Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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SEPTEMBER 9-15, 2015 UCW 21 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM One of the best sources of informa- tion about families is the U.S. Census record system. We count our- selves every ten years. Many of those records are online now, so they can be electronically searched. Ancestry. com has digitized many of the Federal Census records. The Cumberland County Library has an ances- try.com account that you can use in their genealogy room. They are also available at the National Archive on microfiche. Beginning after the Revolutionary War, the United States decided that they needed to know where their citizens lived and who they were. So beginning in 1790, the country undertook the process of doing a national census. Thomas Jefferson, most famous as the third president of the United States and as the author of the Declaration of Independence, also served as George Washington's first secretary of state. As the nominal director of the 1790 census, Jefferson certified the combined local results reported by each marshal. He also shared President Washington's concern that the first census had significantly undercounted the population, perhaps by several hundred thousand residents. The first census recorded 3,929,214 residents in the thirteen states. But there was a problem. The Census "enumerators" only recorded the name of the head of household for each family. Every other member was placed in selected age groups like 'White Male ages 0 to 5.' So when you look at the records from 1790 to 1840, you will find the ancestor who headed the household, but other members will be missing. From 1850 to 1940, details are provided for all individuals in each household, such as: names of family members, their ages at a certain point in time, their state or country of birth, their parents' birthplaces, year of immigration, street address, marriage status and years of mar- riage, occupation(s), value of their home and personal belongings, the crops that they grew (in agricultural schedules), etc. All of this informa- tion is helpful in determining year and location of birth. Don't give up your search and don't limit yourself to just U.S. Census records. They are a great source, but just one of many. Match that infor- mation with marriage records or bonds, bibles, deeds and wills to get a more complete picture. Enjoy the journey! My Ancestors Aren't in the Census Records By BOB ERVIN BOB ERVIN, President of the Marquis de Lafayette Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. Thomas Jefferson is known primarily as the third president of the United States. He also helped write the Declaration of Indepence and served as President George Washington's secretary of state, directing the 1790 U.S. Census. t ra d e keyst ro ke s for p u tt i n g st ro ke s . Log on. Search some courses. Get the fun rolling. NC Tourism_Ad Layouts_4C_NEWS_9.88x5_FINAL.indd 4 6/4/14 4:48 PM