As a 1980 door-to-door census taker,* let me urge everyone to fill in your own census and mail it in! That will save our government (us) the money that would otherwise have to be paid to census takers, who will go to an address up to three times! Participation is required by law. Older censuses did not have forms to mail in; information was collected by door-to-door enumerators. On the very old forms I think we are seeing the actual collected info. If the list is alphabetical, then of course no. Imagine: 1. miles between houses out in the country. The enumerator arrives and only a 12-yr-old boy is at home. Ask him or come back? That's why I question ANY old person's age if it ends in a zero or 5---sounds like estimating. 2. given dental care in the old days (many people toothless from middle age on), literacy, and accents, the enumerator spelled names as best as he could. Our Barrons became Barnes..... 3. same for birthplaces. I doubt that my children could correctly give the birthplaces of their grandparents. Censuses are essential for accurate representation in Congress and local government. As genealogy tools, they are a wonderful.......clue!!! Not a guaranteed fact. * (As a census-taker, I faced menacing dogs, strange entryways with snakeskins on the floor, and a "hypnotist" who wanted me as his "assistant"! Mail in your census!!!) Phyllis

Being an enumerator is scary business, huh? > Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 21:41:17 +0000 > From: richerson52@comcast.net > To: tnlincol@rootsweb.com > Subject: [TNLINCOL] two cents from a former census taker > > As a 1980 door-to-door census taker,* let me urge everyone to fill in your own census and mail it in! That will save our government (us) the money that would otherwise have to be paid to census takers, who will go to an address up to three times! Participation is required by law. > > > Older censuses did not have forms to mail in; information was collected by door-to-door enumerators. On the very old forms I think we are seeing the actual collected info. If the list is alphabetical, then of course no. > > > Imagine: > 1. miles between houses out in the country. The enumerator arrives and only a 12-yr-old boy is at home. Ask him or come back? That's why I question ANY old person's age if it ends in a zero or 5---sounds like estimating. > > > 2. given dental care in the old days (many people toothless from middle age on), literacy, and accents, the enumerator spelled names as best as he could. Our Barrons became Barnes..... > > > 3. same for birthplaces. I doubt that my children could correctly give the birthplaces of their grandparents. > > > Censuses are essential for accurate representation in Congress and local government. As genealogy tools, they are a wonderful.......clue!!! Not a guaranteed fact. > > > * (As a census-taker, I faced menacing dogs, strange entryways with snakeskins on the floor, and a "hypnotist" who wanted me as his "assistant"! Mail in your census!!!) > > > Phyllis > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TNLINCOL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469228/direct/01/