We are big census fans!
Taken every 10 years by the federal government
and sometimes more frequently by states & local jurisdictions, they recorded
more than 90% of the
people living in the United States, beginning in 1790 until the
most recent one publicly available, 1930.
Censuses represent the most complete set of records available for our
ancestors. They are the most important records for genealogical study. With
modern computer indexing and online databases & images, they are also the easiest to
consult.
Author's Opinion: The census indexes & images alone make a subscription to
Ancestry.com worthwhile for even the casual family historian.
While the system is not perfect (none is) the company seems dedicated to
improving the service and a "feedback loop" assures continued improvements.
Until 1850, only the heads of
households (HOH) were named; others were recorded as tallies in age, gender
& other
categories. Censuses of 1850 & after have named all members of households and
given ages. In some instances, slaves & Indians were enumerated on separate
schedules. Beginning in 1870{?}, relationship to the head of household is
stated; however, complex relationships may be subject to over-simplification.
Often, deciphering the census enumerations when only the HOH is named can present
problems.
The author often uses (with caution) the rule of thumb that
a male name refers to the eldest male and a female name refers to the
eldest female. This may allow estimating birth dates & correlating the census data with other
information.
For example, the eldest male in the 1810 John Taylor household of Duplin County was 16 to 25 years old,
establishing his birth as from 1785 to 1794. He could have attained age
21 (thus becoming a possible party or witness to deeds) as early as
1806. The same name on deeds prior to 1806 will not be his.
Bear this caution in mind: Not all persons enumerated in a household are necessarily related.
Some may be boarders or servants.
Early census search results for Taylor surnames are found on
this page.
In addition, some
have published "census substitutes" — compiled from tax
lists, militia rolls & other records — for years before 1790.
We're not particular fans of "compiled census substitutes"; they tend to
disguise the original sources. But they can be used as leads to the original
sources, in which more detailed information may be found.
A state census was also taken in the years 1784 to 1787, which produced
information similar to (but not exactly the same as) the federal 1790 census.
Age/gender/ethnicity categories were:
This census had five categories: White men over 16, white males under 16,
white females of all ages, other free persons of all ages, & slaves of
all ages. In this area,
each page consisted of up to four columns of names & tallies. As finding aids,
we have labeled the
columns A through D and added line numbers. Those who
analyze list order for meaning or wish to check the transcriptions will appreciate the usefulness of the
additions.
1790 Craven County
Craven was enumerated in one district, divided here into three files.
This is the only federal census in which Dobbs County appears. In December 1790, it was
divided into Glascow & Lenoir counties. Glascow, the northeastern portion of
the former Dobbs, was renamed Greene, in honor of the great Revolutionary
War general in 1799 & thus does not appear in any federal censuses.
The 1800 census broke age categories down more finely than in 1790. White
males and females were classified as <10, 10-15, 16-25, 25-44, & >45.
Because of the extra space required, there is only one column of enumerations
per page.
1800 Craven Co. Census
Craven County was divided into two enumeration districts -- (1) the town of
New Bern and (2) everything not in the town.
The 1810 census continued the same categories as 1800.
Click here for Taylors extracted from select
counties in the general region.
1810 Craven & Greene Co. Census
No copy of the individual 1810 census enumerations for Craven County or Greene County has been found. Summary statistics are available,
but no name-by-name enumerations.
The 1830 census made even finer breakdowns for age than previous ones. Categories
(for
both males & females) were <5, 5-9, 10,14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39,
40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80-89, 90-99, and 100 & over. The specific
census language was, for example, "at least 5 but not 10".
We've extracted the Taylor families in selected counties
here.
Especially for those years before 1790, tax lists are an important
replacement to a census for documenting
the presence of a person in a place. A tax lists tells you very little about
families, it does tell you more about owned property.
