When I look at the 1840 census, I must scratch my head. Why do you ask? I want to scratch my head because of the frustration of finding out who all these “tick” marks represent. The federal census records are full of surprises / hints that leads to more information. So, then it becomes a hunt for what is hidden within this census. But then we come to the dreaded “tick” marks. So instead of ignoring all census records prior to 1850, let’s try to understand at least the 1840 census that may shed new light that can help our genealogical research. First question then becomes “what does the 1840 Census tell us?” The 1840 Census tells us: · The name of the free-head of the household · The location in which a family lived · The number of free white males and free white females, separated into the following age groups: 0-5 years, 5-10 years, 10-15 years, 15-20 years, 20-30 years and every 10 years up to age 100, and ages 100 and older. · The number of slaves in the household, separated into the same age groups and by gender · The number of free black people in the household, separated into the same age groups and by gender · The number of insane people in a household, by race · The number of deaf, mute, and blind people in a household, by race · The number of people actively attending school in each household · Seven different occupations, and the number of people in the household employed in each of these occupations, if any. The big hint here is: if your ancestor’s occupation was in the agricultural pursuit this would be the time to check out land and tax records kept by county officials. · The number of white people in a household over the age of 20 who could not read or write · The number of Revolutionary War pensioners in the household that will include their age. Sometimes you will find a woman’s name which was seldom if ever noted on a Census document, that far back. The reason I’m sharing all this is because the 1840 census shares more information than any other census prior to 1840 or after 1840, things that could help unlock the treasures that are hidden by other census records. So now, how do we find out who the tick marks represent? You have been tracing your ancestors back from 1940 down to 1840 and now you are at those “tick” marks. Oh boy. All the names have disappeared. Where did they go? Are we sure that’s my family? Take a deep breath and relax. Those tick marks represent your family members. When you begin to look for the 1840 census records that you would like to research make sure that you use variant spellings of the actual name. Remember what you and I may or may not be able to see can vary, either due to misspellings or the lack of handwriting skills. Thus, the record you need may be indexed incorrectly. Once you have found the 1840 census records you need, it’s time to do a little detective work. This is when you will want to put together a chart to track people in the house hold from each of the census’s you find. You can use a chart like this one to help track families from 1850 – 1790. You will want to make two copies of this chart. One chart for the males and one chart for the females.
A * indicates where individuals between 16-18 years old would have been reported twice during that census year. You will want to start with the 1850 census that can help you determine who is in a household in the 1840 census. Compare the 1850 information regarding the people and their ages to the tick marks placed on the 1840 census. Also, look for any Revolutionary pensioners that may be living in the household. If you discover there was a Revolutionary pensioner within the household in 1840, check out Fold3, Ancestry or the National Archives. Revolutionary War Pension records can have a wealth of information regarding the family. You are now ready to dive into the 1840 Census.
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When you walk into a library you may see a row of cabinets filled with old microfilm. Microfilm’s history starts as far back as 1839, with experimental novelty texts being produced by an English scientist, John Benjamin Dancer. He was known as the “Father of Microphotography”. In the Autumn of 1839 on a daguerreotype plate with the reduction of 160X John Benjamin Dancer had successfully made a microphotograph. That microphotograph that once was viewed with the use of a microscope was an essential tool during the Franco-Prussian War, when Prussia had surrounded Paris. All forms of communication had been cut off from Paris to France. Pigeons were then used to carry the microphotographs that contained important messages across the German lines to the besieged city of Paris. That was a beginning step in technology that has allowed us to store important documents over the years. But as technology changes the more obsolete the microfilm has become. They may be obsolete but by no means have they become less useful. For they hold documents that can shed much light on the lives and history of our ancestors told in books, newspapers and old files. It doesn’t matter which country your ancestors were from, microfilm was used as a way of storing history. So, let’s look at some of the machines that are used to read these microfilms. Light Projection Microfilm Reader Some of us may recognize the Light Projection Microfilm Reader, since we probably used it at one time or another. There are some as of today, that are still in use. These microfilm machines have light shining through the microfilm that then projects an image onto the screen. On the side of the machine is a crank that is used to move from one image to the next. On the bottom front of the machine near the right side, is the speed option for fast or slow. On the bottom front, in the middle is where you will have the option to use high or low light. There may be a third button that provides you the option to print in black and white. However, due to the limitations of technology these machines do not always provide clear sharp images. Turn the machine on by pressing the button in front. Lift the glass to the opening position. Place the microfilm on the spindle on the left side, making sure the film is going counter clockwise. Thread the microfilm between the upper and lower rollers on the left side and then between the glass. Once through the glass, thread the microfilm between the rollers on the right side. Insert the film into the take up reel. Wind the reel a few times and then use the crank on the side of the machine to turn the microfilm to the first image. To center the microfilm image, grab the scan lever and adjust by going vertically or horizontally. If the image needs to be rotated, grasp the image rotation knob located above the lens, yet under the glass tray. The focus ring located on the lens allows you to focus the image to your needs. You are now ready. Cannon Microfilm Scanner 300 IIAnother Microfilm machine that is used today in some libraries is called the Canon Microfilm Scanner 300 II. This machine works with the computer