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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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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