Finding George in the 1860 US Federal Census

Using George Solifelt's Military Service records(aliases included) I made a timeline of his military service and locations. (See Image below) I did this because it makes it easier to see the big picture and to get a better idea of where he might be around the time of the 1860 Census.   In addition to the information that he enrolled in St. Thomas(Franklin Co.) PA, information in his pension file in a statement from John P Wyant is also helpful.  Wyant says that he has known George since 1850 and that George's father(Ferdinand Solifelt) was in the Mexican-American War with Capt. Charles T Campbell.  After the elder Solifelt's death,  Capt. Campbell adopted George. George was led to believe his name was Sullivan and used that surname up until learning from his Mom his true surname of Solifelt.  

Armed with this information I went searching for a George Sullivan in 1860 Franklin Co PA in the St. Thomas area expanding the area of search outside of St. Thomas as needed.  I first searched for Capt Charles T. Campbell and found him enumerated in St. Thomas but George nor any of his aliases was listed in the household with Capt. Campbell. At this point, George would be around 16 years of age so that is likely not all that uncommon.  I tried searching for people with the given name of George and looking in the results for a surname somewhat close to Sullivan or Solifelt.  Nothing that fit so I did a search for persons with the given name of Theodore and found a Theodore Sallifat age 16.  This is likely George given the information known.  He is living with the Charles and Jane Gillian family as a farm hand and the listing is just 14 entries away from that of Capt. Campbell.

This makes me question what Wyant said about George's surname. However, if you pronounce the two surnames, Sullivan and Solifelt they really aren't that different sounding especially if accents come into play.

I haven't found him in the 1870 census yet but I did find the woman who I believe was his 1st wife with a school age male in her household--both bearing a creative spelling of George's surname.  George should be in the same area and may well be in jail as he had a hearing and was sentenced to a year and 6 months in Eastern State Penitentiary for highway robbery in 1870.  I have a copy of  some of the court documents that were at FamilySearch. .Ancestry has the Eastern State Penitentiary Convict Reception Registers.  The Eastern State inmate registry lists this as his first conviction and under marital status lists him as married with one child.  As complicated as George's story is, that of the first wife and her life is even more complicated and needs a good bit more research.  Her story is one for another day.

When I find his remaining census entries I'll post about them and how they were found. I've also been reading what I can find about Eastern State Penitentiary and Captain Charles Thomas Campbell.

Sources:

George Solifelt(Pvt., Co. E, 20th PA Cav., Civil War), pension application no. 580,089,

certificate no. 950,395, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil

War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National

Archives, Washington, D.C. [John P Wyant's statement to Hon. H Clay Evans Com. of Pensions is dated 15 Sep 1897 p 123 &124 in the PDF scans of the 359 page document  Wyant mentions that he has known George since 1850 and lived in the same neighborhood near Capt Campbell and is currently living in Ft Smith Arkansas.]

"United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX5D-VFT : accessed 22 Dec 2022), St. Thomas Twp., Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, p. 57 family #407  line 1, Theodore Sallifat in entry for Chas Gillan, 1860. [Theodore is listed as a Farm Hand.  The Gillian family's entry begins at the bottom of p 56]
 

"United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX5D-V6V : accessed 22 Dec 2022), St. Thomas Twp., Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, p. 55 family #393  line 13, C T Campbell, 1860.

Compiled service record, George H. Solifelt, Pvt, Co. C 1 PA Prov'l Cavalry; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Record Group 94; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Compiled service record, George H. Solifelt, Pvt, Co. E 20 PA Cavalry; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Record Group 94; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Compiled service record, George Sullivan, Pvt, Co. C 2 PA Infantry; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Record Group 94; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Compiled service record, Theodore Sullivan, Pvt, Co. N 126 PA Infantry; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Record Group 94; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Compiled service record, George Sullivan, Bookmark 1387-C-1885, Box No. 3190; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Record Group 94; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"Pennsylvania, U.S., Prison, Reformatory, and Workhouse Records, 1829-1971" database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61173/ : accessed 22 Dec 2022) Eastern State Penitentiary > Convict Reception Registers > 1842 - 1929 > Image 918 of 4522, prisoner #6718, George Solifelt. 

Where are Wm Green Cook & wife Jane at the time of the 1920 US Federal Census?

Many people are in search of their ancestors in the newly released 1950 US Federal Census. I've been fortunate to find the vast majority of my close relatives in it and will wait until there is an index to search for those more distant relatives. It seems like a good time to take inventory of my direct ancestors and their census records. There are several paternal and a few maternal  ancestors that I have been unable to find in the US Federal Censuses that were recorded between 1850 and 1940.  One of my most recent MIA census records is the entry for my paternal great grandparents, William Green Cook and Jane B King Cook.  My study of the tax records of Wm Green Cook for the years 1912-1944 leads me to believe that they should be in Civil District 10 of  Rutherford Co TN . I've included the study below along with the snippet of the census page where they should have been enumerated.  Jane died a year after the census from pulmonary tuberculosis but appeared to have been sick with it since the fall of 1920 according to the information given on her death certificate.  At least that was the time she was treated by the physician who signed off on her death certificate.

