Census a very valuable resource in genealogy

Since everybody is all a-twitter over the recent release of the 1930 census records, I thought I'd deal with that topic this week. Those of you who are just getting started may wonder what all the hoopla is about and just why we depend so much upon census records in genealogy.

In one of my earliest columns last year, I talked about my first experience viewing census records and how I felt as if I were visiting in the home of my ancestors. If you are a beginner, it is awesome to see the names of your ancestors for the first time, their ages, where they were born, and other information about a family you never knew about before. Also, by seeing who was listed close by, you learn who your ancestors' neighbors were and sometimes find another relative living close by. It really is like walking down the street and seeing whole families sitting on their front porches.

So why do we put so much emphasis on census records and how do you find them? When I was writing my column last week it dawned on me that the reason I didn't go looking for current census records right away was that I had no clue where to find them. Georgia censuses are readily available but to find out of state records in Georgia you have to get a bit creative. And I was looking for Alabama.

Luckily for me, I was told that the Troup County Archives in LaGrange had Alabama censuses. I also learned later that the LDS Family History Center in Newnan could order not only Alabama censuses, but censuses for any state and any year I wanted.

I admit to being a creature of convenience and didn't want to drive a long distance if I could avoid it. I'm also of the "instant gratification" generation and I wanted it NOW, so Troup County was the place to go. I made the short drive to LaGrange and wallowed in the pleasure of finding everything I wanted and more.

Census-taking was begun back in 1790 and continued every 10 years thereafter, but a couple are not available. Some censuses for 1800 and all for 1890 are missing. Some have been "reconstructed" with tax records. They are a big help, but you have to remember that just because a person owned land and paid taxes in an area, it didn't mean he necessarily lived there.

Also, each year the census contained different amounts of information. Most censuses before 1850 only contained the name of the head of the house. Others living there were listed only by age groups (under 10, 10 to 15, etc.)

Beginning with 1850, all persons living in the household were listed (the proper word is "enumerated"). Later censuses even gave the relationship of each person living in the home to the head of the house. In 1900, the census gave the birth month and year, the number of years a couple had been married, the number of children a woman had given birth to, and how many of those were still living. In 1910, we learned how many times a person had been married. More and more information became available. I understand that this 1930 census even tells how much a person paid for rent and how much his home was worth, along with other information not available before.

So, how does this mass of information help in your genealogical search? Well, if you don't have living relatives to tell the story of your family, the census will reveal a lot.

For instance, if John Jones, age 33, and his wife, Emma, age 32, are listed in a household, and there is a 68-year-old woman named Polly Smith listed as being his mother-in-law, you more than likely have the maiden name of Emma. Also, if children named Walter Brown and Susan Brown are listed as stepchildren, you know that Emma was married before to a Mr. Brown. In the early censuses, you can also get estimated birth years. If a child is listed in 1870 as being age 2, you can estimate his birth year at about 1868. Subsequent censuses should be a close match.

I recently had a firsthand experience where the census disproved the date on a gravestone. I had been looking for my great-grandfather's sister, Rachel Payne, for months. She disappeared from the census in Carroll County after 1870. Her mother and her brothers and sisters were there in 1880, but no Rachel. Did she die? Did she move? Where in the world did she go? I had her estimated birth year as 1856, based on her age of 14 in the 1870 Carroll County census. I found her marriage to James P. Richards in 1875 in Carroll County, and then ... nothing.

Well, lo and behold, browsing the Rootsweb WorldConnect family trees, I found a Rachel Payne and James P. Richards in Shelby County, Texas. But this Rachel was said to have been born in 1854. Uh-oh. Her twin brothers were born in 1854 and I had undisputable proof. Was this the same Rachel?

I immediately signed up for the Shelby County Roots-L list and left a message. I also browsed the Shelby County Web site and found funeral home records of several children of Rachel Payne and James Richards.

Within hours, I received an answer to my message from a new-found cousin who was overjoyed at finding the Georgia connection to her Rachel. However, Rachel's birth date of May 4, 1854 was on her gravestone. There was a definite problem here.

But a check of the 1900 Shelby County census found Rachel, age 44, giving her birth date as May 1856, so the stone was in error. This sometimes happens. Surviving relatives don't always know. My great-grandfather's birth date of January 20, 1854, was written in his own hand in his family Bible, so I knew it was right. His twin brother's birth year was given as January 1854 on the 1900 Carroll County census, so I knew that was right. My new cousin's stories of the trip from Georgia to Texas and the name of one of her great-grandmother's brothers sealed the connection of this family. We are happily preparing family files to share.

Chalk another one up for the census saving the day.

The Fayette County Library has all censuses for all counties in the state of Georgia (except 1930). They also have microfilm readers which make copies. Go check them out ... and enjoy.

If you're looking for your Georgia ancestors or have a local family history to share, write to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; E-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com. I'll be happy to share it with others and maybe help you "find your folks."

Until next week, happy hunting!

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