- Always seek out the original record,
(you cannot rely on indexes or transcripts).
- Read every word carefully,
(especially the ones that don’t seem relevant).
- Question everything,
(and seek explanations for all inconsistencies).
- Check that you have seen the complete document,
(look for another page).
- When had Fred and Maude moved from Derbyshire to Nottinghamshire?
- Did it have to do with his change of occupation from Spindle Setter in a Cotton Mill (1901)?
- What on earth was a “Naturalist Inposter”?
I felt very satisfied when I made a close examination of the scrawl on the original return to find that, in fact, Fred claimed to be a Naturalist, Importer of, and Dealer in, Birds and Animals and hence was now self-employed. It seemed reasonable that he would move to a larger property to indulge what must have been his passion. I may have wondered just how long the streets were in Worksop that they lived at 300 New Sunny Side; but I now had three births to locate. File the record and press on.
It was some time before I recognised that while we all view the individual household forms completed in 1911 (complete with an actual ancestor’s signature), there are also enumerator’s summary sheets available that provide some of the additional information about neighbours that we can see immediately for 1841-1901.
It revealed that Fred had a distinctive and consistent way of writing the numeral 3 and had not followed it in representing the address. He had not described his residence with a number but a name. He called the property the “Zoo”. There was a hook on which to hang a discussion of their ancestors with the grandchildren!
For a time, I looked forward to the release of the 1921 Census to continue the tale until I realised that the Thorpe family had (most inconveniently) come to Queensland in 1919 and took up a small crops holding on the Sunshine Coast. Perhaps we had priority over the Irwins in the local zoo business!
I had the opportunity to speak with a great-granddaughter of Fred Thorpe who remembered visiting him in his little cottage at Maleny while very young. First hand evidence! At pains to avoid leading the witness, I asked about anything in the house that might indicate his interests or hobbies. “Oh, like things hanging on the wall.” Yes indeed, I responded hoping desperately for stories of (at least images of) exotic birds and other creatures. “I do remember that he had violins”.
At best, we can only ever assemble fragments of the lives of our ancestors. Unless we adopt a systematic approach to handling the documents that we do locate (and following it rigorously) we risk missing details that we should have. Remember “Do as I say, not as I shamefacedly admit to doing.”
- Always revisit your “finished” work. (there is almost certainly more to find).
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