This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/iUI.2ACIB/2007.1.2.1 Message Board Post: The Edson Chandler in the census is listed as born May, 1900 (in the 1900 census, taken in June, 1900). At that time he was in Central City, Merrick, NE. You have SS information [SSDI: Name: EDSON CHANDLER SSN: 507-03-4253 Last Residence: 68826 Central City, Merrick, NE Born: 22 May 1900 ]. If that is the Edson you are interested in, it would seem a pretty good match. The census, working backward in time, has this information (keep in mind that the census is almost always contradictory in some details from one to the next). 1920--Central City, Merrick, NE. The household of Charles F. Chandler, age 53, born in Indiana, father b. NY, mother born U.S. He's a carpenter. He's married to Celestia C., age 47, born in Canada as were both parents. Daughter Carrie J., 23 and son Edison (sic), 19, both b. NE. 1910--Central City. Charles (L?). This time has both parents b. IN as is Charles. Wife Celestia is listed as immigrating in 1875 ( in 1900 census it was 1873. Carrie and Edson (this time spelled Edson) are there. Other information substantially as in 1920 except occupation appears to be "restaurant" (difficult to read). 1900 Weeping Water Pct, Cass County, NE. Charles F., born Oct. 1866 Indiana, both parents Ohio. Celestia C., b. Sep. 1871 (I may have read it incorrectly or it may have been reported or written down incorrectly). They had been married four years. Carry J., Nov. 1896, "Babe" May, 1900. There's no census for 1890 of course. 1880 Eight Mile Grove, Cass Co., NE There's an O. F. Chandler, age 40, born in NY, Parents both NY. He's married to "Juraldine" age 25, obviously not his first wife as he has a 15 year old son, William. Second son is Charley F. age 13, father b. NY, mother Ohio. I believe this is almost certainly Charles F. Chandler, father of Edson. In the 1900 census O. F. Chandler is listed as Oscar (wife's name is now spelled Geraldine.) His birthdate is listed as Oct. 1842 and birthplace as NY, father's as NY, mother's as VT. As I said in the previous message, in 1870 Oscar's wife is Sarah E., born in Ohio. The census was taken by people who went from house to house and asked questions--at least they were supposed to. There are stories of enumerators who just asked the neighbors or anyone they could find. In any case, they were sometimes semi-literate judging by what they wrote, and they wrote down what they thought they heard and spelled as best they could. (The best example I know of is when I was trying to find a man listed in the census by his first initial, "M." It turned out that's what the census taker heard, but the man's name was Emerson and he was called "Em.") The person giving the information may not have known all the facts. In following a family it has been my experience that there is virtually always some disagreement from one census to another, but a big picture does emerge, and some facts, such as place of residence, are fairly certain to be correct. I don't know if this is your Edson--it's just what I could dig out of the census.