Saturday, July 9, 2016

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Ancestor With Most Census Entries

This week's challenge for Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun is one of my favorite types, where I get to look through my records for information I hadn't thought about before:

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!): 

1)  Do you know which of your ancestors appears the most times in the census records?  How many years?  Are there duplicate entries?  


2)  Describe that ancestor's entries in the records in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, or on Facebook or Google+.


I don't think it's fair to count censuses for which I have no copies, because there is no guarantee someone was actually enumerated (as I know from frustrating personal experience).  So far the most census entries I have found for an ancestor is eleven, for my great-grandfather Thomas Kirkland Gauntt:

1870:  Thomas was born May 23, 1870 in Fairview, Medford Township, Burlington County, New Jersey and was enumerated in the U.S. population census on June 28 in Medford Township with his parents, James and Amelia (Gibson) Gauntt, and older siblings Charles, John, James, Sarah, and William.  Although Thomas was not enumerated twice, his brother Charles was; on July 14 Charles was in Evesham Township in Burlington County.

1880:  In the 1880 U.S. population census, Thomas was enumerated with his parents, James and Amelia, older brother William, and baby brother Samuel.  The census taker came by on June 15, and the family was living in Mt. Laurel, Burlington County, New Jersey.

1885:  In the 1885 New Jersey state census, Thomas is not living with his family but is working as a farm laborer in Centre, Camden County.

1895:  The 1895 New Jersey state census is the first in which Thomas is enumerated with my great-grandmother Jane Dunstan; they married on September 2, 1891.  What's interesting is that they were living in Centre, Camden County, but without their two children, born in 1892 and 1893.  I'm still looking for the children, especially since one is my grandmother.

1900:  In the 1900 U.S. population census, Thomas Gauntt, a farm laborer, was enumerated on June 27 in Mt. Laurel, Burlington County, New Jersey.  Also in the household were his wife, Jane Gauntt, and children Frederick, Anna (my grandmother!), Carrie, and Mary.

1905:  In the 1905 New Jersey state census, Thomas was enumerated in Burlington County.  Also in the household were Jane and children Anna, Carrie, Mary, and Edna.

1910:  In the 1910 U.S. population census, Thomas was working as an insurance agent and living in Mt. Holly, Northampton Township, Burlington County, New Jersey.  Family members living with him were Jane and children Anna, Carrie, Mary, Edna, James, and Thomas.  They were enumerated on April 27.

1915:  In the 1915 New Jersey state census, Thomas and family were still living in Mt. Holly, Northampton Township, Burlington County.  The other family members enumerated were Jane and children Mary, Edna, James, Thomas, and John.

1920:  In the 1920 U.S. population census, Thomas had moved to the city of Burlington in Burlington County and was working as a farm laborer again.  The enumeration was in February, but no date is on the page.  Also in the household were Jane and children Edna, James, and Thomas.

1930:  In the 1930 U.S. population census Thomas and Jane no longer had any children living at home with them, and Thomas has no occupation listed.  They were back in Mt. Holly, Northampton Township, Burlington County and were enumerated on April 23.

1940:  In the 1940 U.S. population census, Thomas and Jane were again in Mt. Holly, although the census notes that in 1935 they were living in Burlington.  They were enumerated on April 15 and have no occupations listed.

When the 1950 census is released I hope to find Thomas in that, as he did not die until 1951.  That should give me a total of twelve censuses for him.

2 comments:

  1. Ooh, I didn't think about state census records. I might be able to find more for an ancestor in Iowa!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lucky you! I was wishing I had an ancestor who lived in Iowa. I love their state censuses!

    ReplyDelete

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