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Each of the different Federal Census asks different questions to arrive at the need of the country at the time of that census. The 1820 is no different from any of the rest of them. Most all of the Census from 1790 through 1840 are primarily interested in the number of young men that could be pressed into militia/military duty at any one time. You always notice that these age breakdown of men in the 16 to 45 age group is the most divided. These are the men that would…
Read MoreWhen we deal with Probate Records, most of us want the WILL which is the directive of the deceased as to the distribution of his estate. Sometimes this does not exist, and therefore, the county has to step in and decide how the estate will be divided. Either with or without the Will, there is usually an Inventory which lists the entire contents of the estate. This listing was especially prominent during the nineteenth century. This listing of the goods of the deceased will be found in the county records…
Read MoreFrequently when you are researching some of the older marriages, you find that these are labeled Minister’s Returns. This may cause some confusion as to the fact if this is a “proper” record of that marriage. The short answer is “Yes”. The background as to why this is a correct record, one has to understand the reason behind the record itself. Minister Returns are found primarily in the older records of those states called commonwealths instead of states. There are only a few of the states that go by this…
Read MoreThis is the fourth part in our Census Series. You can also read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. This fourth article on the census will go beyond the decennial census authorized by the federal government. Each census serves a different purpose, and therefore, we have to understanding the concept behind each one to gain the most from them. As we have already noted, the federal government counts everyone in the United States every ten years for various reasons. In 1840 and 1890, the military records are more important…
Read MoreThis the third part in our Census series. You can also read Part 1 and Part 2. Beginning with the 1900 census and forward, the rules of the game changed considerably. Since there would be a lot more information of a personal nature, the release of these census was governed more strictly. In most of the census for the years 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 it was much easier to identify a certain individual and where they lived, therefore, for the longest time, a letter had to be written requesting…
Read MoreThis is the second part of our series of four articles on the Census from 1790 until 1930. The first part reviewed the 1790 – 1850 Census. This edition will cover the second half of the nineteenth century. These records have a lot of new information for each of the following years: 1860 – 1870 – 1880 and 1890. As you remember, the first article discussed how the early census contained primarily the names of the heads of households. With these census years, the name of everyone living in the…
Read MoreThe taking of census is nothing new and certainly the United States did not invent the event. We can read in the Bible that the Hebrew children gathered under the sign of their tribe to be counted. Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem “as he was of the house of David” to be counted. Since that time, census have been taken so that leaders of the kingdom knew the number of people they had at their command, especially for men who were of fighting age. So it is natural that the…
Read MoreThe New Year is a time to begin all over again in our genealogical research. I don’t mean to toss out all that you have done for all those years. Instead, this is the time to revisit that research. Do you realize that in the past twelve months, there have been tens of thousands of new records surfaced to aide your research? Nearly every day in our office, we find new information in some of the strangest of places. The information might just be the one piece of the puzzle…
Read MoreGenealogy is more than just name, dates and places. The real heart of genealogy is an understanding of the time and events of the day in which our ancestors lived. With most of us celebrating the time between Thanksgiving and New Years, it is the perfect time to gather as much information as you can from the living in your family to at least grasp the life and times of those in memory. As your family gathers during the holidays, keep pen and paper handy. You will want to start…
Read MoreYou cannot do real genealogical research until you are willing to research the life and times in which our ancestors lived. When we really understand their time and place in history, we can more fully understand their lives. Genealogy is more than just “hatch, match and dispatch” of these ancestors. Most beginners strive just to gather names and dates of events in their ancestor’s lives, but the true genealogist tries to get a glimpse of the times and places in history. The following books will give you details surrounding the…
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