I have read the postings on this topic with interest, and here's why. About 10 years ago I began reading the 1850-60-70 and so on US Federal Census in the Kenton County Library, researching various lines of my family in the Southern part of Kenton County, KY. One day I came across a listing, down the road from the family I was researching, to this day the listing troubles me. The family was listed as "UNKNOWN". There was a man - head of the household- listed as Jim UNKNOWN, wife, I forget her first name, lets say, Mary UNKNOWN, and several children, all listed as surname Unknown. I have always wondered, did my relatives know that a family lived there, but they only knew their first names did the census taker not visit them, merely asked my relatives who lived around there were they not home that day, however the census taker knew someone lived there did the family themselves know know their surname [I would think this unlikely] or, most importantly, exactly, what did happen Of course, I will never know the answers to those questions. As you all know, southern Kenton County was fairly well populated by the 1850s, certainly by the 1860s, as was most of Grant County. People were not isolated, and saw each other with some frequency, so the "Unknown" family should have been known by someone. Was the census taker lazy that day, did the Unknown family not want to be listed in the census, but did allow the correct number of children listed? I am only posting this message to let others know that families certainly were missed in the various census listings. Shirley > > > > > > ==== KYGRANT Mailing List ==== > Crazy.... is a relative term in MY family.