Research Tip - Read the Instructions!

Do you know when the 1880 census year begins and ends?   Who is included in that census? Not sure?  You will find the answers at the top of the 1880 census form.  What you find there may give you clues for further research.

Here is what  is written on the 1880 census:

Note A. - The Census Year begins June 1, 1879, and ends May 31, 1880.[1]

Note B. - All  persons will be included in the Enumeration who were living on the 1st day of June, 1880.  Children BORN since June 1, 1880, will be OMITTED. Members of Families who have DIED Since June 1, 1880, will be INCLUDED. [2]

Note C. - Questions No. 13, 14, 22 and 23 are not to be asked in respect to persons under 10 years of age. [3]

Reading the instructions or hints is always a good thing.

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[1] The same dates apply to the Non-Population Schedules (Agriculture, Manufacturing, Mortality and Social Statistic Schedules).

[2] Capitalization of words appears on the census form.

[3]  Question No. 13 asks the person's occupation. Question No. 14 asks the number of months employed. Question No. 22 asks if the person cannot read. Question No. 23 asks if the person cannot write.

Published 21 April 2017, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Often Overlooked Records Part IV - School Census Records

The School Trustee, who was in charge of each school district, played a big role in Kentucky communities. Among other duties, he was responsible for employing a qualified teacher, "who in no case shall be related to the trustee by blood or marriage ..."[1] If there was a complaint against or by the teacher, he had to deal with it. In addition, he was required to visit each school at the beginning of the year and make monthly visits throughout the year.[2]

The job of the trustee that interests us, as genealogists, relates to  the census that was taken each April in each school in the district. It was the trustee's duty "during the month of April, to take an exact census of all the children then residing in such district, who will be, on the first day of July following, between the ages of six and twenty years ... specifying the name, age, sex and names of the parents or guardian of each child"[3] Failure to take this census could result in the trustee being fined.  While it is great to have a date for the school children, be aware that some years only the age of the child was listed, some times the birth year was omitted and some birth dates vary from year to year.

School census records are found either in the county clerk's office of the courthouse or in the school board office. They may be in bound volumes, as in Livingston County, or as folded, loose papers, as in Lyon County. No matter what form they are, they may provide valuable information.

Part of 1900 Census of Lola School (District 7)
Livingston County, Kentucky

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[1] Article VIII, "District Trustee," Journal of the Regular Session of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Begun and Held in the City of Frankfort on Monday, the Thirty-First of December, in the Year of Our Lord, 1883, and of the Commonwealth the Ninety-Second (Frankfort, KY: S.L.Major, Printer,  1884), 814; digital images, Google Books (http://books.google.com; accessed 5 December 2014.

[2] Article VIII, "District Trustee, 815."

[3] Article VIII, "District Trustee, 816."

Published 29 January 2015, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

The 1890 Federal Census

Many Kentucky researchers are convinced that some of their genealogical problems would be solved if only the 1890 federal census existed. Unfortunately, 99% of the records for that census were destroyed in 1921 in a Department of Commerce fire in Washington, DC.  Only slightly more than 6,100 records survived and none of them are for Kentucky.  There are a few 1890 Veteran Schedules extant for some Kentucky counties, but those counties do not include Henderson, Caldwell, Crittenden, Livingston, Lyon, Hopkins, Union or Webster. Also, there are no state census records for Kentucky.

The 1890 tax lists for many Kentucky counties do exist, however. Some larger libraries may have them on microfilm and they are certainly available at the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives in Frankfort, Kentucky. Also, some of these tax lists for that year have been published (i.e. Caldwell County) as a "substitute 1890 census."  The 1890 tax list provides important information, such as amount of land owned and the value, number of males over the age of 21, number of legal voters, number of children between the ages of 6 and 20 and even the name of the nearest neighbor, but only the person being taxed  and the neighbor are listed by name. Other members of the household are not listed.

It is inconvenient not having the 1890 census, but there are other places to find information. Be sure to look at wills and estate records, marriages, deeds and mortgages and court records and don't forget to look for newspapers.

