I traced Leah ASHFORTH (née Leah WEBB 1816-1901), my ggg grandmother, through the England and Wales Censuses of 1851, 1861, 1871, 1891 and 1901, the exception being 1881.
Unable to find any record of her in the 1881 census was somewhat exasperating, so I set to with a few wild card searches. It is the case quite often that Ashforth becomes Ashworth, or Ashcroft or as I recall in one census, Ashforth becomes Ashford; I was not expecting Ashwork! So the mystery is solved eventually and I can complete the sequence of census returns.
Leah has now become Leah Sarah, changed her place of birth to Sheffield and taken a lodger, one William ROYSTON. Son William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 has married Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943 and left home finally.
FHJ Ref: 045
Census: England and Wales Census 1881
Place: Cromwell Street, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Household: Leah Sarah Ashwork
| SURNAME | FIRST NAME(S) | REL | SEX | AGE | OCCUPATION | WHERE BORN | REMARKS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashwork * | Leah Sarah | Head | F | 65 | Lodging House Keeper | Sheffield, Yorkshire | |
| Royston | William | Lodger | M | 22 | Sheffield, Yorkshire | ||
| Note: Transcription error: for Ashwork read Ashforth | |||||||
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