In my quest for more information on Thomas Stanly (1807-1887) (http://www.roscommonstanley.me.uk/possible-relations/thomas-stanly-1807-1887/) I looked at the census return for Edward Naughton. He reported the death of Thomas. The document has a reference to a missing record. Edward, his daughter, son-in-law and family are listed at house number 13 on the sequence. On viewing a list of all of the records for Clooneenbaun, from 1 to 30, there are no entries for House 12 and House 8.
There are missing records. There are also missing people. Thomas Stanley, from Clooneenbaun, died, age 34, in March 1908 (born 1873). It is clear that he suffered from a chronic chest complaint. The death was reported by his mother Bridget. She was present at his death. Bridget Stanley, from Rockfield, died, aged 70, a labourer’s widow, in the Roscommon Workhouse in March 1909. I can connect these people to my family. Neither of them feature on any 1901 census that I have researched. A poor widow and a sickly adult son would not have been travelling around the countryside. It is pure speculation on my part, but could Bridget and her son have been living at either House 8 or House 12? Framed in those terms, the answer has to be in the affirmative. They could have been in one of the two missing houses. That does not take my research anywhere. I need to know whether they were living there. I do not know why these two particular documents are missing from the online records. Were they simply mislaid? If so, the trail grinds to a halt. Have been damaged to the point of illegibility? If this is the case, then even being able to decipher a few words may help me in my quest.
If my relatives were living close to the person who reported the death of another, much older Thomas Stanly, then the case builds for believing that there is a direct connection. It is only circumstantial evidence, but it is better than no evidence.
My grandfather Patrick who would have been 18 at the time of the 1901 census is also missing. I would love to find out where he was living.