Searching the 1871 census
ThiI can now use Ancestry to search for Emma. I now know her approximate date of birth and where she was born. Although she has a fairly common name, Emma was a popular girl's name in the Victorian era, and her surname is not usual, even so there is only one person of the right name who was born in Richmond at around the right time. (This is where searching on the internet comes into its own, looking through census records by hand is very time consuming!)
In 1871, her husband was still alive, so know I know the name of my great great great grandfather and where and when he was born. Unfortunately I can't read what his occupation was, the writing is not clear so I shall have to do some more research on that but what is interesting is that he was born in Chalfont St Giles in Buckinghamshire. This is the first person I have found that doesn't originate in or around Hammersmith (Richmond is only about five miles away). There was a massive migration taking place in the mid nineteenth centure from the countryside to the large towns and I was sure that I would find one such migrant fairly soon.
By 1871, the family had three children, the eldest was a daughter of 8. Interestingly she is not recorded as being a scholar, though other children on the same page of the census (and recorded in the same handwriting) are, indicating that perhaps she was not receiving any education. This was before compulsory education of any kind so is quite possible, though not conclusive proof.
The address is slightly different, same road but no 3 whereas they were at no 9, 10 years later. It is quite likely that they had moved but it is also possible there had been a change in the numbering in the road. However, in 1871, there are two households at 3, but by 1881 they were the only household at their address. (On the census returns, a new household is indicated by a single diagonal line, a new address by 2 diagonal lines.)
The overall impression is of a family keeping its head above water but not exactly prospering. I now know that my 3g grandfather died before the next census was taken so perhaps he was already ill and good health was a major factor affecting how well a family prospered. With no NHS or other welfare state help, ill health was a very costly problem indeed.
Now to go back another 10 years to the 1861 census records..