Close-up of the portion of the Tax Study that covers the years
surrounding the 1920 Census

Above screenshot of 1920 US Federal Census--Rutherford Co TN--District 10 ED 123 Sheet 9A(image 17 of 20 at FamilySearch.org

Displacement of some sort was going on at the time of the census which may or may not have had to do with the TB and flu outbreaks happening in the area during that timeframe.  In the document granting the adoption, it mentions that Eliza is living in Chapel Hill with her Father & Mother but that her parents home is in Rutherford Co TN.  This letter is dated Dec 31, 1918 so that would have been a year and a day before the 1920 Census date of January 1st.  Were the missing people all together or at an infirmary or TB sanatorium?  Was the census taker aware that they were sick and skipped their home?  The daughters could be there taking care of their Mom.  A number of people from this family worked at the pencil mill but those folks were living in Marshall Co TN and the missing members are not with either of these families.  In my efforts to find my great grandparents, I've discovered a lot more questions than answers.   

Further Research Opportunities

Newspapers 1918-1930s

Marshall Co TN paper (at FamilySearch.org)

Murfreesboro paper(at Newspapers.com via my subscription) 

Where are Tennessee Orphan's Home records(Columbia, TN) archived?  What additional correspondence(if any) might they have?

How were hospitals and sick houses treated for enumeration purposes during the 1920 Census?  

[These are just the ones I can think of right now I'll probably add to the list before I'm able to find the answers.]

Sources: 

• "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RXJ-1G?cc=1488411&wc=QZJR-3KV%3A1036996801%2C1036967001%2C1037036801%2C1589332678 : 14 September 2019), Tennessee > Rutherford > Civil District 10 > ED 123 > image 17 of 20; citing NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• Correspondence concerning adoption of Almedia Anderson by Eliza A Cook", copies of documents that were part of the papers of Eliza A Cook Rowland.  These papers covered the years 1918-1926.  I have copies of some of the documents supplied to me by Eliza's grandson Mark Rowland around 2010.
• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNRS-8Y1 : 3 February 2021), John Cook, 1920.
• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNR9-Y4R : 3 February 2021), C C Thompson, 1920.
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SPQB-ZZT : accessed 21 April 2022), Horace Rowland, District 10, Rutherford, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 12, sheet 3B, line 78, family 61, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2270; FHL microfilm 2,342,004.
• "Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9RQ-G3N : 1 March 2021), Jane Bell Cook, 7 May 1921; Death, Rutherford, Tennessee, United States, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville.
• "Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NS4Z-GJ7 : 1 March 2021), Charlie Cleveland Thompson, 30 Jul 1934; Death, Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville.
• "Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N917-23P : 23 February 2021), Rebeca Love Thompson, 1 Feb 1928; Death, Lewisburg, Marshall, Tennessee, United States, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville.
• "Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NSQW-KTY : 23 February 2021), Margaret Ruth Cooper, 22 Mar 1941; Death, Civil District 13, Davidson, Tennessee, United States, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville.
• Tax books District 1-25 1912-1913
• Tax books District 1-25 1914, 1917
• Tax books District 1-25 1918-1919
• Tax books District 1-25 1920-1921
• Tax books District 1-25 1922-1923
• Tax books District 1-25 1924
• Tax books District 1-25 1925
• Tax books District 1-25 1926
• Tax books District 1-25 1927
• Tax books District 1-25 1928-1929
• Tax books District 1-25 1930-1931
• Tax books District 1-25 1932
• Tax books District 1-25 1933
• Tax books District 1-25 1934
• Tax books District 1-25 1935
• Tax books District 1-25 1936-1937
• Tax books District 1-25 1938-1939
• Tax books District 1-25 1940-1941
• Tax books District 1-25 1942-1943
• Tax books District 1-25 1944-1945 

What Date was Census Day?

Viola W Cooke Agee & her big sister Magnus Cooke Snoddy
Daughters of Thomas DeWitt Cooke Sr. & Pearl Gray Jakes Cooke

If you are the least bit interested in family history research and have family that live/lived in the USA you are probably getting prepared for the release of the 1950 US Federal Census.  I've had the locations for Mom and for Dad written down in my notes for awhile but this week I looked them up on the Enumeration District maps to make sure I had those numbers.  Sure it's going to be sort of indexed but most indexes can be problematic even in the best of times.  Add to that the fact that I love to be prepared.  

My Dad's 2nd oldest sibling was Viola White Cooke.  She was born in 1915.  While I know that Cook/Cooke regardless of spelling is a common name I would not have thought that Viola was somewhat common but apparently it was for that time period.  In fact, there was another Viola White Cook born in 1919.  They both lived in Marshall Co. TN.  They are both included in the 1920 census living in the household of their fathers.  Both fathers were named Tom and born in the 1880 time frame.

There are key differences of course--the birth year for the two Violas, The mother's names(Pearl vs. Rosa), siblings names etc.  The other Viola White Cook died Feb 21, 1920.  😥 Because the 1920 census used January 1st as the census day, she was included in the 1920 census despite having only lived for 3 months and 11 days.  As far as I know these two Cook/Cooke families were not related.  If they are connected it will be before the early 1800s.  My Cook research has been stalled at identifying the parents of my 2nd Great Grandfather for the entire 31 years I've been researching.  I am somewhat familiar with the ancestry of the other Tom Cook as he descends from Thomas Cook and Permelia Marcum.

