The five senses are sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. But are you familiar that there are the seven census' of genealogy? Last week I made this discovery by attending the monthly meeting of the FHSA (Family History Society of Arizona), and we had a presentation on Non-Population Census Records. Previously, I had been somewhat familiar with only a couple. but to my surprise, there are seven special census' which include the following:
1. Mortality Schedule
2. Agriculture Schedule
3. Manufacturing Schedule
4. Veterans Schedule
5. Social Statistics Schedule
6. Delinquent, Defective, and Dependent Classes Schedule
7. Slave Schedule
Information contained in these special census records can give one more insight into the history of their family as well as potential clues in their research. For example, the following information is what I have found, over the years, that has given me insight as I have researched my ancestors::
Agricultural Schedule of 1870 for Mayfield, LaPeer, Michigan:
Last month we visited the Goodale property while vacationing in Michigan, so I thought it would be fun to see what the farm was like in 1870 and this is what I found. The value of the farm was $3,000. The farm had four horses, six milk cows, and six "Other Cattle," and 23 sheep. Crops included spring wheat, winter wheat, Indian corn, oats, and barley.
1880 Delinquent, Defective, and Dependent Classes Schedule for Union, Shelby, Iowa:
Another distant Goodale family member, Allen Goodale, was born with a mental handicap which was indicated in the population census of 1870 but was also listed in this special census with the following information: that he had "spasms," the size of his head was "natural," and he was deaf. I later was able to receive his medical file from the asylum where he lived for over twenty years, giving me more insight into his life there.
1850 Mortality Schedule for Sardinia, Erie, New York:
Researching the Ballard family, who are a collateral line of my great, great grandmother Martha Brown Graves, I came across the family in the 1850 population census with the parents and presumed children listed, one of whom was listed as Aurella Whitaker (probably her married name). There are no marriage records available to indicate that she was a married daughter until I found an entry on the 1850 Mortality Schedule which showed a Cyrus Whitaker (a married man) who had died in February 1850, a few months before the census. This was the only clue that led me to the marriage between the two which I would not have found without the Mortality Schedule and his "timely" death included on it since only deaths recorded from the previous year are listed in this census.
1840 Pensioners List of Sardinia, Erie, New York:
My great, great, great, great grandfather, Caleb Hammet, was a revolutionary war soldier, and was listed in this special census, age 93. Finding him in this particular census led me to finding his Revolutionary War records and DAR (Daughter of the American Revolution) records giving me further information about him and his family.
Although familiar with the above-mentioned "special" census records, I wanted to see if I could find more information on one of these "special" census records, so I gave it a try.
1860 Slave Schedule of Sullivan County, Missouri:
Because I knew that my great, great grandfather, Charles Haley, had several slaves, I took a look at the 1860 Slave Schedule. Listed were three slaves, two females, both age 22, and a male, age 34. The 1870 Census shows "Mary Haley" black, a farm laborer, age 35, listed in the Haley household, who I assume, was probably one of the females listed in the 1860 Slave Schedule. In fact, she was known by the family as "Black Mary" and was buried in the Haley Family Cemetery.
Try discovering your own new set of "senses" in your research of your ancestors. You never know what you might uncover and what clues you may find in your research quest.
