Created by Julie Goucher, 2023

Let me start by asking what is Family?

Is the definition that you might find in a dictionary consistent? Has the meaning changed over the years? Has it broadened or

As any former student of the One-Name Studies courses knows I reconstruct family groups and my starting point is from a marriage, and not a census. I am often asked why that is the case, and here is the reason.

A Census, whilst being an important historical document might include immediate family of the head of the household, those marked as in laws, cousins, visitors, boarders, servants and friend. Whilst I want that historical document, I do not want it immediately because visitors and boarders might include family members, or people with whom there is some family connection that is not overly clear.

So once I establish the marriage, I then look for children through the parish records, followed by parents and siblings. Anything that is not clear, or which throws up something is noted and I come back to it. I then move to Census records for that family starting with the Census on which the individual was recorded, as a child. Here is an example:

My Great Grandmother was born in 1878 therefore I focus on the 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911 and 1921. I also include the 1939 Register. I then do the same for spouse, and in the case of my Great Grandfather who was born in 1869, that is the 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, 1921 and the Register. As they married in 1898 there is some overlap between 1901 and 1939.

In addition to that, family might include references that are basically inaccurate as the word chosen was the perceived best option. In our modern world we have terminology for:

• children of first (previous) marriages – Step children
• relationships with friends of parents – “Aunt and Uncle” and those of us of a certain age will recall that as respectful titles
• children that have been fostered or adopted – Formalised adoption did not start until 1927. 
• children that were illegitimate children of a daughter, on occasions incorporated within the children of a family as a son/daughter instead of grandson/granddaughter
• Cousin used to explain an individual who might be a second/third cousin, or other
• Blended families, where children from earlier relationships are included – here is a 19th and 20th Century example: 
  • My maternal Great Grandfather, Charles Butcher was born in 1823. He married in 1858 and had a family of 8 children between 1858 and 1877. His wife died in 1877, the same year as his youngest child was born. 
  • He then remarried in 1881 and had a child with his wife before they married in 1880. Following the marriage there were a further 5 children born between 1882 and 1894.
  • The 1891 Census records Charles aged 77 years, his second wife aged 50 years. Next is three children, a son Walter aged 25 years, George aged 19 years and Mabel aged 7 years. The first two are children of Charles and his first wife and Mabel, the youngest of his second family of children. Charles died in 1906. Whilst the two family groups were exactly that, the relationship between the half siblings ignored the distinction.
• Individuals that are Friends and no relationship by blood at all. I am sure that many of us have friends who are like a sibling, in some cases closer than actual siblings.

The terminology of FAN Club [note 1]:

• F = Family
• A = Associates
• N = Neighbours                                                                                                                                 

Now, as then, the institution of family can be whatever we want it to be.

[note 1] Concept devised by Elizabeth Shown Mills

• Evidence Explained website – https://www.evidenceexplained.com (accessed 6 April 2025)
  • https://www.evidenceexplained.com/content/quicklesson-11-identity-problems-fan-principle  (accessed 6 April 2025)
• Historic Pathways – https://www.historicpathways.com/ (accessed 6 April 2025)