Census Day for the US Federal Census 1790-2020

1790            1st Monday in Aug(Aug. 2nd)

1800            1st Monday in Aug(Aug. 4th)

1810            1st Monday in Aug(Aug. 6th)

1820            1st Monday in Aug(Aug. 7th)

1830-1880   June 1st

1890            June 2nd           

1900            June 1st

1910            April 15th

1920            January 1st

1930-2020    April 1st

I should note that my Aunt Viola White Cooke had also been "confused" with another Viola Cook from the Memphis TN area who was born around 1915 and had parents named Tom and Pearl.  My family name didn't have the E on the end of Cooke in any records I can find until about the 1930s.  

Sources:

United States Census Bureau. "What day was the census taken each decade?" December 9, 2021. https://www.census.gov/.

Viola White Cooke Agee(daughter of Tom Cooke & Pearl Gray Jakes Cooke)

"United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNRS-SM9 : 3 February 2021), Vaiola Cook in entry for T D Cook, 1920.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34100297/thomas-dewitt-cooke : accessed 05 February 2022), memorial page for Thomas Dewitt Cooke Sr. (13 Jul 1888–18 Mar 1971), Find a Grave Memorial ID 34100297, citing Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA ; Maintained by rmbeckman (contributor 48136157) .

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34100383/pearl-gray-cooke : accessed 05 February 2022), memorial page for Pearl Gray Jakes Cooke (21 Mar 1891–1 Jul 1993), Find a Grave Memorial ID 34100383, citing Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA ; Maintained by rmbeckman (contributor 48136157) .

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25665088/viola-white-agee : accessed 05 February 2022), memorial page for Viola White Cooke Agee (12 Jun 1915–18 Oct 2006), Find a Grave Memorial ID 25665088, citing Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA ; Maintained by rmbeckman (contributor 48136157) .

Viola White Cook(daughter of Tom Cook & Rosie Joyce Cook)

"United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNRS-96Q : 3 February 2021), Viola Cook in entry for Tom Cook, 1920.

"Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9PP-3LG : 23 February 2021), Viola White Cook, 21 Feb 1920; Death, Chapel Hill, Marshall, Tennessee, United States, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96382633/tom-cook : accessed 05 February 2022), memorial page for Tom Cook (1883–1924), Find a Grave Memorial ID 96382633, citing Smyrna Cemetery, Chapel Hill, Marshall County, Tennessee, USA ; Maintained by Larry Haynes (contributor 47214604) .

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96382124/rosie-cook : accessed 05 February 2022), memorial page for Rosie Joyce Cook (Jul 1889–1937), Find a Grave Memorial ID 96382124, citing Smyrna Cemetery, Chapel Hill, Marshall County, Tennessee, USA ; Maintained by Larry Haynes (contributor 47214604) .

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96382642/viola-cook : accessed 05 February 2022), memorial page for Viola Cook (1919–1919), Find a Grave Memorial ID 96382642, citing Smyrna Cemetery, Chapel Hill, Marshall County, Tennessee, USA ; Maintained by Larry Haynes (contributor 47214604) .

1840 Bedford Co TN--Dist 10

The 1840 US Federal Census for Bedford County TN's  Dist. 10 was enumerated in two separate halves so it makes it kind of hard to follow but not impossible.  We really need to look at that district because we won't see a census listing for it until 1860.  District 10 Rover pages are missing/lost from Bedford Co TN's entries for 1850.  I used the "tallying" part of the 1840 Bedford Co TN census pages to find where the two sections were and have listed the pages with links below.  It's easier to find at FamilySearch and free so I have the links from there.  You will need to be logged in to view but registration is free as is viewing once you are logged in.  At Ancestry there is a Warren Co Pennsylvania District listing at the first part if you browse to Bedford Co. TN for 1840 which is confusing.  

1840 US Federal Census of Bedford Co TN Dist. 10 1st half p. 42-45

Image 92-pg 42a https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTB-92Z1?i=91&cc=1786457
Image 93-pg 42b https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTB-927X?i=92&cc=1786457

Image 94-pg 43a https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTB-92WK?i=93&cc=1786457
Image 95-pg 43b https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTB-92QZ?i=94&cc=1786457

Image 96-pg 44a https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYTB-9GR6?i=95&cc=1786457
Image 97-pg 44b https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTB-92WJ?i=96&cc=1786457

Image 98-pg 45a https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYTB-9P9N?i=97&cc=1786457
Image 99-pg 45b https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTB-92WF?i=98&cc=1786457

1840 US Federal Census of Bedford Co TN Dist. 10 2nd half p. 52-54

Image 115-pg 52a https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTB-923G?i=114&cc=1786457
Image 116-pg 52b https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTB-9245?i=115&cc=1786457

Image 117-pg 53a https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTB-92SG?i=116&cc=1786457
Image 118-pg 53b https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYTB-9G5M?i=117&cc=1786457

