I was wondering how possible it could be that the same person could appear in two different censuses in 1790 or other early census years. It does not seem likely but if someone was removing or visiting, could they get double counted?

Yes, people can be enumerated more than once in the same census - either because they moved, or because the census taker did not follow the instructions properly. Even in the early years, they moved around quite a bit. If you are talking about 2 different towns in the same state, I would think that was likely. This information is at the ancestry site about the 1790 census *The 1790 census was begun on 2 August 1790. The marshals were expected to finish the census within nine months of the Census Day-by 1 May 1791. Although most of the returns were in long before the deadline, Congress had to extend the count until 1 March 1792. By that time some people probably were counted who had not been born or present in 1790. So, your person could have been enumerated in one place in August 1790, then moved, the enumerated again in the new place at a much later date. Try searching for sites that will have some information on the 1790 census and the town you are asking about. "1790 census" +town name In the later census where family members are listed by name, and where there is a date of enumeration on the top of the page, there is much more information to use to make an educated guess as to wether they are the same person or not. Unfortunately in these early census only the head is given with number of family members. You could have several John Smiths with families of the same ages, so I think you need to look for other evidence that you have the same family in 2 different locations. Lisa ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Blood" <peterblood666@joimail.com> To: <MA-CENSUS-LOOKUP-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, April 11, 2005 2:31 AM Subject: [MA-CENSUS-LOOKUP] Can u be in 2 place at once? > I was wondering how possible it could be that the same person could appear in two different censuses in 1790 or other early census years. It does not seem likely but if someone was removing or visiting, could they get double counted? > > > ============================== > Jumpstart your genealogy with OneWorldTree. Search not only for > ancestors, but entire generations. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13972/rd.ashx > >