A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A 1860 CENSUS TAKER

This document provides information as reference for you to see what you can hope to find on each census record. Census records are a very good sourse for not only locating you ancestors but also putting their families together. Yes, clues every where but remember census takes are human and do make mistakes.

Remember - Census records are our friends 

A Story just for Fun about the possible life of a census taker's job: By  Dean Crosby. 

The census taker is about to have another bad day.  His name is John Doe.  It is Monday morning 5 AM.  John's day started out bad when his wife told him there were no more eggs or bacon.  He would have to settle for what was left of the baked beans from the night before.  During breakfast he thought about the deadline he had for taking the census in his district.  He was way behind, partially his fault, and partially because people were either out in the fields working, or they were more worried where there next meal was coming from than talking to some snoopy census taker. 

After breakfast, he went out to get his mule.  It was raining cats and dogs,  His mule had broke the wooden fence out, and who knows where he had gone.  John had to get going so he decided to go on foot.  Attempting to keep the census paper dry he walked several miles in rain to the first house on his list.  John did the proper introduction as to the reason for his visit.  The lady on the porch looked on him with pity and offered John a cup of coffee.  The first glimmer of his day getting better!  The good news was it was hot.  The bad, it tasted more like the water that she used to clean her husband's socks.  John pulled out his census log, only to find the pages so moist that he could not write on it.  John asked the women if she had some paper.  Her reply was "we us-ings doesn't use paper, we use corn cobs."  John struggled fo find a dry page in the middle of his book and began there to write. 

Being in a very rural area of Madison County TN, the homes were very scattered, so by the time he made his second stop he was soaked.  It was an old farmer that had compassion, and asked John to come in and dry out next to the fire he had made.  They talked about different things, as the time got away.  John dried out and the rain had all but stopped.  John asked the old man who his neighbor was, a half mile down the dirt road.  He replied "don't know much about um, but his name is Timothy Muns."  

It was afternoon now and John had only made two stops.  He came to the third house, the Muns.  There were a few dogs on the porch barking as he approached.  A young lad came out the front of the home, as there was no door.  John asked to see his father, and the lad replied proudly, "ma and pa went to town since it was rainon, and I am taken care of things".  John was surprised the lad was left alone, as he looked to be 5-6 years old.  John asked the lad his name and how old he was.  The lad replied proudly, " I'm Joseph and I'm ah ah ah ------   8 !",  In John's mind he thought about how far he was behind, and he did not want to come back, so he continued to get information from the boy.  He obviously knew his family's names, but struggled with their ages.  John thought, "some information is better than none at all, lets go with it!". 

 John really hustled the rest of the day till almost dark.  There was one more house at the end of the road, another mile and half.  John thought, "It's no big deal if I just miss one today.", so he headed home.  As he was walking in the dark he pondered many things; where did the mule go, what was for dinner, etc. John became somewhat encouraged, thinking, "today started out bad, but I did get a lot accomplished.  If I can just do this well the rest of the week."

As John approached his house he noticed no lantern light inside.  How late was it?  Did his wife go to bed?  He quietly entered, thinking he did not want to awaken his wife and children.  He lit a lantern.  No food on the stove tonight?  John thought, "Sure will be glad when that census pay gets here."  He noticed a piece of paper on the table and thought, "boy I sure could have used that today".  Oh, it was a note!

        "Dear John,

            We have no food, no livestock, no crops, and no money.   I found the mule, and decided to take him and the kids back to Henderson County and stay with ma, so the kids could have a meal.  Will be back friday when you get paid.

             Lucy"

So this is the life of a census taker in 1860.  150 years later we wonder why the information wasn't more accurate.