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Archiver > PABRADFO > 2003-05 > 1053882877


From: "Bob Thomas" <>
Subject: RE: [Tri-Counties] Accuracy of ages listed in Federal Census Records
Date: Sun, 25 May 2003 11:14:47 -0600
In-Reply-To: <002201c322bc$3e1ba120$6401a8c0@rogers.com>


The following is from the online course on the federal census by the
National Genealogical Society:

"Reliability

The reliability of the information found in the population schedules depends
upon the accuracy of the person who provided the information and the care
with which the census taker recorded it.

Census schedules don't indicate who provided the information for a
particular household, although usually it was an adult member of the family.
A family member may have given incorrect information either intentionally or
unintentionally. For example, a wife may have been reluctant to admit that
she was older than her husband. A younger member of the household may not
have known the correct age of an older family member.

In the absence of a family member, the information may have been given by a
relative or neighbor who did not have the correct facts. In 1920, when a
family was not at home, enumerators were authorized to "obtain the required
information as nearly as may be practicable from the family or families or
person or persons living nearest to such place of abode who may be competent
to answer such inquiries."

The census taker may have incorrectly recorded the information given him. Or
he may have made errors in transferring information from his original
schedules to the copy that was filed with the federal government and later
microfilmed.

Census takers recorded the information given them. Their primary
responsibility was to get an accurate count of the population. They did not
ask for proof of age, citizenship status, or any other facts. They did not
always ask how a name should be spelled. Names, especially unusual names,
may be spelled in a variety of ways. The ages given for an individual may be
inconsistent from one census to another. The birthplace given may or may not
be correct. Occasionally, a female child was listed as a male and vice
versa.

Information was to be recorded "as of" the census day specified by law (the
day the census was to begin), not "as of" the day the enumerator visited. A
child born after the census day should not have been listed in the
household. A family member who died after the census day should have been
listed. A person's age was to be recorded at his last birthday prior to the
census day. Some enumerators may not have asked the right questions or
explained the questions adequately.

The most reliable information in census records are those facts that are
contemporary with the census. These include the family's place of residence,
the number of persons in the household (although they may not be accurately
described), and occupations.

Information concerning events that occurred in the past--for example, births
and marriages and the dates of immigration and naturalization--is less
reliable."

Bob Thomas


-----Original Message-----
From: [mailto:]
Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2003 5:51 AM
To:
Subject: Re: [Tri-Counties] Accuracy of ages listed in Federal Census
Records


I stand corrected a regards publication year and data collection. I misred
the titles for the 1790 census reports I have for Virginia. It is from a
book called Genealogical Publications Co., Inc. They have amalgamated
several years together.

The title reads:
"Heads of Families, At The First Census of the United States Taken In The
Year 1790, Records of the State Enumerations: 1782 to 1785, VIRGINIA"

I know people lied about their age because I have found my STEVENS/STEPHENS
ancestors in census records, and the age was off by a year or so.
Sometimes, they list their heritage as Dutch, sometimes American.

It might be common knowledge to you that the 1790 census reports were
constructed from tax lists, but I surely didn't know that, and I bet a ton
of other people didn't either. That's one reason these mail-rings are so
useful. They allow the seasoned pro's to help out us novices.

My family came to Canada from the US in 1800 and they swore the Oath of
Allegiance in 1802, they are the only people on the entire document where
age is not recorded. Why you might ask? I can only guess its because one
member of their party was not quite 18 yet, and you had to be in order to
swear the oath. Which he did.

I don't believe that my family (same peron) would use the spelling of their
last name as Stephens one year, Stevens the next, then go back to Stephens
again. There is always room for error on anything, and I wouldn't discount
a piece of information because someones age was off by several months or
even a year.

I can site another example: Take Roger Conat, his name is sometimes spelled
Connett, and sometimes Conant. Then there are the Burk's/Burke's...

And just one more point. Of the four family members of mine that swore the
oath, three wrote their last name as STEVENS, and one as STEPHENS. The one
that is written as STEPHENS, was actually written by Robert Baldwin, the
oath taker, as my relative could only mark and X. Robert Baldwin saw that
the others spelled the name with a V, yet he wrote this one out with PH
instead. And this entry is sandwiched between the other three.

Barb Stevens (with a V)
Family Tree Maker is my software of choice by the way...

----- Original Message -----
From: Ray W. Justus
To:
Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2003 10:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Tri-Counties] Accuracy of ages listed in Federal Census
Records


I must live in a different world than the rest of you. My experience with
census information has been extremely and consistently positive. I have
been doing genealogy research for nearly twenty-nine years so I certainly
wouldn't consider myself a novice. Just a few questions for the people
who
gave negative responses:

1. How do you know that the people lied?

2. How do you know that the neighbors provided the information?

3. Except for a small number of census records that were lost and there
has
been an attempt to reconstruct them, the censuses are for the year
specified. It is common knowledge that much of the 1790 census was
constructed from tax lists taken in the years prior to the census. Of
course, the years prior to 1850 list only the head of household by name
and
provided only ranges of ages so there is no way they could be used
individually to determine approximate age. Nearly all of the 1890 census
was lost in a fire. For these official censuses, 1800 through 1880 and
1900
through 1930, they are for the year specified. Where did you get credible
information stating that the information was gathered over several years?

In my humble opinion, these comments rank with the old wives' tales about
the misspelling of names at Ellis Island. The frequency of their
occurrences is highly exaggerated.



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