1940 U.S. Federal Census

The 1940 U.S. Federal Census will be released 2 April 2012. On that date, NARA will provide free access to the images of the census for the first time. The census will not be indexed when it is released so it will save time if you know in what part of the county your folks lived. A coordinated effort among several genealogical organizations, including Family Search and Ancestry.com, will have volunteers indexing as soon as the census is released.

Among the new questions on this census are the following:

Residence in 1935

Highest educational grade achieved

Detailed information on income and occupation

For the first time, the person giving the information for the census will be identified.

I am very excited about the release of this census because my parents, as a young married couple, and my brother will be listed.

Research Tip - 1940 Census

The 1940 U.S. federal census will be released 2 April 2012. Digital images will be accessible free of charge. FamilySearch.org census will begin indexing the images the day of release so that they are searchable online at no cost. Be prepared to browse with no index when the census is first released.

Several new questions were asked of the public for this census. In addition to the usual questions on name, age, race, place of birth, the person who responded to the questions is noted. Other questions include the place of resident on 1 April 1935, income during the past 12 months, and employment of all those age 14 or older. For more information on the 1940 census, go here 1940 Census

It is hard to believe this will be the 5th census record released during my genealogy career. When I began, the last census available was the 1880 and now we are eagerly awaiting the 1940. This one is especially important to me as, for the first time, my parents, as a married couple, will be listed.


Copyright on text and photographs
by Brenda Joyce Jerome, CG
Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog
http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

School Census Records

School census records can help fill in the gaps caused by the missing 1890 federal census. They usually begin in 1885 and record the names and birthdates, along with the names of parents, guardians or others responsible for children between the ages of 6 and 20 years, even if married.

School census records are found either in the County Board of Education or in the county clerk's office. Most often they are loose papers folded and filed by year. The census records in Livingston County, Kentucky are in bound volumes in the county clerk's office and cover the years 1898-1913. There are separate volumes for white and African American children.
The following school census is for District No. B (Colored) in Livingston County in 1899:

Thomas Jameson in charge of Cozlia, born June 4, 1879, lives Carrsville.

Fannie Jameson in charge of Francis, born Sept. 18, 1881, and Lenie, born Jan. 19, 1884, lives Carrsville.

Joseph Barnes in charge of Richard, born Sept. 28, 1886 and Lenard, born April 18, 1889, lives Carrsville.

Bettie Pringle in charge of Lottie, born Mar. 26, 1890, lives Carrsville.

Mollie Pringle in charge of Lona, born May 8, 1889, and Lloyd, born June 4, 1892, lives Carrsville.

Guss Champion, grandfather, in charge of Asley Taylor, born May 26, 1890, lives Carrsville.

Matilda Champion, uncle, in charge of Mary Fitch, born June 20, 1886, lives Carrsville.

Seg Pringle & wife Pearl, uncle, in charge of Charley Fitch, born April 8, 1891, lives Carrsville.

Earnest Barnett, brother, in charge of Amos Barnett, born June 7, 1881, lives Carrsville.

Earnest Barnett in charge of sister, Annie Barnett, born Nov. 25, 1882, lives Carrsville.

Earnest Barnett in charge of sister, Rama Barnett, born June 29, 1888, lives Carrsville.

Earnest Barnett in charge of niece, Edith Barnett, born Jan. 18, 1891, lives Carrsville.

Total number of children in District = 15. Reported by Thos. Jameson, chairman.

DDD Census of 1880

There are several different kinds of census records available to the genealogical researcher. One often not used because it is not always easily accessible is the Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes census of 1880. This is an expensive census to own and local libraries usually do not have it in their collections.

The Defective, Dependent and Delinquent (DDD) census lists those persons who were insane, idiots, blind, deaf mutes, paupers or indigents in institutions, poorhouse, asylums and jail inmates during the year ending 31 May 1880. The listings in Kentucky are by district or town. For this article, I have listed the names in alphabetical order. The DDD census is available at the Kentucky Dept for Libraries and Archives; M1528, Roll 41 covers the counties of Adair through Jackson. Roll 42 covers the counties of Jefferson through Woodruff.

