[or-roots] more census whining

[Sue Steward]

1870 United States Federal Census NameHome in 1870(City, County, 
State)Estimated birth yearBirthplaceRaceGender
Frank E StewardCoos, ORabt 1868 Oregon White Male
Mary F StewardCoos, ORabt 1851 Illinois White Female
S A StewardCoos, ORabt 1833 Maine White Male
Source Citation: Year: 1870; Census Place:  , Coos, Oregon; Roll: M593_1285; 
Page: 230; Image: 459. (enumerated 16-19 July, 1870)


1870 United States Federal Census
NameHome in 1870(City, County, State)Estimated birth 
yearBirthplaceRaceGender
Charles StewartMyrtle Creek, Douglas, ORabt 1869 Oregon White Male
Frank StewartMyrtle Creek, Douglas, ORabt 1868 Oregon White Male
Mary StewartMyrtle Creek, Douglas, ORabt 1849 Illinois White Female
Stephen StewartMyrtle Creek, Douglas, ORabt 1835 Maine White Male
Source Citation: Year: 1870; Census Place: Myrtle Creek, Douglas, Oregon; 
Roll: M593_1285; Page: 266; Image: 532. (enumerated 30 June 1870)

This is my husband's great grandparents (Stephen and Mary F. Steward). 
Their son, Charles, was born 29 May 1869 in Coos County and died 15 July 
1871 in Myrtle Creek according to the family Bible (it must have actually 
been 1870).  Mary's father lived in Myrtle Creek.  I assume that they took 
their two sons, Frank age 2, and Charles age 1, to visit their grandfather 
in Myrtle Creek.  Charles apparently died while they were there.

They were back home in Coos County when the census was taken there and they 
only had their son, Frank, listed in the census.  You can see that there are 
also differences in the birth year for Stephen and Mary between the two 
censuses.

Sue Steward


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris & Bill Strickland" <lechevrier at earthlink.net>
To: "or-roots mail list" <or-roots at listsmart.osl.state.or.us>
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 8:33 PM
Subject: Re: [or-roots] more census whining


> Just remember, the original census *is* the original record, just as it
> is.  It may be hard to read at times, and at other times there seem to
> be inexplicable errors -- all these transcriptions do is assist one in
> interpreting the original record for themselves, they are not a
> substitute for the original, as someone else has transcribed them.
>
> I will confess, I like Ancestry's index searching algorithms -- they
> can help one find where to look in the original, and they make it
> relatively easy to look at a reproduction of the actual record, but
> since even the originals, as we have access to them, are them selves
> reproductions, where does this charade stop?
>
> A couple of items that show up for me -- a family in the 1800's with a
> newborn (I can't recall who at the moment) is recorded twice in the same
> census on about the same day in two different places not near each other
> -- another, my dad, born January, 1919 (I have the birth cert and
> numerous family records), is not listed in the 1920 census, neither with
> his family, nor anywhere else in the immediate area.
>
> Just a couple conundrums where you would have liked to have been in the
> room when the census taker was getting his information.  Maybe that was
> the trouble, too few female census takers (were there any?).
>
> Bill Strickland
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