Help Before I Go Crazy!!!

[echokilo]

Can anyone help me find a missing man on the 1891 census? He could be John, Arthur or Maurice (or any combination thereof) and his surname will either be Hudson or Mirfin ..... I have tried every spelling I can think of but am clearly missing something ............... we was born in Dec 1875 in Ecclesall Bierlow, Yorkshire - and is liekly to be in Yorkshire as he was there in 1891 - and in 1898 he marries in Ecclesall Bierlow ...... although in the missing years he could be elsewhere I suppose, but think I have search the whole UK and it's driving me crazy!!!! HELP!!! TIA

[dotty.]

was his father charles?

[dotty.]

did he marry flora ellen mills and have a daughter called zanty?

[Mosaic]

Could he have enlisted in the forces during the missing time?

[echokilo]

No neither Dotty ........ he married Elizabeth Spencer in 1898 - and his parents were Samuel and Ellen Hudson. Samuel died in 1872, and so was not his father - and Ellen remarried John Mirfin in 1876 when John (Arthur or Maurice!!) was a baby .....so it's not known who his father was. Ellen died in 1884 - and John (Arthur or Maurice!!) is missing from then until he marries in 1898 ...........

[dotty.]

ahh so on the 1881 he is John A Hudson, with an older sister eliza A and then a step sister Mary J Mirfin. Mary J is on the 1891 and next door is a widow called Mary E Hudson, have you scrolled through the whole of ED 32? I';m doing that now to see what turns up in the O ED

[echokilo]

Dotty - you are a star - I looked through a few pages either side of Mary J, but have not scrolled through the whole of it ............. thanks for your help. I have searched for him every which way on ancestry with every possible spelling and wild card I can think of - I knew you would have ideas!! Thanks .............. fingers crossed x

[dotty.]

ecclesall brierlow has 42 enumeration districts plus the union workhouse (I've checked there and he's not an inmate)
at the top of your census search window you will see in green writing
Yorkshire>Ecclesall Brierlow>district ?, click on the Ecclesall Brierlow name and the screen opens a list of enumeration districts with numbers to the left and description of district written to the left,, don't click on the descroption click on the district number and start to scroll throigh the film of the ORIGINAL return, not the transcription, it will need patience, but that's how we had to research 20 years ago before t'internet!
If he was still in that area you should find him, plus you will get an idea of the distributuon of the surnames there

[echokilo]

Better get scrolling then hadn't I !!!! Thanks Dotty.

[loobylou]

What was his occupation? I'll search on that for you.

[echokilo]

No occupation LoobyLou as he was of school age when we lost track of him. He is missing from 1884-1891. Was apparently well educated so may have been elsewhere in Uk - can you help?

[loobylou]

Although aged 16 he probably wouldn't be at school in 1891 - they had to work much earlier than they do now - girls became servants at around 11 or 12. If, as you say, he was well educated, he may well have been away at boarding school. 'Missing' people could be in the workhouse or an asylum He could also have been in hospital - I've seen patients and inmates on the census just with their initials. Quite a few of mine just refuse to be found.

[echokilo]

In 1891 there is an Arthur Hudson, born Sheffield, listed in an orphanage in Bath but aged 12 when he should have been 14/15 ........ Do you think this could be him LoobyLou and how could I be certain? He did use the name Arthur and he would have been an orphan ..... What do you think?