A press release from Ancestry.com reports some of the spooky names found in the US and UK census indexes. The intrepid Kimberly Powell dares to turn it into a learning exercise:
Alla Witch identified in the above mentioned press release is actually "Ella Ulitch." The last name in the 1920 census appears to have been misread - the "Ul" being misidentified as a "W" which is an easy mistake. The Alla for Ella appears to have been misspelling on the part of the census taker. The family's name in the 1910 Census is more easily read as Ulitch, and the Ella's husband is also easily identified as Henry Ulitch on his WWI Draft Registration Card. Entries like this are very common in the census and other genealogical records, and are why we should always try to find more than one source, when possible, to support our facts. [Link]I do like some of the occupations mentioned in the release:
- Professional Wizards: Harbidge Seaman from 1880 U.S. census and Henry Norman, Louis Harty Fowler and Gustave Reticke from the 1881 England census
- The Queen's Magician and Wizard of the Wicked World: John Holden from the 1881 England census
- Witch: Ellen Hannan from 1880 U.S. census
- Witch doctor: Lafayette Springs from 1880 U.S. census
- Hag: Lizzie Isom from 1880 U.S. census
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