The following names appear on the Caldwell County list on Roll 41:

Allsbrook, Catherine
Atkinson, W.R.
Brelsford, Ivie
Buckner, Delia
Bumpass, Easter
Butt[?], Martha
Campleton, Julia
Cash, Martha
Childress, Henry
Clayton, Mary
Cossit, Jane
Daws, Mary
Ervin, Lucy Ann
French, William
Galusha, Eliza
Galusha, James
George, Wm.
Grogan, Frank
Hankins, Nancy
Harper, Harriet A.
Hendrix, James H.
Hollowell, Henry
Hunter, Charlotte
Isen, John
Luster, John
Mansfield, James
Morse, John
Parker, Martha C.
Phelps, Millie
Pierce, Arminta
Riley, James
Robinson, Julia
Rustin, Nathaniel
Scott, Lucy J.
Webb, Reuben
Wiley, J.W.
Wood, Wm.

Subscription School Pledges 1852

In order to obtain an education for their children, parents of students were obliged to pledge payment to either the school trustees or the teacher. The following list of subscribers was found in a county court case in which the trustees of School District 31 in Crittenden County, Kentucky sued John Yates for non-payment of his pledge.

We the undersigned promise to pay to the Trustees of School District No. 31 Crittenden Co Ky. the amount set to our names for the support of a common school in sd. District for the term of Five months (twenty weeks) the school to commence in September next. August 1852.

Subscribers
J.L. Maxwell $5.00
Andrew Love paid
Jordan Hoover $5.00
B.B. Terry 8.00
Jesse Lucus paid
J.M.[?] Smart 3.00
John R. Jones 4.00
John Yatz 10.00
James Davis 2.00 [marked out]
S.A. Farmer paid 5.00
Richard Elson 5.00 [marked out]
Alexr. Coleman 5.00
S.G. Stevens 5.00
R.A. Love 6.00
O.B. Migget 2.00
Arthur Love 5.00
Berry Ellison 6.00
A. Franklin 5.00
William Love paid 5.00
George Clarke 3.00
Jordan Doubty 1.00
Jesse Champion paid 2.00
P. Kidd paid 4.00

Census Tips

Census records are one of the first sources we use as beginning genealogists, but most of us read them just to find a particular name, age and place of birth. If this is what you are doing, you are not getting full benefit of these valuable records.

We all know that the 1790 - 1840 census records contain only the names of heads of household and the age categories of those in the household. We also know that Revolutionary War pensioners are listed by name and age on the 1840 census. But, have you looked on the right side of the 1840 census form to see if there were free persons of color in the household you are researching? Did you look even farther on right side of the form to see if there were people engaged in the following professions: Mining, Agriculture, Manufacturing and Trades, Navigation of Oceans, Navigation of Canals, Lakes & Rivers, Learned Professions & Engineers. Affirmative marks in these categories can lead you to additional records to search.

Be sure to read any notes written by the enumerator at the end of a district or in the margins. Some enumerators didn’t follow directions and listed more than the required information. On the 1850 Caldwell County, Kentucky census, J.H. Rackerby, enumerator in District 1, did us a favor when he listed the county in addition to the required state of birth. James W. Weller, District 2 enumerator, started to list the counties of birth, but stopped after the first family in his district.

Shady Grove District of the 1880 Crittenden County census was never microfilmed and, as a result, we do not have a complete list of the residents in that district. The few perope we can definitely count as residents in Shady Grove District are those who died between 1 June 1879 and 31 May 1880 and are listed on the 1880 Crittenden County Mortality Schedule. Unless that part of the census is found and microfilmed, we will probably never know the names of the residents of Shady Grove District in 1880.

The 1880 census is the first census that listed the relationship between household members and the head of household. It is easy to assume that younger people in the household were the children of the adult head of household, but this is not always true. The younger person might be an apprentice or a relative other than a child of the head of household.

Each census form is a little different from the pervious form. Reading every part of the census can open new avenues in your research.

1870 Manufacturing Census

Special censuses, such as the Manufacturing Census, are taken by the federal government every 10 years. This information can supplement research done in the general U.S. Census. These special censuses are available on microfilm at the Kentucky Dept for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, Kentucky.

