Little Hallam (by Alan Smith)

Thomas Frost was born in the Little Hallam area of Ilkeston, Derbyshire.

Little Hallam

This we know from information contained on the 1851 census, but as for his year of birth, well for that’s something that needs clarity, for at its widest point (from the ages stipulated both by and for Thomas on the various census years) his birth year falls within a 6 year range:
1841 age 30 (born c1811)
1851 age 41 (born c1810)
1861 age 47 (born c1814)
1871 age 63 (born c1808)
I find it strange that Thomas’s age fluctuates so much, while his daughter Mary; who was living at home on all of the above census; her birth year doesn’t fluctuate at all between the 41 and 71 census, it’s only on the 71 census that her ages differs slightly (by two years), so why it is that Thomas’s ages are so varied I have no idea.  It may be a transcription error on the part of the census recorder, but who can really say!

Let us look at these censuses.