Image 119-pg 54a https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYTB-9GFD?i=118&cc=1786457
Image 120-pg 54b https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYTB-9G16?i=119&cc=1786457

James M. Jakes(b. 02 May 1857-d. 15 Aug 1941) --52 Ancestors

My favorite find happened when the 1940 US Federal Census was released in 2012.  I located my paternal grandparents living exactly where I knew they would be in Old Hickory. To my surprise, my grandmother Pearl Jakes Cooke's dad, James Jakes was living with them.  I didn't even know he was still living and that time.  I'd searched for James' death certificate but did not have access to many records in my early research.   I knew that he had outlived his wife and I'd had her death certificate(from 1920) and information about her stone in the Willow Mount Cemetery.  His gravestone did not have his date of death either(and still doesn't.)  So I assumed he'd passed and went on to easier research for the time being.   I wonder what surprises the 1950 Census will bring me when it is released in a few months.  This also serves to remind me that I need to get his probate file which I have not found yet. He died the following year and I found his death certificate shortly after finding him in the that 1940 census.  I hope to do more research on him and also his children as we have some Jakes cousins showing up in our DNA research that I've not been able to place on the tree just yet. 

Source: "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K44V-H7Q : 11 January 2021), James Jakes in household of Thomas D Cook, Civil District 4, Davidson, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 19-9, sheet 10B, line 56, family 193, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3884.

A Lot Can Happen in 10 Years

 

The current thing on social media is the "#10YearChallenge."  To participate you post two pictures of yourself--one from the current year and one from 10 years prior to your social media of choice.  After seeing others post, I finally got around to adding mine.  Looking at my two pictures it doesn't look like much has changed for me.. It has though--good things and bad things.  There is a lesson to be learned from this.  Here in the US, the federal census is taken every 10 years.  Let's say I look at the census records of my maternal grandparents and compare 1920 and 1930.  I can see that they moved. However, there are things I can't tell from just viewing those 2 records.  For them, the loss of two infant daughters who were born in those in between years would be at the top of the list.  The real challenge in understanding our friends and for the genealogist, our ancestors is in knowing what happened in those in between years. Unfortunately for those with US ancestors the loss of the 1890 census created the "#20YearChallenge"  Not entirely impossible to find things but it does make it harder.  There are so many records out just waiting to be found.  If you too have US ancestors you are likely excited about the upcoming release of the 1950 US Federal Census.  Have you been able to find your families "paper trail" for the years leading up to it?  If you haven't, you are not alone.  I'm still working on mine too.  Sometimes I'm so focused on further back in my research that I do a poor job with the more recent items.  I need to try and do better with that.

Mary C Oursler's notations in the 1800 Meckenburg Co. NC Census

While searching at Ancestry.com in the 1800 census for an Isaac Cook I came across 3 entries of the same person--two which appear to be copies of the original page(noted above and shown as the 2nd image below.)  These images are also at FamilySearch which stands to reason since they digitalized the microfilm)

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Co. North Carolina page and one of the Salisbury Mecklenburg pages are copies of the entry on another of the Salisbury, Mecklenburg Co.NC pages.  Both of the copied pages have a header that reads "Census of the Inhabitants of Charlotte Rowan Mecklenburg County North Carolina".

There is a notation at the bottom of the two copied pages by Mary C Oursler that gives the date of the copies as March 6th 1931(see image below) but don't really offer much more of an explanation
Rowan Co. NC was formed in 1753 from a part of Anson Co. NC and Mecklenburg Co NC was formed in 1762 also from a part of Anson Co NC  These census entries are from 1800 though. Confusing for sure. A quick search of the Internet and I find out that she was the Official Custodian of the US Census Records at the US Census Bureau; a position she held for over 30 years according to an article at the Library of Congress site.  I wonder if she ever published anything that told why this entry was modified.  Perhaps she maintained a logbook of modifications or entries.  That would make for some interesting reading.

Source Citation

Year: 1800; Census Place: Salisbury, Mecklenburg, North Carolina; Series: M32; Roll: 33; Page: 606B; Image: 156; Family History Library Film: 337909

Source Information

Ancestry.com. 1800 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.( Image 87 of 87)

Source Citation

Year: 1800; Census Place: Salisbury, Mecklenburg, North Carolina; Series: M32; Roll: 33; Page: 525; Image: 73; Family History Library Film: 337909

Source Information

Ancestry.com. 1800 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. (Image 4 of 87)

Source Citation

Year: 1800; Census Place: Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina; Series: M32; Roll: 29; Page: 280; Image: 235; Family History Library Film: 337905

Source Information

Ancestry.com. 1800 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.(Image 1 of 1)

US Federal Census Research: Reflecting and Preparing

What was the most recent Federal Census available to the public when you began researching? For me, it was the 1910 census. A few months after the 1920 Federal Census was released I spent a great deal of time on the 5th floor of the Wallace State Community College Library(Hanceville, AL) in their Family History Collection viewing my ancestors on microfilm and giving my arm a workout advancing and rewinding the film. It won't be too long until we will be able to access the 1950 Federal Census from home. It will be released to the public on April 1, 2022.  I feel old...and grateful.

