Two households in Coundon, County Durham

Explore the census entries for two households living in Coundon in County Durham in 1851. Compare their places of birth, their relations to the head of household and occupations by selecting the different features. Discover how to interpret this information and what the data can reveal.

	John Cooper head married 44 potter Derbyshire, Chesterfield Charlotte Cooper wife married 39 Derbyshire, Dronfield Edward Cooper dau 11 Yorkshire, Bradford George Cooper son 10 scholar Yorkshire, Leeds Louisa Cooper dau 7 Durham, Thickley Charles Cooper son 5 Durham, Coundon Mary Jane Cooper dau 3 Durham, Coundon Charlotte Cooper dau 1 at home Durham, Coundon Henry Kay brother unmarr 15 house servant Derbyshire, Chesterfield William Hardy visitor widower 55 late potter Derbyshire, Chesterfield John Sproats lodger unmarr 24 carrier Durham, St Andrew Auckland Henry Sanderson servant unmarr 28 basket maker Yorkshire, Great Driffield
	Name and marital status This entry reveals twelve people living at the property. As well as the Cooper parents - John and Charlotte - there are six children living at home and a number of other people from other families and places. Compare this to the Garthwaites, where only immediate family members are living at the house.
	Looking closer Censuses are the best way to trace families but watch out for old spellings! Irregularities can occur as the enumerator may have made a mistake or the household members, unused to writing their name, could have presented inconsistent records.Surnames and maiden names can be checked against civil registration documents such as birth, marriage or death certificates.