really have to scratch my head at.

I was trying to pinpoint a Samuel Dimmock, born circa 1811, in the 1871 census - i'd followed him through 1841; 1851; & 1861 and believe he died in 1878 so he shoulda been there. I kept being drawn to a Samuel Dunnock living at Mushroom Green but there were inconsistencies - this Samuel had a daughter Elizabeth born 1838 and mine didn't; this one was a widower, mine wasn't [his wife Elizabeth can be found in the 1881 census & died, I believe, in 1889]. Also living with this samuelwas a Benjamin Dunnock [Dimmock] born in 1808 and a family of Hattons' [including a Betsy born 1847].

After a few days of scratching my head I had a Eureka moment - what if I transpose the details of Elizabeth [the supposed daughter] & Benjamin the lodger - this gave me an Elizabeth born in 1808 [the same year as my Samuel's wife] and a Benjamin born in 1838 [guess who had a son named Benjamin born in 1838 - my Samuel]. The Samuel & Elizabeth in my tree also had a daughter Betsy [born 1847] - a quick search of the West Midlands BMD showed a Betsy Dimmock married a John Hatton in 1865 - that explains the lodgers. Case closed.

The census taker must have been having a really bad day!


Doug