In what area will you be looking for your ancestors(or yourself if you were alive)?  If you don't know, you need to ask someone who does know.  You might try consulting a City Directory.  That's what I did.  I thought I knew where my Dad and his parents would be but upon consulting the directory, I found out that I did not.  

Preparing to find Dad's Family in 1950

Dad passed on 7 years ago so I'm not able to ask him where he was living.  Consulting a Nashville Directory I found a 1950 entry of Thos E Cook(Pearl)  which I believe is my Grandparents(Mr. & Mrs Thomas D Cooke).  My Uncle Morris is also listed at the same address and my grandfather's place of employment and job title are what they should be which reinforces that I have the correct entry.  The 1950 directory gives 1301 Gallatin Road as the address where my Grandparents lived however the address listed in the 1951 Directory is 1311 East Greenwood Ave.  Between about 1954 and mid-1960s, my grandparents rented homes and moved frequently.  Sometimes Tom and Pearl had separate households.  I do have listings of the addresses I obtained from my grandmother's correspondence as well as a wide variety of receipts and other papers which she and Tom saved.  I would have expected them to still be living at 911 Dodson Ave in Old Hickory because I had been told that my Grandmother insisted that they stay there until my Dad returned from the service.  He didn't enlist until 1952 and had been working at Dupont prior to his enlistment.  He returned to work there when he came back home from Korea.  Apparently, my Grandparents begin moving around abt 6 years prior to what I'd always been told.

Preparing to find Mom's Family in 1950

Mom is still living so I asked her if she remembered where her family was in 1950.  She is "pretty sure" she and her family were living at C.P. Moore's place in Bone Cave in 1950.  She was 10 at the time so this may or may not be where they were.   Bone Cave is in Van Buren Co TN and even if I have to read the entire county it won't take near as much time to find her as it would if I had to do the same for Davidson Co TN for Dad.  There is also a slight possibility that they were in Lincoln Co TN as her family was sharecroppers and frequent movers.

This should be fun.  We've got a little under 4 years to figure it out.  Here's hoping that indexing for it will happen as soon as possible once it is released.  

Down the Rabbit Hole--Wades of Rutherford Co TN

This "rabbit hole" adventure starts out with me finding this snippet shown below on  Newspapers.com and wanting to know more about this Wade family.

The Tennessean 29 Dec 1889 Sunday morning edition  pg 15 People and Events Murfreesboro section  (www.newspapers.com)  listed as The Tennessean Paper at the time it was The Daily American (Nashville, TN)

Fount and Eth B. Wade appear to be sons of Levi Wade.  Just out of curiosity I pulled their 1850 Census entry where they are living in their father's household.

1850 US Federal Population Census, Rutherford Co. Tennessee Wilkinson Crossroad Dist. Stamped pg #191 written pg #381 https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8054 images reproduced by FamilySearch  (household entry carries over onto the top of the following page)

This Levi Wade's place of birth is given as Maryland.   He appears to be the one who is listed as a son of James Wade and Ann Magruder in Ancestry's North American Family Histories Collection 1500-2000 with the information noted as coming from Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Book : NSDAR: Volume 159: 1920.  This entry also shows his connection to Maryland as he appears to be the great-grandson of Joseph Magruder who died in Montgomery Co MD in 1793.

I found 4 marriages for a Levi Wade all in Rutherford Co. TN.  The DAR lineage book noted that Mary Henderson was his 2nd marriage

1st Marriage to Mary A E. Bedford 17 Jan 1821
2nd Marriage to Mary Henderson 8 Jan 1828
3rd Marriage to Virginia Barksdale 5 Nov 1839
4th Marriage to Catherine E Thompson 7 Jan 1864(one compiled Ancestry.com source says 1863)

Virginia's FindAGrave entry says that Levi Wade was a widower with 12 children when he and Virginia married(see above link-Click on her name). She died sometime prior to Levi's marriage to Catherine likely around 1863 though her Find-A-Grave entry gives 1868 and is not sourced.

Imagine the number of descendants.  This is something to think about if you are a descendant and have done DNA testing.  You'd have 21 other possible lines of descent for cousins as Virginia and Levi went on to have 10 children.  According to some of the info I ran across while trying to see how many times he married, he was a TN state senator who voted for succession at the last minute and was away in Virginia when the Yankees took over his plantation. Levi filed a claim in 1876 with the Southern Claims Commision but it was disallowed.  He lived to be in his mid-80s.  There were many mentions of him in the Tennessee newspapers which you can read if you have access to Newspapers.com.  Virginia's family cemetery(Barksdale) has some details about the Union troops taking over the family plantation.

Do You Have Ancestors in the 1925 Iowa State Census?

