The Aveton Gifford Stentifords in 1851

Moving on 10 years to use the 1851 census gives us far more information about the family because it tells us where each person was born - very important when you are dealing with a family in which the same first names occur again and again across the generations.

The 1851 census for Devon is available on disk and if your family comes from this County, is an invaluable research tool. There are some interesting things you can do with this disk such as asking for the results for a single village. This will give you a snapshot of the community your ancestors lived in - how they earned their living, who their neighbours were, whether they lived in a separate dwelling house or house-shared with several other people. The 1840s marked the great exodus from Devon when thousands and thousands of people went to find a new life on the other side of the world. The majority of them were young single men leaving behind the elderly to fend for themselves and a huge surplus of women with little or no chance of finding a husband.

The view from the Churchyard of St. Andrews

Looking across the village to the River Avon

A rare section of tidal road runs along the estuary at this point and connects Aveton Gifford with Bigbury

Searching for this family in 1851 shows they are still in the same place but that their family has grown:

Thomas STENTIFORD -Head M 41 M Cordwainer ---Aveton Gifford-Devon
Jane STENTIFORD Wife M 38 F --- Ughborough-Devon
Jane STENTIFORD Daur - 14 F Scholar ---Aveton Gifford-Devon
Edwin STENTIFORD Son - 10 M Scholar ---Aveton Gifford-Devon
Thomas STENTIFORD Son - 8 M Scholar ---Aveton Gifford-Devon
John STENTIFORD Son - 5 M Scholar ---Aveton Gifford-Devon
Hannah S. STENTIFORD Daur - 2 F --- Aveton Gifford-Devon
Emily STENTIFORD Daur - 3 F --- Aveton Gifford-Devon

Address: 34 Aveton Gifford, Kingsbridge
Census Place: Aveton Gifford Kingsbridge, Devonshire

But someone is missing. In 1841 they had a daughter, then aged 2, named Elizabeth. Even if the parish had been included in the IGI, deaths from the Parish register would not be. It's a good idea at this stage to call up a village search from the disk. In 1851 Elizabeth would have been 12 years old and there is always the possibility that she was working nearby. Sadly, there is no trace of her and we must assume that she died during the period between 1841 and 1851.

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