Census Sunday

Finding Your Ancestors in Censuses

Census records are a valuable resource for family historians. They have the potential for information that connects one generation to the next. Census records can reveal details about your ancestors and can give you a snapshot of their lives at a particular time in the past. When searching for your ancestor in the U.S. censuses verify the correct ancestor by looking at the whole family – his wife, children, parents, etc. Families migrated in groups and tended to keep close and stay together. As you collect information from the censuses about your ancestor you will see a profile emerge. As you look at a census compare it to the previous census. Take notice of any contrasting information and make note of it.

   

Family historians can access censuses from 1790 to 1940 and the information for each census year varies from census to census.  Information is a little more difficult to glean from censuses before 1850; however, if you have information for an ancestor such as birth information you can look to the head of the family, the age categories and estimated birth years and identify possible ancestors. I have an ancestor Jordan Lee who left only fragments of a paper trail and has been one of my most difficult ancestors to research. Jordan Lee has been listed on censuses in South Carolina in the area where Benjamin Hodge and John Rains (Jordan’s wife Lidia’s family) was listed. I have carefully looked through each census from 1810 to 1840 hoping to find a clue that will lead me to vital information about Jordan Lee.

Jordan Lee was either born in South Carolina or Ireland. It was important to remember the possibility that he was an immigrant to the colony of South Carolina and that he wouldn’t be named on records prior to 1810. The information that I had to begin my research came from Lee relatives. They have researched the Lee line and the information provided by them was vital in jump starting my research for my grandmother’s ancestors. Although I knew very little about my Lee ancestors. I used the information with sources that they provided, then verified it using records that were available. Censuses were found for Jordan Lee in 1810 to 1840, and he is named on a land record, estate record for Thomas Hodge, and a record for Benjamin Hodge, his father-in-law.  With this information about Benjamin Hodge, Thomas Hodge, and John Rains I kept a close eye on the neighbors or those people listed on the censuses with Jordan Lee. Also, I looked for any familiar names such as the brothers-in-law of Lidia Hodge Lee. Those names were clues when searching for Jordan Lee and that I had the correct ancestor.

As I looked at the 1810 Richland, South Carolina census I noticed in the left column the words Columbia town and Richland District were written down the side of the census. That caught my eye since there was not a heading on the census. The name of town, city, or county, names of heads of families, free white males, free white females, and all other persons were on page one and since my ancestor was on page 5 of the census, I had to refer to page one for the age categories. There is a Jordan Lee on the 1810 Columbia, Richland District, South Carolina census. His estimated birth year is 1778 and on the 1810 census is one free white male listed in the column that shows the age category of 26 and under 45 including heads of families. Jordan Lee would be about thirty-two years old at that time. Lydia his wife would have been about twenty-five years old. A free white female is listed in the age category of 16 under 26 including heads of families.

Since I had a location for Jordan Lee, I continued my search in Richland, South Carolina. Next was the 1820 census. I noticed on the 1820 census there were categories that I had not seen before.  The 1820 census shows additional information added such as: Number of foreigners not naturalized, Number of persons engaged in agriculture, Number of persons engaged in commerce, Number of persons engaged in manufacturing, and Number of slaves, Number of other free persons, except Indians, not taxed.

The 1820 Richland, Richland District, South Carolina census has a Jordan Lee listed on it; however, in the column that states “Foreigners not Naturalized” there is no check leading me to believe that he isn’t an immigrant. A male is checked in the age category of free white males of twenty-six and under forty-five including heads of families. There is a female in the same category for free white females and possibly his wife Lidia. One interesting note is Benjamin Hodge father of Lidia, wife of Jordan Lee, is listed on the census one page to the left of the page where Jordan Lee is listed. The column for “Foreigners not Naturalized” was not checked for Benjamin Hodge either, indicating to me that he most likely was born in the colonies.

I had difficulty reading the headings on the 1830 Richland District, South Carolina census so I used a blank 1830 census form to determine what information was in the columns. There is a mark in the of fifty and under sixty age category so possibly this is Jordan Lee and he would be about fifty-two years old at that time and a female with a mark in the same female age category. There are not any marks in the “Aliens – Foreigners not naturalized column.” Family stories passed down have said that Jordan Lee was a young boy when they immigrated from Ireland.  What is his father’s name? There are nagging questions that need to be answered.  First, did the census taker ask “Aliens – Foreigners” information? Second, was Jordan Lee an immigrate to the colonies? Lastly, what is his father’s name?

Each census question is answered by an informant (or someone who gave the information). That person was anyone who answered the door when the census taker came to the door. The 1840 U.S. Census requested persons who were “pensioners for Revolutionary or military services” to indicate that information. That information was not noted on the census for Jordan Lee and no military records have been found for him. That is a question that I have asked repeatedly but can’t answer since I haven’t found records for him.

Researching further I followed Jordan Lee to the 1840 census and found a Jordan Lee listed on the Tallapoosa County, Alabama 1840 census. He is listed in the free white persons including heads of families in the 60 and under 70 age category for males and there is a female in the 40 to 50 female age category. Lidia’s estimated birth year is 1785 therefore she would be about fifty-five years old. Is that female Lidia? Lidia Lee is listed on the 1850 Tallapoosa County, Alabama census living alone, she was born in South Carolina, she is sixty years old, and her estimated birth year 1790. Based on the previous censuses and the 1850 through 1870 censuses I concluded this to be Lidia Lee. There is a land record for Jordan Lee for 40.14 acres dated 1 June 1845 Tallapoosa County, Alabama. 

 




Although the question of whether or not Jordan Lee was an immigrant was answered by researching the 1820 through 1840 censuses there are questions about Jordan Lee that I will research to answer. Who are his parents? Did Jordan Lee serve in the military? He would have been about thirty-two years old when the War of 1812 was going on. What was his religious affiliation? I haven’t found church record for him. I continue to research and hope for more records to be added online that will help in answering these questions and others that might come up.