The 1870 Manufacturing Census contains the following information: owner of company, name of business or product, type of power (hand, steam, etc), type of machine used, average number of people emplyed, materials used and the production. For this article, only the names of owners, business/product and average number of hands is listed.

Webster County

Pool Mill and Sebree
George Brown - sawmill - 2 employees

James Walker - coal - 1 employee

John Reynole - blacksmith - 2 employees

Charles Singer[?] - sawmill - 2 employees

Clay
Joel Blackwell - blacksmith - 2 employees

F. Jenkins - blacksmith - 2 employees

W.T. Vaughn - blacksmith - 1 employee

Dixon
Jesse Sigler - blacksmith - 1 employee

David Martin - blacksmith - 1 employee

Crittenden County

Weston
Thos. N. Lamb - blacksmith - 3 employees

Trade Water United Miners Coal Co. - coal mining - over 25 employees

Applegate & Co. Coal Company - coal mining - over 8 employees

Odam & Britton - sawmill - 2 employees

District No. 3
W.B. Clement - milling - 4 employees

Saml. Howerton - saw mill - 4 employees

Manufacturing Schedules - 1850

The population schedules are the census records most familiar to researchers. However, there are other census records that can be useful. Most of us are familiar with the mortality schedules, which list the names of all those persons who died between between 1 June (before the census year) and 31 May (during the census year). Other schedules that can be very helpful are the agricultural schedules and the manufacturing schedules.

Manufacturing schedules are available for 1820 and 1850 - 1880. The 1820, 1850 and 1860 manufacturing schedules list the name of the manufacturer; the nature of the business; the amount of capital invested; the types, amounts and values of the products produced annually; the type of power or machinery used; the number of males and females employed and the average monthly cost of the labor by the employees. Small manufacturing operations that produced less than $500 worth of goods or material were not included in the manufacturing schedules.

For the purpose of this article, only the following information has been listed: name of manufacturer, type of business, number of employees and the average monthly cost of labor by the employees. Abstracted from Kentucky Manufacturing Schedules, M1528, roll 32, Kentucky Dept for Libaries and Archives, Frankfort, Kentucky.


Crittenden County
District No. 1
David Bowland - Saddlery - 2 employees - monthly cost of labor $30

W. Carneyhand - Saddlery - 3 employees - monthly cost of labor $50

William H. Rochester - Blacksmith - 3 employees - monthly cost of labor $100

William E. Parker[?] - Distillery - 5 employees - monthly cost of labor $60

Gideon D. Cobb - Iron - 100 employees - monthly cost of labor $1500

William B. Clement - Mill - 3 employees - monthly cost of labor $30

Littleton Owen - Wool Carding - 2 employees - monthly cost of labor $40

District No. 2
John Bell - Coal - 60 employees - monthly cost of labor $1020

Joel Lamb - Tannery - 1 employee - monthly cost of labor $25

William H. Hurt - Milling - 3 employees - monthly cost of labor $60

Joseph McDowell - Milling - 3 employees - monthly cost of labor $60

William P. Alexander - Tannery - 1 employee - monthly cost of labor $25

Allen Butler - Milling - 4 employees - monthly cost of labor $50

Livingston County
T.W. Davis & Co - Furnace - 75 employees - monthly cost of labot $750

Henry Groves[?] - Tannery - 2 employees - mnthly cost of labor $30

Samuel Barnett - Tannery - 2 employees - monthly cost of labor $30

William Gordon - Steam Saw Mill - 8 employees - monthly cost of labor $120

John Hutson - Water Saw Mill - 3 employees - cost of labor $72.50 for 6 mo.

R.S. Boyd - Blacksmiths Shopp - 2 employees - monthly cost of labor $50

Forman & Foster - Carding Machine - 1 employee - monthly cost of labor $20

Williams & Hagy - lumber business - 1 employee - monthly cost of labor $50

L.R. Cheek - Tinnering - 1 employee - monthly cost of labor $50

William Smith - Stone Shop - 2 employees - monthly cost of labor $67

Thomas J. Phillips - Steam Saw Mill - 8 employees - monthly cost of labor $112

P.H. Conant - Tannery - 8 employees - monthly cost of labor $500

Starr & White - Furnace [no other information]