Clues in the Census

In doing general United States original research (meaning that you start researching on your own, not just looking at what others have done), you should almost always start with censuses. This is true in the South as well. Censuses provide a great picture of a family’s structure that is traceable through time, and can be extremely helpful in figuring out what to research next. Here are a few tips and tricks I learned while doing research on the Kennerly Family:

1. Look at the neighbors. In 1810, Thomas Kennerly was believed to have been living in Orangeburgh, South Carolina, and a Thomas Kennerly was indeed found in the 1810 census in that area. But since there were no other members of the family listed in the federal censuses until 1850, it is often hard to determine exactly which entry represents your ancestor, especially if the name was common. In these instances, it can be extremely helpful to look at the other names on the page- the neighbors.

   

   1810 U.S. Federal Census, Orangeburg County, South Carolina    

   The key to identifying Thomas in 1810 was to look at the nearby families: only a few lines above were two Holman families and a Whetstone family.¹ Thomas’s mother’s maiden name was Holman, and the C. Holman listed in 1810 was possibly Thomas grandfather. 9 years prior to this census, Thomas married a woman named Rebecca Whetstone, and the Whetstones listed as living nearby were probably relatives of hers.
2. Make a table for the “tick-mark” censuses. Before 1850, a census taker would ask only for the ages and genders of the members of the household, and record these in a series of “tick-marks.” These censuses are harder to read, but can still be quite useful. In 1820, for example, Thomas Kennerly’s household was marked down as having 4 males under the age of 10.² From FamilySearch Family Tree, I knew that Thomas supposedly had 2 sons born in 1820- Samuel and Daniel.³ I initially thought Samuel was born in 1820 and Daniel was born later, but after finding the 1820 census, I knew I had to analyze the problem better. So, I made this chart:
   
   With the family structure that I knew of, the only way to explain 4 sons under the age of 10 was if Daniel was born by June 1820, which meant that Samuel would have had to have been born earlier. This ended up being a huge clue in determining Samuel's age.
3. Use every clue you are given! When I was researching the end of Samuel Kennerly’s life, I didn’t have any idea when he died. Luckily, the 1860 census taker in their area was of a mind to be extra detailed with his census taking! In Pointe Coupee, Louisiana in 1860 there was no Samuel Kennerly household, but there was a “Wdw S. Kennerly” family listed.⁴

   

   1860 US Federal Census, Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana

   For whatever reason, the census taker had marked Samuel’s wife Eleanor as a widow, even though that wasn’t one of the questions. Because of this, I knew to look for Samuel’s death information before 1860, and I ended up finding some very interesting probate records that proved relationships for the whole family.With the family structure that I knew of, the only way to explain 4 sons under the age of 10 was if Daniel was born by June 1820, which meant that Samuel would have had to have been born earlier.

In summary, census records are vital to southern United States research, and it's important to use every little fact from every single census. Sometimes, you’re not given a lot of information, and other times you’re given quite a bit to work with. But whatever the case, analyze every little tidbit, and you’ll be surprised how much you can learn!

~AC

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1 1810 U.S. Federal Census, Orangeburg County, South Carolina, pop. sched., , pg. 130 (stamped), Thomas Kennerly; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 February 2016).^↩
2 1820 U.S. Federal Census, Barnwell District, South Carolina, pop. sched, , Thomas Kennerly; digital images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 8 April 2016).^↩
3 "FamilySearch Family Tree", database, FamilySearch.org (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 8 January 2016), Thomas Kennerly, FamilySearch ID L7JN-2BN.^↩
4 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, pop. sched., pg. 93 (penned), dwelling no. 865, family no. 942, Wdw S. Kennerly and family; digital image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com : accessed 22 February 2016)^↩

Know your Jurisdictions!

Today- a quick blurb about Southern jurisdictions. Of course, it is absolutely essential that wherever you are focusing your research, you know what the jurisdictions are for the records you need. If you don’t know the jurisdictions, you won’t be able to find anything!

 In the South as much as anywhere, jurisdictions will vary state by state. Here are a few things I learned about jurisdictions while doing research on the Kennerly family: 

• South Carolina: Historically, jurisdictions changed in South Carolina more than anywhere else I’ve done research. My work was mostly in Barnwell county, which was formed from Orangeburg district, so that’s what I’ll include here. But even if this county has nothing to do with your research, at least recognize that figuring out the jurisdictions will be just as crazy anywhere else in the state!
  South Carolina began as an assembly of parishes, which as the colony grew, developed into various townships and counties. In 1769, all counties were abolished and 7 circuit court districts were established. Among these was the Orangeburgh District, Barnwell county originated. At this point, most records were being held in Charleston. In 1785, the districts were divided into 3-6 counties each. Most of these were counties in name only, never functioning quite in the way a county does today. The counties in Orangeburgh District functioned for a few years, but in 1791, the counties in some of the Districts (including Orangeburgh) were dissolved. From Orangeburgh District, Barnwell District was created. In 1800, all districts were officially abolished, though these districts-turned-counties continued to use the term “district” for years (including Barnwell county).¹

• Louisiana: Research in Louisiana can be a bit of a challenge as well, because both the French and Spanish controlled it at various times before the United States purchased it in 1803. France founded New Orleans in 1718, and controlled the area until Spain took over in 1763. The French took it back in 1800, but sold it to the US in 1803. Because there was so much back-and-forth until Louisiana’s statehood in 1812, it is very important to know which country had jurisdiction for the time period you are researching. 
  Another interesting fact about Louisiana- the “counties” are called parishes. Because the French and Spanish had so much early influence, the Catholic church was very prominent in Louisiana, and religious organization was very important. So, the land was organized into parishes. Luckily, this means that there are quite good church records from as early as 1730 in Louisiana. They’re there waiting, you just need to know where to look!  

~AC

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1 "Orangeburgh District, South Carolina." FamilySearch Wiki. Accessed January 25, 2016. https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Orangeburgh_District,_South_Carolina.^↩