Genealogy and Local History Blog

Tagged: federalcensus

Genealogy

Census Humor: Behind the Statistics

In a previous blog post, we looked at what it took to be a US census taker. In today’s blog we’re going to have a little fun with the census by looking at some actual enumerator experiences, plus some humorous information that some of them were asked to record. Most examples were found using one of Grapevine Library’s subscription databases, Newspapers.com. 1840 In 1840 New Orleans, one census taker had a hard time finding any women who would admit to being over 30. One wonders if this clipping from the June 20, 1840 issue of the Baton Rouge Gazette had anything to do with it: 1870 In Chicago, one census taker encountered a vicious dog that broke its rope and would have “pinned him by the throat to the floor had he not beat a swift retreat from this den of wild beasts.” This was likely not humorous to the...

Genealogy

The Census Taker Cometh!

This month’s blog post is about the taking of the census and census taker experiences, a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to undertake a nation-wide headcount. The Constitution of the United States, Article 1, Section 2 says: “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.” The US has had a decennial census for apportionment of representatives and for direct taxes since 1790. With...