program Capture Perfect. This program allows you to save the documents to your flash drive / external hard drive or print. Turn on the Canon Microfilm Scanner by pressing the power switch on the left-hand bottom front side. When placing the microfilm on the machine first pull out the tray. Place the microfilm on the spindle on the left side, making sure the film is going clockwise. Feed the film under the big roller and the glass, taking it over to the take-out reel. Slowly turn the image turn dial on the right-hand bottom front side of the machine clockwise till the take-out reel catches the film. Wind the reel a few times to turn the microfilm to the first image. Place the tray back underneath machine and begin searching for the desired image using the image turn dial. The light adjustment dial in the middle on the bottom front of the machine is used when the intensity of the lighting needs adjustment. This allows for a greater magnification of the image. To adjust the focus, the lens has two dials. The zoom dial allows for zooming in and out of the image, while the focus dial focuses on the image to your specifications. The rotation dial will allow the image to be turned in the direction needed. There are several different keys located under the screen to assist you better. With the negative/positive key you have 3 options: 1) Negative film mode, in which a positive output is created from a negative film image. 2) Positive film mode, in which a negative output is created from a positive film image. Or 3) Automatic mode, in which the machine selects the mode based on the microfilm recognized. The AE adjustment key is another important item to know about. It allows the machine to decide the brightness of the image produced on computer or print. However, if you prefer to control the brightness manually then use the brightness adjustment keys. The brightness indicator will assist you in your decision of the brightness of the document. Always feel free to ask the librarians for further assistance if needed. To read more about the history of microfilm, the author, Dick Eastman, wrote a wonderful article called The Death of Microfilm. Hope by reading this, it will familiarize you to some machines that can open a whole new door in your search for ancestors that can be found on microfilm. What do you think of when you think of Valentine’s Day? To most people, they think of flowers and candy and cuddly stuffed animals. There are those that not only give flowers and candy and stuffed animals to their loved ones, but they also surprise the loved ones with a proposal of marriage.
We then as genealogists get to get our adrenaline running as we play detective in the search for marriage records for our ancestors. So how does one go about looking for marriage records? Where do we look? To whom do we speak? Are there other types of records that we would not have thought about otherwise before that pertain to marriages? Here are some helpful tips to make your search more productive and successful, as the search tips will include other countries. 1) Approximating Marriage Year and Place a. Year i. For those that were living between 1900 -1940 in the U.S, look for U.S. Census records. They will provide either the number of years married, or marriage year or the age at first marriage. ii. Another way to go about it is to find who the oldest child was and their birth year. Once you find the birth year of the oldest child add 1 to 3 years for possible date of marriage. iii. Between the years of 1650 – 1940 females tended to get married between the ages of 14 – 21 on average, depending on where they were living and the customs of that area. iv. Between 1650 – 1940 males tended to get married between the ages of 15 – 25 on average, depending on where they were living and the customs of that area. b. Place i. Weddings would take place where the bride and her family lived. So, look in Census records for the bride and her family. Look at the Census record closest to the date you believe they were married. This may help in finding the state and county of the marriage. ii. If unsuccessful in finding the marriage location on the bride’s side of the family, look for census records locating county and state of the groom and his family. iii. Marriages also could take place in the same county and state where the first child was born. iv. Check out these other sources to where the marriage took place: 1. Census records. Remember prior to 1850 women were not listed. So, after 1850 the census may have listed the spouse. 2. Family Bibles. Archives, libraries and historical centers are great places to search for marriage records, if the family members that you are in contact with do not have family Bibles. 3. Newspaper announcements. They may contain information regarding the marriage, anniversaries, or family reunions. 4. Church Marriage records. Church records may contain the spouse’s maiden name, parent’s names of the bride and groom as well as the date and place. 5. Children’s Baptismal Records. In some countries, other than the U.S., a child’s baptismal record will often provide not only the names of the parents and Godparents, but they will provide the names of the grandparents. 6. Death Records. This record may provide a spouse’s name and whether the deceased was single, married, widowed or divorced. 7. Obituaries. They can provide parent’s names, siblings, children and their spouse’s names. And on rare occasions they may provide the date and place of their marriage. 8. Military Records. Remember with pensions a widow would sometimes have to prove that they were married to the deceased spouse. Thus, there may be a date and place listed in the pension file. Also, look on draft registration forms for a name of spouse. 9. Naturalization paperwork. Another great source to find information regarding name of spouse, date of marriage and place of marriage. 2) Where do you find a copy? a. County Court Houses b. States Archives c. Church Records d. Libraries in the county in which the couple married. e. Government Agencies such as Vital Statistics for the state in which the couple married. f. Online – indexes and digital copies of the marriage records g. Extended family. Always share with extended family they may have treasures you may not have. 3) Types of Marriage Records. I found a wonderful blog that discusses the types of marriage records during the 19th Century in America. There are 6 types that Diana Gale Matthiesen elaborates on within her blog. 4) Loose Marriage Records. Finally let’s talk about something you don’t hear about as readily. Loose Marriage Records. These documents are a rich source that can provide extensive information. Melisa Baker in Houston County, TN does a superb job of informing us more about the Loose Marriage Records. |
Penny Alvarez-KellerGraduated from Arkansas Tech University with a degree in Management / Marketing and a degree in Economics / Finance Archives
February 2023
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