I receive notifications from Ancestry with Hints after working some portions of my tree.  Yesterday I had worked on my daughter's paternal lines in the branch which came from Germany and settled around Franklin County Indiana.  One of the hints for a Charles Abram Gesell, my daughter's 1st Cousin 4 times removed, pointed to information available in the Iowa State Census Collection 1836-1925. (subscription required)  

This was an entry for the year 1925.  I was amazed to see that for this particular year, they had asked for the name and birthplace of each of enumerated person's parents.  I already knew his Charles' parents names but think of the potential info for an ancestor who is the head of household.   You'd get names and birthplaces for his parents and his in-laws. They also ask for Place where the parents married.  I'm so envious of anyone who has ancestors in this census. What I wouldn't give for this information for those of my ancestor.  I have a few siblings of my direct line who lived in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio so I'm going to check this database for the rarer surnames.  I might be able to also check for the more popular ones if I narrow down by location.  Not sure that Ancestry's search is working correctly but it always seems to work better when I'm searching in one database.  There are two pages(images) of information so be sure to check the one immediately following your household of interest for the second portion of the household's entry.

I did a quick search for Acuffs(main surname, father's surname, and mother's surname.  Anyone doing a One Name Study should check out this database.  The year 1925 was one in which there was a great deal of "moving around" in the US.  During that time period, many of my Tennessee relatives were heading to other cities and states looking for work and were not where you'd expect them to be.  There are a variety of earlier Iowa state census records in this collection.  The information collected varies from each census to the next.  If you aren't subscribed to Ancestry, you may be able to access it on-site at your local library.  The Family Search Library also has several of the Iowa State Censuses including the 1925 Iowa State Census.  You will need to have a FamilySearch account(which is free) and you don't have to be an LDS member to use FamilySearch.

Hide and Seek in the US Federal Census

I was looking for a census entry for the Waynick family and found this entry which is an excellent example of why we should always check the census images AND surrounding households.

The census entry as it is indexed makes it appear that 5 year old Dillard is living in the household of John Jordan. If you look at the image below, you will see what has happened. The census taker M.F. Shelton has realized that he omitted Dillard.  He has added Dillard at the bottom of the page in the middle of another household entry.  The 9 year old twins are on the next page.  Yes the census taker does note that Nancy and Missouri Lee are twins.  I wondered if they were actually supposed to be in the Jordan household.  Who knows.....No notation is shown beside their names other than noting that they are twins.

The household # 47 where Dillard belongs is shown below

This entry is from 1860 Federal Census Middle District of Dickson County Tennessee.

I would also like to add that it is good to check the very last page of each District in which you have an ancestor.  This is especially true if someone isn't in the census and you think they should be there.  Several times I've found that the enumerators listed folks that hey had omitted from the household.  I've also found several mothers who list all of their married adult children as still living at home.  Duplicate entries can also occur with people listed in different districts and when a person is living/working in homes other than that of their parents.  Does this hold true in your census research as well?

Looking at the Head of Households for 1820 Elbert Co Georgia --Capt Oliver's Dist

Wanted to read through the Census for the area where my Upshaw/Patton lines had lived.  They would have been gone from the area for likely at least 15 yrs by the time this census was taken.  I see a lot of Cooks and also some familiar names like William King and Leroy Upshaw.  The Upshaw may be a cousin as the age was too young to be my direct Leroy Upshaw.  I'm sure there are errors in this listing as it is my attempt at reading the handwriting from the scanned images.  That said, the writing is worlds better than some I've tried to decipher.

PAGE 1
John Y Allgood
William Nolan
Issachar Cook
John F Cook
Thomas Bell Sr
David Matten?
James Morrison
John Nunley
Peter Allgood
James Bell
Thomas Elliott
Abraham Cook
John Cook
Joshua Cook
Smith Cook
Thomas Cook
Samuel Cook
Thomas Thurlkill
Isaac Mobley
Aaron Brown
Mary Cook
Nathaniel Cook
William Stone
John B Cook
Nicholas Goode
Thomas Childers
David Hudson Jr
Becker Hudson
William Allgood Jr
Mchenry Irons
George Cook
Saml Snellings
William Allgood Sr
Patrick Jack

PAGE  2
James Ragan
Edmond Lowrey
Parish Smith
Thomas Oliver
William King
Leroy Upshaw
Valentine Smith
Jesse Hendrick Sr
William Woods
William S Burch
Thomas Forstson
D??er Jeter
Walker Richardson
Thomas Laninham
Ralph Blackwell
Lewis Wilhight
John Winfield
Peter David
Gideon Hamm
Leonard Smith
William Hendrick
James A Depriest
William Burns


These are listed after the totals on the 2nd pg. (no explanation is offered by the census taker as to why they are listed separately)
Dyonesus Oliver
Isaac O Edwards
David Hudson Sr
William B Key
Andrew Woodley
Chole T Kee
George Perrin
William C Davis

Perfect Example of why you should always check the image

Never in my research has there been a better example which illustrates the importance of always clicking thru to view the linked images.  If you check the image you will see this is the page on which the census taker, Lula S. Berry is adding all the people that were left out of earlier households. She has the words "Out Of Order" written at the top of the page.  It looks like the information to find the households which they were a part of is included in the Location & Household Column along with a note on one of the earlier entries before this grouping that says Information furnished by Ms? Irvine.   It is difficult to tell what her system may have been for referencing those households.  The snippet I included is of the Record which is linked to Stamped page 261 Sheet 61A.  The people ABOVE the blue line are included on the page which is linked to the record.   It looks like it was in question whether some infants should have been included or not and the census taker waited til the last to add them.  Also the persons who are shown on the record snippet BELOW the blue line and  located Two images ahead are guests at the Imperial Hotel in Monterey TN.  Always check the image and never blindly add from the record.  Additionally, It's a good idea to check at the end of a district to see if there are any persons of interest which were left out of the initial entry and are included at the end of that district.  Browsing thru this district which is in order by the stamped page number, you will see that sometimes the sheet number doesn't follow the pattern you would expect it to follow.  Always check the image and browse a few pages before and after the entry of interest especially if it doesn't appear to be a standard enumeration.  We could blame this on the census taker or the indexer.  In my opinion the blame is on us as researchers for not checking more closely.

