The 1850 US
population census is a wonderful gift, a watershed in reporting that opened up
that population and all those after it. Thank you US Government.
For
those of you who may have stumbled onto this blog without being genealogically
inclined, the 1850 census was the first census in which every
member of the household was listed by
name. I can almost hear the
discussions about the increased costs of taking the census in this manner, not
only in hours spent taking the census, but also the greatly increased cost for
massively more paper and ink.
The 1840 census
enumerates 29 or 30 families on one page.
Three sequential
pages of the 1850 census pages chosen at random and from Iowa, Clayton Co,
Boardman Twp include, respectively, six, nine and eight households. Admittedly,
the last household on the first page appears to be a boarding house; lots of
different last names, but that happened.
1
page of 1840 > 3 pages of 1850.
That's the ratio for this very unscientific comparison. It would be interesting to find the statute
stating how the 1850 census would be taken.
And
I wonder how and if this difference seeded or reflected the change in how each person
considered themselves? As a member of
the family, certainly, but also an individual with personal rights and duties
to themselves. Horatio Alger was still
30 years in the future, but the Civil War only 10. Future explorations for me, or if anyone would care
to comment from their knowledge?
Additionally, for
all of you who have gotten to 1850 and then cried "Uncle," do a
little math and go again.
- Everyone who was 10 or older in 1850 was alive in 1840.
- Everyone who was alive in 1840 should have been counted.
- Use maps (etc.) to determine where your 1850 family was in 1850. Since farms don't move, and most of the country farmers, it's likely they are on the same piece of ground, even if the name changed. That can be a challenge. (Hint: check county boundaries.)
- Look for matching last names. Do the math, allowing for deaths, older children leaving the home…
- Celebrate -- or put the results in your "halfway" folder, as in "this is part of the answer, and I will get back to it."
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2018
begins with an "ABC-darium," a walk through the alphabet expanding
into short comments on matters genealogical. Published on Tuesday and
some Fridays, a letter may be visited more than once before moving
on.
©
2018, SE Ross