Could this have happened?

[Kit]

Caroline Pinchin was born about 1839 and baptised in North Newnton Wiltshire. According to familysearch her parents were Thomas and Eliza.

On th 1841 census Caroline appears as Carline living with William and Eliza. I have Thomas and Eliza as well so it is not an error.

I know it happened that children were sent to live with other people at times. William and Eliza did have children but not many compared to Thomas and Eliza.

On the 1851 census however Caroline is living with her grandmother Jane Bath.

My problem is that I know Caroline's maternal grandmother to be named Rebecca so this must be her paternal grandmother. Research shows that William Pinchin married Eliza Bath so Jane would be her mother.

Would it be reasonable for a couple to hand over a child to what I assume is a relative and for the MIL of said blood relative to later refer to herself as the child's grandmother? There is no known blood relationship between Caroline and Jane Bath.

[Merry]

Anything is possible and you can't ignore the possibility that it was the nextdoor neighbour who told the enumerator who lived in that house and made a mistake, or the enumerator himself made an assumption or 1001 other scenarios.

I guess they didn't know we would be looking at it 150 years later and wondering!

[kiterunner]

Or it could be a mistake on FamilySearch, or it could be a mistake in the parish register. Her birth certificate should have the correct father's name on it, if her birth was registered? Or if she got married, her father's name should be on her marriage cert (though not always correct.)

[kiterunner]

The birth registration is on Wiltshire BMD, and thank goodness, it's one of those local BMD sites where they put mother's maiden name on the birth index! Birth 1839, PINCHIN Caroline, sub-district Netheravon, mother's maiden name Bath.

[anne fraser]

Remember the census is just a snapshot of a particular day. She could have just been sent to a relative for a few weeks while her mother had a new baby to cope with or other problems.

[Kit]

Thanks Kate. So familysearch is wrong. :( Caroline was reasonably easy to find.

I wonder if her Dad is part of my tree?

Anne I know she might have been sent only for the night but she was living with the Grandmother 10 and 20 years later. I haven't traced Mum and Dad but she doesn't appear to have been with them from somewhere between the age of 2 and 12.

[Kit]

The birth registration is on Wiltshire BMD,

I've not used that one before. Off to check all my familes now. Thanks

[Merry]

Thanks Kate. So familysearch is wrong.

Or the vicar made a mistake.

[Kit]

Or the vicar made a mistake.

Or he knew something we don't.

[Olde Crone]

Kit

How do you know she was living with the grandmother?

OC

[Kit]

It said so on the census when it was just the 2 of them living together.

or if you mean how do I know she lived all that time together then I guess I don't know but they are together for 3 consecutive census.