1900 Census

[rancelli]

I was always told that my great grandparents had more children that may have died in a fire. From the 1900 census in column 11 it says number of children (9). Column 12 number of these children living (5). I wonder if my great grandparents got confused and added the lodger's or people living with them as children? There were 4 lodger's who was living with them at that time. Did the counties back in those day's always keep records of all fires or other tragic events? If this fire did happen, it would have been in the 1890's.

Here is the 1900 census
Line 17

http://postimage.org/image/2mdw0gvb8/

[rancelli]

In the 1910 census the number of children born (6) matches the number of children living in that household (6) at the time. The only one who had moved out was Carmella. Again my question is, I wonder if she got confused in 1900 and added the lodger's as children.

The people who recorded this information, did some of them speak Italian if a family couldn't speak English?

Begins on line 64 for Luigi Butcher

http://postimage.org/image/jpvj3f8k/

[johnnyonthespot]

Sad to say, I would go with the fire story, or some other cause of death for four children.

The census indicates they were married 13 years and yet their eldest child is just seven years old? This is very unlikely; in these times when the only effective birth control was the "rythmm method" and even that was contrary to the teachings of the catholic church, children usually came along within a year or two of marriage or not at all (one or both spouses unable to have children).

[rancelli]

thanks carmine i edited my post adding, if whether or not a family was provided an italian-english interpreter if they were unable to speak english