Error on Census?

It was supposed to be easy. I was looking for the Asa Phelps household in Franklin County in the 1850 US Census. (I am using FamilySearch in this example because of the “difficulty” introduced by the way Ancestry groups and displays census records.) When I did a record search using this information, I was pointed to the following image: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6S69-D52?i=135&cc=1401638. Being a good student of EE, I immediately examined the image and put together a citation in the form of a reference note:

1860 U.S. census, Franklin County, North Carolina, population schedule, Louisburg District, p. 768 (penned), dwelling 1013, family 1013, Asa Phelps household; imaged at FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 7 September 2017); citing National Archives microfilm publication M432, roll 630.

Then, since I was at the bottom of the page, I checked the next page/image to see if there were more children, which there were. That’s where I found the problem (actually I admit I originally found the problem thanks to the way Ancestry groups census records.) On this page the district is listed as "Davis District." This sent me paging forward and backwards through the Franklin County census and I saw multiple instances of this. For example at the bottom of this page a new family is started that continues on the next page where the district is labeled "Cooks District."

I understand that what we see as images are taken from microfilm of a set of records that are copies made from the census taker’s original notes. EE always stresses that our citations must state what the original record says, and if we feel we need to “correct” it we do so using square brackets. In this case, I have no idea how to go about creating a “correction” or even whether one is needed.

I hope you can offer some guidance on this.

Tom

Submitted byEEon Sun, 09/10/2017 - 13:17

Tom, you've spotted a can of worms in your thoughtful scrutiny of what you're using. In fact, we could characterize your issue as one of analysis, rather than source citation. Citing this census page is simple enough. Probing deeper suggests the issue lies in the  arrangement of the data intrinsic in the record itself--and the implications it has for your conclusions about the people.

First, by expanding our examination to a broader range of pages at FamilySearch, we see that it's not just an issue of switching back and forth between the two districts you mention (Cook's and Davis's). As an overview:

  • Image 376 (p383), Louisburg Dist., 1 October, nos. 987–994
  • Image 377 (p383verso), Cook’s Dist., 2 Oct., nos. 995-100-
  • Image 378 (p384), Perry’s Mill Dist., 2 Oct., nos. 1001-1006
  • Image 379 (p384v), Louisburg Dist., 3 Oct., nos. 1007-1013
  • Image 380 (p385), Davis Dist., 3 Oct., nos. 1014-1022
  • Image 381 (p385v), Cook’s Dist., 4 Oct, nos. 1023-1029
  • Image 382 (p386), Cook’s Dist., 5 Oct., nos. 1030-1038
  • Image 383 (p386v), Cook’s Dist., 5 Oct., nos. 1039-1045
  • Image 384 (p387), Cook’s Dist., 8 Oct., nos. 1046-1051
  • Image 385 (p387v), Perry’s Mill Dist., 8 Oct., nos. 1052 ….
  • Image 386 (p388), Perry’s Mill Dist., 10 Oct. …
  • Image 387 (p388v), Perry’s Mill Dist.15 Oct. …
  • Image 388 (p389), Perry’s Mill Dist. 15 Oct.…
  • Image 389 (p389v), Cook’s Dist. … 16 Oct. ...
  • Image 390 (p390), Perry’s Mill Dist., 17 Oct. ...
  • Image 391 (p390v), Perry’s Mill Dist., 21 Oct. ... (end of district, with some interesting notes added)

Dwelling/household numbers are all consistent. The date pattern is chronological, but the census taker is switching in and out between four different districts.

As you noted, Ancestry organizes its images of this census differently from FamilySearch.

  • FS presents the images exactly as they were filmed, which follows the sequence in which the pages were numbered and bound by the Census Bureau.
  • Ancestry takes pages out of order and presents them according to the “district” cited at the top of the page. Therefore, when a household from, say, Cook’s District is begun on one page and finished on the next page on which a new district begins, Ancestry arbitrarily splits the household between those two districts.

For citation purposes, we would cite the district name that appears on the page on which the household begins. We would do this regardless of whether we were using the Ancestry arrangement or the FamilySearch arrangement.

However, the more important issue is why the census taker created that erratic cluster of pages. For this we would normally analyze several issues, starting with

  • Who was the census taker? What can we find out about him that would explain his seemingly irrational thinking?
  • Is there a significance to the dates? What was going on, on those dates? (If, for example, a cluster like this all appeared on a Sunday, we might hypothesize that the census taker gathered data at church. Or if it were Saturday, that he gathered it at a tavern or country store. In this case, using a perpetual calendar reveals that the dates cluster tightly on week days at first, then diverge into a couple of other patterns.
  • On what days did Franklin County hold its court sessions in October 1850? Could the census taker have been gathering data there—given that court days often brought rural residents into town for celebrations of sort—rather than making rounds?

