There are a couple of "special" census that comes to mind.
The 1901 Census for Blaenavon Wales listed the household of my Great Grandparents John Albert Cooper and Annie Kyte.
As I expected, in the household was my grandmother Gertrude Georgina Cooper who was their youngest daughter. The surprise was that she was not the youngest in the family! The census listed a 3 month old Reginald Cooper as a son.
This raised a question in my mind: was he actually a son whom I had never heard about? And if so, what happened to him as he was not listed with the family on the ship's manifest when they immigrated to Canada in August 1902. Or, was Reginald a son of older daughter Florence. At age 15, it was a possibility and it would not be the first time that an illegitimate grandchild was listed in a census as a child of the head of household.
With further research I was able to determine that the Death Registration in the First Quarter of 1902 for a Reginald George Cooper (birthdate estimated about 1901) would indeed be the Reginald listed as a son of John Albert Cooper. The Monmouthshire Burials Transcription does list the burial of Reginald George Cooper, age 13 months. Although the parents' names are not listed, the address is the same (2 Upper Glantoween Terrace). New records of Vital Records for England and Wales list the mother's maiden name and there is a record for Reginald George Cooper listing his mother's maiden name as Kyte.
I still have questions that I have yet been able to answer and probably never will. My aunts were never aware of this younger sibling of their mother. She would have been about 6 years old when Reginald was born, so I would think she would have had memories of the birth.
Reginald died just a few months before the family moved to Canada. Had his death had any bearing on the family's decision to relocate? I doubt I will ever be able to find the answer to that question.
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A census I found meaningful was the 1871 Canadian Census for District 4 South Simcoe in Ontario.
The household of my 3xGreat Grandfather, Benjamin Schell, included his married son John Alexander and family which included my Great Grandfather John Schell.
Three generations in one household!
If there had ever been a doubt as to whether I was descended from the Schells of Mohawk Valley, that census confirms. There is many documents listing that Benjamin Schell as a descendant of John Christian Schell. And with the census showing the extended family, combined with birth and marriage records, I am able to document my connection.
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