1940 U.S. census, Putnam County, Tennessee, population schedule, Monterey Town, Enum. Dist: 71-18, p. 261 (stamped), digital image(45 of 48), Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 20 April 2017); citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 3928.

Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.


Enumeration District : 71-18; Description: CIVIL DISTRICT 14, MONTEREY TOWN, DR. W. C. OFFICER´S SANITARIUM

Unexpected Find Friday--Indiana Beckmans in 1930 Nashville Tennessee.

A few days ago I was going over census records for my daughter's paternal lines and noticed that I didn't have her Dad's Grandpa's 1930 census entry.  Most of my family is from the Middle  Tennessee area.  So I go to my Ancestry Tree run a search and guess who is in Davidson Co Tennessee in 1930 renting a house at 1101 North 2nd Street?

Source Citation

Year: 1930; Census Place: Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee; Roll: 2242; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0063; Image: 70.0; FHL microfilm: 2341976

Brittany's Great Grandpa.  No!  Not her maternal Great Grandfather, Thomas D. Cooke(although he is also living in Davidson Co TN.)  Her Great Grandfather, George Stanley Beckman and his parents.  Stanley's Dad was a carpenter and he taught his son the trade. We had been told that at one time some of the family went to California to work but I'd never heard of them living in  Nashville.  It doesn't look like a boarding house and they were employed so it was more than an overnight stay.  By 1940, they would be in Baker County Florida.

Stanley's mother was born in England and immigrated with her parents from Chelsea, Middlesex, England  as a small child in 1887.  She is listed as Naturalized Alien on all of her US Federal Census records.

1850 Bedford Co TN, USA -- Industrial and Manufacturers Census Schedules--Nicholas Anthony

Today I read some of the entries from the Industrial & Manufacturers Census Schedule for 1850 Bedford County Tennessee. The first listing is for a Nicholas Anthony--No known ties to my family but to me it is very interesting info that you can find in the non-population schedule that will lead you to other information.  His listing starts:  Nicholas Anthony  Mill(Flour)  Water powered with 1 saw.   As a researcher it makes me wonder who he interacted with on a daily weekly or monthly basis.   The entry also mentions what looks to be production of lumber or planks.  There is a Nicholas Anthony in the 1830 & 1840 Census of Bedford Co Tennessee.  It appears that the same Nicholas Anthony that is listed in 1830 and 1840 Census is also the one listed in 1850.  In 1850 he is 70 years old born in North Carolina with a female in the household age 67 and named Sarah whose place of birth is also listed as North Carolina.  Seventy seems kind of old to be running a mill but perhaps he is the owner and his son or sons run it for him. There is a North Carolina marriage for a Nicholas Anthony and an Elizabeth Nicholson with Jacob Anthony as bondsman in Guilford Co. NC on Oct 21, 1800.  I wonder if this is the same couple or if Sarah is a second wife. 1840 Census has Anthony families with Head of Households named Jacob, Henry, William and Adam living nearby. A Nicholas Anthony is also listed in the 1850 Agricultural Non-Population Census for District 25 of Bedford Co TN.   Also listed are Shofner, Low, Kimbro, Harrison and Landris families which are some of the same name who have been listed around him in previous census entries.  I checked the Land Deed Genealogy of Bedford Co TN 1807-1852 by Helen C Marsh and Timothy R. Marsh and there are two listings for Nicholas Anthony on page 78.  These entries are extracted information in the original Deed Book "M" pg. 105 and 107.  The entries TN Grants No. 9587 and No 9588 both 15 acres each and dated Feb. 23 1813.  Granted to Nicholas who is listed as an assignee of Benjamin McCullock.  The land is on the waters of the Thompson River and both areas are noted as bordering the property of Peter Shofner.  Are there any of your family listed in the Industrial & Manufacturers Census Schedule?
Below is the link to a blank form where you can see the column headings.  A lot easier to read the headings from the form than the ones on the images as they seem to be the worst part of the digitized images.
1850-1860 Industrial & Manufacturers Census Schedule--Blank Form(PDF Form)

To find out more information about what information is available on Non-Population census schedules see the National Archives .  A search of the catalogs at Ancestry and FamilySearch will tell you what is available in their database for your particular area of interest.  Ancestry.com is a subscription service but the library edition is available on-site at most public libraries.

