Hi Sharon, Thanks for sharing this information. I was already aware of these differences in census dates and have found it very useful. However, there are several more caveats about ages as given in census returns which many, if not most, of you are probably already aware of and I probably have left some out in the list below. No single source is realiable. 1. The census taker did not always follow instructions. Most census takers may have followed the date restriction, but the researcher shouldn't assume that all did. 2. The census taker was given correct information but recorded or copied it incorrectly. 3. The census taker was given incorrect information on purpose by the household informant. There is one single adult lady in my home county whose age is the same in three censuses even though twenty years had passed between the first and last census. I also know of several instances in which the "known" ages of spouses are for some reason wrong in the census, usually to make it appear as if they are closer in age or that the older one is actually the younger one. I even have obituaries, tombstones, and death certificates which give the wrong year of birth by as much as ten to twenty years apparently because the person had been "passing" for younger when in fact the birth certificate, family Bible, or even census records, etc., provide more accurate information. And obviously, sometimes an incorrect year or age is given so that the oldest child is shown as born at least nine months after the parents' marriage. 4. The census taker was given estimates of ages because exact age was not as important in those days as today and many people didn't know how old they were for sure. This is especially true when someone in the household or even a neighbor is giving another person's age and unfortunately there is no record of who provided the information for each household. I have a adult male relative who happens to appear twice in the same census in different townships in the same county because he apparently had moved from one household between 15 Aug 1850 when he was first counted and 4 Dec 1850 when he was counted the second time. Strangely, his age in Aug. is given as 24 and his age in Dec. is given as 23 rather than vice versa. In fact from other records it appears that he did not celebrate his 23rd birthday until 25 Dec 1850 after the 2nd date he was recorded in the census, so he apparently was only 22 at the time of both censuses. However, he is correclty shown as single in both ! censuses because he was married on 18 July 1850. And his new bride is shown with her maiden name living in her parents household when the census taker got to their house 4 Nov. 1850. 5. Similar to the media hype that has led people to think that this year of 2000 is the first year of a new century and millennium when it is really the last year of both, people in the "old days" [even my grandmother in the last third of this present century] gave her age as the age at her next birthday or after she celebrated her 79th birthday, correctly stated that she was in her 80th year because indeed the day after the 79th birthday is the first day of the 80th year. I just recently found another of many instances where a phrase like, in this case, "He died in his 63rd year" in a newspaper obituary was wrongly abstracted and published by a modern day abstracter as "He died at age 63." If the person died "in his 63rd year," then he was 62 at his last birthday not 63 as the person doing the abstract interpreted it. This is another frequent error made in interpreting age. Ross Cameron >>> <froach598@juno.com> 02/01/00 10:26PM >>> Hi Grp, this was on another list I'm on, it explains a lot abt age difference from Census to Census and a few surprises..I've been doing this research almost 12 yrs and we even took a class, in "Genie"..and it just amazes me how much there is still to learn..... Sharon R..WA State ...................................................... By Bill Dollarhide Beginning with the 1790 federal census û continuing with every census thereafter û each enabling law authorized by Congress specified a census day for gathering the census information from every household in America. >From 1790 to 1820, the census day was the first Monday in August. The census day was NOT the day the enumerator arrived at a household, it was the day for which all the statistics of the census were collected. The actual instructions given to all the U.S. Marshals right before the 1820 census explains: "....all the questions refer to the day when the enumeration is to commence; the first Monday in August next. Your assistants will thereby understand that they are to insert in their returns all the persons belonging to the family on the first Monday in August, even those who may be deceased at the time when they take the account; and, on the other hand, that they will not include in it, infants born after that day." Similar instructions have been given for every census since 1790, but with different census days. The table below shows the census day for each census, 1790-1920, and the time allowed to take the ......................................................................... ......... census:....................time allowed 1790........2 Aug......9 mos 1800........4 Aug........9 mos 1810........6 Aug.........10 mos 1820........7 Aug.........13 mos 1830........1 June.........12 mos 1840.........1 June.........18 mos (?SLR) 1850.........1 June.........8 mos 1860..........1 June.........5 mos? 1870...........1 June..........8 mos 1880...........1 June...........1 mon 1890............1 June..........1 mon 1900............1 June..........1 mon 1910............15 Apr(?)......1 mon 1920............1 January......1 month (this table would not copy so had to type in, its real tiny so had trouble reading-SLR) ......................................................................... ..................................................... 1820 and 1830 Census Day Differences On the above table, note that the census day changed from the first Monday in August in 1820 to the first day of June in 1830. If one is researching families appearing in the 1820 and 1830 censuses, looking at these families again may be important. Since the census days for 1820 and 1830 are not exactly ten years apart, the two-month difference may reveal some surprising results. For example, if a person were born between 1 June 1820 and 7 August 1820, that child would appear in the 1820 census in the "under 10" category. But in 1830, that same person would appear in the "of 5 and under 10" rather than the "of 10 and under 15" category, since the person had not turned 10 yet. The age category for anyone born between 1 June and 7 August in any year would be affected by this reporting change between 1820 and 1830. Comparing the 1820 age categories for a person appearing ten years later and not in the "correct" age category may actually give a clue to a person's date of birth within a two-month period. Time Allowed to Take a Census On the table above, note the time allowed to take each census. All of the states complied with this provision, except South Carolina in 1790. South Carolina could not complete its 1790 enumeration in nine months. The U.S. Marshal complained that he was having great difficulty finding people to take the job because of the resistance to the census being taken. A Charleston jury met to decide the fate of six persons who had "refused to render an account of persons in their households as required by the census act." A South Carolina census taker was brought on trial for neglect of duty. He did not complete the census in his district. These and other problems led to South Carolina being granted an extension and the census returns were dated 5 February 1792, a full eighteen months after the census day. Differing Census Days In a couple of cases, there have been census days assigned to certain states that were different than the rest of the U.S. for that year. When Vermont entered the Union as the 14th state in 1791, the 1790 census was already underway. VermontÆs 1790 census was taken with a census day of the first Monday in April 1791, with five months allowed to take the census there. And Utah, which became a territory in September 1851 had its 1850 census taken with a census day of 1 April 1851. But the dates on the Utah census pages are mostly in October 1851. Thus, the 1851 census enumerators probably asked Utahns questions like, "Six months ago, back on April 1st, who was the head of this household?" Census Day vs Enumeration Date Genealogists should record two dates when copying information from the censuses: the census day and the enumeration date. No matter how many months it took for an enumerator to reach a house, he was supposed to gather the information as if time had stopped on the census day. Every person whose regular abode was in a particular household on the census day was to be enumerated, even if a person were away at the time of the enumeration. Understanding the impact of the census day versus the enumeration date may explain why certain people appear in a census listing, even though you have other evidence to show the person died before the household was enumerated. If a person were alive on the census day, that person was to be included û even if it took some time for the enumerator to get around to the house to take the census. The person could have been dead for several months. Or, you may wonder why that youngest child in a family was not listed in a census. If a child were born after the census day, that child was not to be included û even if the census taker had visited the house and was aware of a playful little toddler crawling around in front of him. Now, some of you will have to go back to all of those census lists you have copied down and confirm the date of enumeration AND the census day. Any missing people? Any extra people? Good census hunting! - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ Bill Dollarhide welcomes your comments. Send your Email message to: Bill@HeritageQuest.com