Ancestry
Daily News
Michael John Neill – 8/8/2002
Categorizing Pre-1850 Census Records
This week, we'll look at some pre-1850 census records
and see what they tell us about a family under study. Images of the census
records discussed in this article are online at:
www.rootdig.com/chaneythomas/index.html
Census work is "relatively easy" until one gets to American Federal census
records before 1850. Pre-1850 census records only name heads of household
and simply count other household members by using age categories. Any
analysis of pre-1850 census entries takes a certain amount of work and
organization.
Where To Start?
I decided to revisit the census entries for my ancestor Thomas Chaney. He is
enumerated in Southampton Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania from 1810
through 1850. For now, we'll look at just the 1810 through 1840 census
entries where no household members are listed individually. These are also
the census entries that most likely contain Thomas' children while they are
still living at home.
Heads of Household Only
The categories and aggregate totals as used in the census were not the
easiest way for me to analyze Thomas' household. For the purposes of my
analysis, I chose to list the various people in the household separately, as
a "male (or female) born between year x and year y." The years listed in the
analysis are not really exact, but I found it easier to interpret the data
if I left out all the cautionary clauses regarding the years of birth.
What Are Those Cautionary Clauses?
A typical age range as stated in the census is "of 10 and under 20 years of
age." This would result in an actual age range of ten to nineteen years as
of the date of the census (which in our study would theoretically be in
early August in 1810 and 1820 and 1 June in 1830 and 1840), which would
result in a range of years of birth ten to nineteen years before the year of
the census. However, if the nineteen year old had not yet had their
birthday, they actually would have turned twenty during the census year and
could have been born twenty years before the year of the census.
Someone born in 1810 may be nine on the date of the census and turn ten
later in the year, making her year of birth actually 1800 instead of 1801.
Problems with the "ends" of the age ranges are more likely to occur when
making the jump from one census to another when the actual date of the
census has changed significantly (as it does from 1820 to 1830).
For now, I won't worry about this possibility, but I will keep this
potential problem in mind should inconsistencies in my results appear. Given
that I am trying to get an overview of the family structure and that census
ages are not known for always being exactly precise, I'll keep this
possibility on the back burner during my analysis.
For now it should be enough to remember that the end years on the ranges of
birth are not necessarily exact. There are some other assumptions I also
made when performing the analysis. These should also be kept in mind.
Assumptions About Thomas' Pre-1850 Entries
1) The census ages are correct and consistent for each individual from year
to year. This assumption is a tall order, but I have to start somewhere.
2) Children of Thomas were enumerated in his household until they
established their own household, married, or died.
3) There were no multiple births within the family. When three children (as
in 1810) are listed within the same age range, they are actually different
ages.
4) The analysis was conducted to minimize the number of distinct people who
had lived in Thomas' household during the entire run of census years.
5) Children listed in the household of Thomas were Thomas' children.
Assumption 4 was made because it seemed reasonable that a household member
between 10 and 15 in 1830 would be living the same household and be under 10
in 1820 (The child would actually be under 5 in 1820, but that exact
category does not appear in the 1820 census. The cautionary note regarding
dates of birth between June and August is also duly noted). If one assumed
that every person enumerated in each of Thomas' census entries is a separate
individual, then twenty-five distinct people lived with Thomas from 1810
through 1840. This seems a little unlikely.
Of course, there's no law that every "young" member of Thomas' household was
his child, but until other records are analyzed, I'll work with this
assumption.
While one or more of these assumptions may turn out to be partially
incorrect (especially number 1), initial premises are necessary.
Converting the Census Data . . .
My first step was to go through each census year (1810-40) and list the
individuals separately instead of in the aggregate as in the original census
records. I then added my own comments after the word "COMMENT." This
technique helped me distinguish what came from the census from what came
from my own brain.
The 1810 entry for Thomas' household is analyzed below. Those who wish to
see the original census image can view it at
1810 ENTRIES
Male born between 1800 and 1810, COMMENT:
Male born between 1794 and 1800, COMMENT:
Male born between 1784 and 1765, COMMENT:
Female born between 1800 and 1810, COMMENT:
Female born between 1800 and 1810, COMMENT:
Female born between 1800 and 1810, COMMENT:
Female born between 1794 and 1800, COMMENT:
Female born between 1765 and 1784, COMMENT:
Next week, we'll continue with Thomas through 1840 and begin an analysis of
the individuals living in Thomas' household. Astute readers may note that
we're trying to be careful and refer to Thomas' household from the census.
There's no "law" that all the people living in a household have to be
related . . . one more thing to throw into our analysis!
Links:
Census Wanted: Dead or Alive-from the Ancestry Daily News
www.ancestry.com/library/view/news/articles/5965.asp
Historical United States Census Questionnaires
www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/census2/cenhisqu.htm
University of Minnesota-Quick Guide to Answering Census Questions
govpubs.lib.umn.edu/guides/census_case.phtml
Michael John Neill, is the Course I Coordinator at the Genealogical
Institute of Mid America (GIMA) held annually in Springfield, Illinois, and
is also on the faculty of Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois.
Michael is the Web columnist for the FGS FORUM and is on the editorial board
of the Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly. He conducts seminars
and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical and computer topics and
contributes to several genealogical publications, including Ancestry
and Genealogical Computing. You can e-mail him at:
mneill@asc.csc.cc.il.us or
visit his website at: www.rootdig.com/,
but he regrets that he is unable to assist with personal research.
Copyright 2002, MyFamily.com--used by the author on his site with
permission.
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