References:

U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880 [database on-line:http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1276]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Searched for Nicholas Anthony. Accessed January 28, 2017 Census Place: Bedford, Tennessee; Archive Collection Number: T1135; Roll: Roll 30; Schedule Type: Industry Image 3 of 173 Row 1  

U.S.,Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880 [database on-line:  http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1276]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Searched For Nicholas Anthony. Accessed January 28, 2017 Census Place: 1850  Bedford, Tennessee; Archive Collection Number: T1135; Roll: Roll 1; Schedule Type: Agriculture pg 67  

1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line: http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8054]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Searched for Nicholas Anthony. Accessed January 28, 2017.  Year: 1850; Census Place: District 25, Bedford, Tennessee; Roll: M432_869; Page: 266B; Image: 531  Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8057]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Searched for Nicholas Anthony. Accessed January 28, 2017.  Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Year: 1840; Census Place: Bedford, Tennessee; Roll: 519; Page: 98; Image: 209; Family History Library Film: 0024543 Original data: Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line  http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8058]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.  Searched for Nicholas Anthony. Accessed January 28, 2017. Images reproduced by FamilySearch 1830; Census Place: Bedford, Tennessee; Series: M19; Roll: 174; Page: 130; Family History Library Film: 0024532   Original data: Fifth Census of the United States, 1830. (NARA microfilm publication M19, 201 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Marsh, Helen C., & Marsh, Timothy. R. (1988). Land deed genealogy of Bedford County, Tennessee. Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press.

pg. 78 (from original Land Deed Book "M", pg. 105 & 107)

North Carolina, Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-linehttp://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=60548]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Searched on Nicholas Anthony. Accessed January 28, 2017.  Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.

Thomas Adcock's 1860 Agricultural Schedule Entry

Friday's #genchat has me examining an 1860 Agricultural Schedule

I try to catch #genchat on Twitter when I can.  This past Friday(Dec 30) was a #genchat night and the topic was non-population schedules.  I haven't really worked with those a great deal so I went looking thru some of them today.  I found my 3rd Great Grandfather Thomas Adcock in the 1860 Agricultural Schedule for Dekalb County Tennessee.It really does give you some idea of your ancestors position in the community and what life must have been like for them.  As expected my Thomas didn't have much. Thomas Adcock's entry recorded:  3 improved acres, 30 unimproved acres,  His farm value was listed as $300. The value of his farm tools and machinery was listed at $10.  He didn't own any horses but had 1 milch cow and 3 other cows, 9 sheep and 9 pigs.  The total value of his livestock was listed at $100.  He did have 1000 bushels of Indian corn though and 12 lbs of wool.   Other items were 2 bushels of peas or beans, 10 bushels of Irish Potatoes and 200 lbs of butter.Thomas was already poor before the Civil War.

The information from the Federal Population census for the same year shows that he was 43 years old with his wife and 6 of their children still living at home. I hope they had some chickens. Thomas would enlist in the Confederate Army's 1st Infantry Battalion Tennessee Company C. He was captured and taken to Camp Morton Indiana. More information can be found in his Confederate Pension Application and at my webpage which lists his answers from his application and also some of the other applications from that area including his Widow's Confederate Pension Application.

This is the front section of the entry which is found on the right side of the  page.  Addition information is located on the back of that page shown below.  I included a few neighbors on each side of him in order to give an idea of where he ranked

I have listed the headings for the columns of the 1860 Agriculture census schedule below to give you some idea of what information was gathered.  It is kind of hard to tell from the record itself so I had to get some of the headings by looking thru a few pages and finding the least blurred.

1860 Agriculture Census Column Headers

1. Owner, Agent or Manager of Farm
2. Acres  Improved
3. Acres Unimproved.
4. Cash Value of Farm
5. Value of farming implements & machinery
6. Livestock:  Horses
7. Livestock:  Asses & Mules
8. Livestock:  Milch Cows
9. Livestock:  Working Oxen
10. Livestock:  Other Cattle
11. Livestock:  Sheep
12. Livestock:  Swine
13. Value of Livestock
14. Wheat, Bushels of
15. Rye, Bushels of
16. Indian Corn, Bushels of
17. Oats, Bushels of
18. Rice, lbs of
19. Tobacco, lbs of
20. Ginned Cotton bales of 400 lbs
21. Wool lbs of
22. Peas & Beans, Bushels of
23. Irish Potatoes, Bushels of
24. Sweet Potatoes, Bushels of
25. Barley, Bushels of
26. Buckwheat, Bushels of
27. Value of Orchard Produce $
28. Wine, Gallons of
29. Value of Produce of Market Goods
30. Butter, lbs of
31. Cheese lbs of
32. Hay, Tons of
33. Clover seed, Bushels of
34. Grass Seed, Bushels of
35. Hops lbs of
36. Hemp, Dew Rotted Tons of
37. Hemp, Water Rotted Tons of
38. Other Prepared Hemp
39. Flax, lbs of
40. Flax seed, bushel of
41. Silk Cocoon, lbs of
42. Maple Sugar, lbs of
43. Cane Sugar, hhds of 1000 lbs
44. Molasses gallons & from what made
45. Beeswax lbs of
46. Honey, lbs of
47. Value of Homemade Manufactures
48. Value of Animals Slaughtered