Census Tips

Finding your way around a census can be very frustrating, especially if you have a set idea in your mind of what you expect to find.

If, on the other hand, you make allowances for mistakes that might have occurred, especially in earlier censuses where many of our ancestors would have been illiterate, then your time looking though the census can be very rewarding.

Always think of the following –

• The census taker would write down what he heard – so what was said might not be what ended up on the census sheet.

• Accents can be a problem – our ancestors may have moved from a different state and had a heavy accent which confused the census taker.

• The census taker might have a set way to spell a name – if our ancestors were illiterate they would not be able to correct the census taker.

• Our ancestors could have moved without telling us! – just because great great grandad was born and died in a particular state, it doesn’t mean he lived in that state all his life.

Here are some examples I have found –

• Julius SMITH – shown on the census as Juliu S SMITH

• Jefferson WOLFORD – shown on the census as Jefferson WOOLFORD

• Rebecca – shown on the census as Rebeka

Another thing to remember is that the census takers would not have had whiteout, so if they made a mistake all they could do was scribble over it. That could leave little or no space for the actual name to be written. If you can’t find someone, look for other members of the household – they might hold the key to unlock the scribble.

So, the lesson is –

• Don’t be afraid to be adventurous, play around with the spelling of names

• Even if it looks like a family is not in the right place, read the whole census entry, checking for places of birth, ages etc.

• Make notes and cross check against other censuses or documents you have on the family.

If you come across a family which is intact and all correct except for the odd spelling mistake, or a strange location at the time of the census, you probably have a match. It will be necessary for you to look at other censuses and available documents to follow the trail and prove your theory, but you could be well on the way to breaking down that brickwall.

Happy hunting!

Puzzlepeeps