And also did not "keep house", as it then was called. It means just what it says --- the person in question just stayed home, he/she had no outside occupation and did not attend school. Subject: Census Question What do the words AT HOME mean when listed after age and sex in the 1870 Virginia Census? It's listed in the same column as occupation. This was a 5 year old female child with a different last name as the head of household but was supposedly his illegitimate child.