Family Tree people and /or Social Historians: I need your help, please!

[Mercy]

I'm trying to research dh's family tree atm and am confused already!

Basically, one branch of the family were living in the Channel Islands. The daughter of this family is recorded on the 1851 census, the 1861 census is missing, the rest of the family are on the 1871 census but minus the daughter (now aged about 20). The next time she is recorded on any census is in 1901, back in the Channel Islands. By now she is widowed and has 2 children who were born in Italy.

How likely is it that in the late 1860s a young woman would travel abroad and why? The family owned a farm so surely she would have had a job for life?

I suppose it is more likely that she met her husband to be in the Channel Islands. But again, how likely is it that her family would agree to her living abroad? I can't find a UK marriage record by the way.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Channel Islands would have had strong links with Europe, so not unfeasible that she should meet an Italian man.

Try this list of names from past peole of the channel islands and see if you recognise your Italian?

Thanks isaidno!

I can't find the name anywhere (online) tbh.

"The family owned a farm so surely she would have had a job for life? "

You would want your own household and family though, wouldn't you - as an unmarried daughter you would always be lower status than a married woman, so it seems perfectly plausible that she could marry a foreigner, especially a sailor if she lives in a port.

Sounds like there's a fascinating story hidden there!

Is it possible that she went it to service and then travelled abroad with the family she worked for?

Any 'jobs for life' on the farm would probably be reserved for sons, daughters unfortunately didn't always get much of a look in.

Just realised you said the 1861 census is missing? Sorry to sound dumb but what do you mean by that. I have found plenty of references to the 1861 census.

And can you also tell me why the hell I don't know which sentence to stick the question mark on?

I was going to post along similar lines to Saint George - someone in service as a lady's maid or a companion (my great grandmother was a companion to a dwarf) might well have travelled with the family.

Sometimes a family has no census entry in a particular year because they weren't in or didn't cooperate - I have several such gaps in my family. It can be worth a more general search to see if they were elsewhere, staying with relatives or friends on the night. I've found a few missing links that way.

Hmm, yes I hadn't really thought that the sons would take precedence; in fact the son did inherit the farm.

Actually, it seems that this woman's husband owned a guesthouse in Italy (or someone in the family did) so I suppose she may have found employment there. But I think it's more likely that she would have met her husband to be in the Channel Islands rather than her going to Italy (which would be pretty unsual in those days?)

As for the 1861 census, there are a few records which are missing and the family I'm tracing happened to live in one of those parishes. Grrrr!