Ancestry’s rearrangement of the pages into districts suggests something else. You’ll notice that for each of the districts involved in this erratic cluster, there are a number of pages, with the pages from the above cluster being significantly out of chronological and numerical order with the rest of that district's series.

All things considered, my starting hypothesis at this point would be that the cluster of pages stamped pp. 383 through 390 verso represent cases in which the census taker went back into those districts to pick up strays that he missed when he made his first pass through each district. Perhaps these individuals were not then at home. Perhaps the weather conditions made it impossible for him to get into certain neighborhoods on his first trip.

And now, for all our readers who are wondering What does this matter?, the takeaway is this:  I’d be extremely hesitant to assign “neighbors” (and potential kin) to anybody on these pages without further study.  It would be instructive, for example, to compare each page of this 1850 cluster to the 1840 and 1860 enumerations to see if individuals had the same set of neighbors.

And then, of course, if we were using the Ancestry version, there’s that problem of those pages that begin with partial entries carried over from prior pages. For example, in Ancestry’s cluster of 15 images for Perry’s Mill, who were Calvin and David who appear at the top of image 10?  http://ancstry.me/2wksad6

Thank you for the excellent analysis lesson. I was totally confused when I started to look at the situation, and your recognition of the underlying problem coupled with your study and feedback of the entire census record is a lesson that I hope I will remember and learn from for future work.

And, as you pointed out, the citation for the specific family was the easy part.

Thanks,
Tom

Submitted byEnlightened Bo…on Mon, 12/18/2017 - 19:39

Thank you, Tom, for your example and excellent analysis; and thanks, EE, for your continued analysis. I have worked through this a couple of times, and hope that I can remember to be aware of the way Ancestry arranges the districts within a census. 

Submitted byRobyn_62on Fri, 12/29/2017 - 23:52

I do not mean to hijack this thread, but I have a similar issue with a 1851 UK census record on Ancestry and was wondering how you would create the citation. The image can be found here:  https://www.ancestry.com.au/interactive/8860/WARHO107_2076_2076-0366/9537278

I am looking at household 3 which Ancestry "cites" as being ED 1, Civil Parish "Willington". There is no enumeration page to confirm registrar's district (Shipston On Stour), sub district (Campden) nor enumeration district (ED 1). This also applies to the same record on FamilySearch (no images).

When one scrolls back to the page/image before, it clearly states that it is the end of Willington Parish on the previous page, and if you scroll 2 pages forward from the link posted, it states the end of Tidmington Parish.

I am fairly sure that the household I am referring was located in Tidmington Parish and not Willington as Ancestry transcribes. And I also think that this parish was "possibly located" in Worcesteshire and not Warwickshire at that time, but I cannot 100% confirm that so yet another issue.

Findmypast offers different information for the same record, and states that this household was in Barcheston Parish, but no ED district is noted in their transcription:

First name(s) Frances
Last name Penson
Relationship Head
Marital status Widow
Gender Female
Age 61
Birth year 1790
Occupation Farmer
Birth place England
Birth town Southam
Birth town as transcribed Southam
Birth county Warwickshire
Birth county as transcribed Warwickshire
House name High Furze Farm Tidmington
Street -
Town -
Parish Barcheston
City -
County Warwickshire
Hamlet -
Parliamentary borough -
Municipal ward -
Registration district Shipston on Stour
Archive reference HO107
Piece number 2076
Folio 487
Page 13

On FMP, when one scrolls back to page 1, the one before that is fol. 477,  p. 40  with a completely different Parish and no enumeration page in between. 

I am kind of at a loss as to how to format my citation. As I am citing Ancestry, should I just use the information they provide? and perhaps add a comment to the end stating that "I believe" that the Parish information is incorrect.  Any advice would be appreciated....

Regards,

Robyn

 

Submitted byEEon Tue, 01/02/2018 - 13:37

Robyn 62, have you checked EE 6.51, which provides examples for the 1851 English census?

The example there is a census viewed on microfilm. For censuses we view online, we use the same format for the first layer (the identification of the census). In the second layer (the identification of the images and its provider, you would state something such as "imaged as ..." and then plug in a standard citation for online databases. EE 5.51 models that using the 1901 Welsh census.

If you wish to cite what you believe is the correct identification of the district (or any other piece of information), the standard way to make that correction is to place the correction in [square editorial brackets] and then, after the citation, explain the error and why you feel your information is correct. EE offers a variety of examples for handling corrections that you can find in the index under "correcting or noting errors"—for example, EE 7.38 (p. 354) which treats Michaelstow Parish's Bishop's Transcripts.

 

Submitted byRobyn_62on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 15:10

Hello Editor,

I have the Adobe Digital Edition of EE v3 and 6.51 is already bookmarked.

It was more how to "correct" the error for this census record's location that I needed.

Many thanks

Robyn