Wednesday, September 19, 2012

CENSUS RECORDS – A Family Tale (Jobe W Scott)


 
[Family Photo: The five sons of Jobe W Scott (1817 Ontario, Canada – 1893 Kansas) and Rebecca Scott (maiden name also Scott, 1820 Ontario, Canada – 1889 Kansas).  Photo courtesy of Charles Pierce direct descendant and Great-Grandson of Charles Edward Scott.  In photo left to right are brothers: John Henry Scott (1850 Ontario, Canada - 1945 California), Charles Edward Scott (1853 Ontario, Canada - 1932 California), Zenas George Scott (1856 Ontario, Canada - 1935 Arizona), Samuel Enos Scott (1858 Ontario, Canada - 1951 California), James Alfred Scott (1864 Canada - 1935 California).  NOT in photo is the oldest son named Hiram William Scott (1845 Ontario, Canada - 1910).   (James Alfred Scott is my Maternal-First-Great-Grandfather and the father of my maternal-grandfather Laurel Flynn Scott (1896-1979).]
 
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[Rebecca Scott (1820 Ontario, Canada -1889 Kansas, USA) - beloved daughter, wife of Jobe W Scott married Nov 1840 in the St Thomas Church (now a historic site) in St Thomas Township, Ontario, Canada, mother of 11 children born 1843-1864 that's about one child every two years or so for over 20 YEARS--that's a lot of diapers. AND, my beloved maternal 2nd great grandmother Rebecca Scott - (for whom I named my only child -- my beloved daughter Rebecca Lynne born 1964). Professional portrait probably taken when Rebecca Scott was about age 20 in Ontario, Canada. NOTE: She is holding a photograph in her right hand and there is another photo on the table near her left elbow. Photo Courtesy of my Cousin Charles Pierce, descendant of Rebecca Scott's son Charles Edward Scott.]
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(19 Sep 2012 – My Family has been here since Adam and Eve, but their History has faded into the pages of "The Census Taker".  Those Census pages tell a Family's Story for one point in their timeline with the recording of:   their names, with their ages, gender, birth place, birth place of parents, marital status (single, married, widowed, divorced), number of children living and deceased, religion, current residence (farm, house, log cabin, rented, owned, or mortgaged), occupation, valued worth of real and personal property, whether they could read and/or write, level of schooling education, military status, and even if they owned a radio.  Here then is the Family Story of my Maternal-Second-Great-Grandparents (JOBE W SCOTT and REBECCA SCOTT) and their children as revealed through the Census Taker's pages for the years 1861, 1871, 1880, and 1885.  These Census pages list only the statistical details of their lives and leaves to the imagination their daily routines, challenges, failures and successes, and joys and sorrows, and hopes and prayers.
 














NOTE: ANY errors or inconsistencies in this Short Family Lineage Story are my own, from typing, spelling, or research errors, and will be addressed as time permits and information is gathered.  Comments are welcomed in the spirit they are offered to this compiler.
 
Submitted by: Dorothy Hazel Tarr)




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               [Photo Source: Google Internet image "poetry"]

Below is a poem that speaks of the Census as only a poet will – I enjoyed it and hope you will too!   Dorothy Hazel Tarr
 
















The Census
Originally Published as "Voices in My Heart"

It was the first day of census and all through the land
each pollster was ready, a black book in hand. 
He mounted his horse for a long dusty ride,
his books and his quills were tucked close by his side.

A long dusty ride down a road barely there,
toward the smell of fresh bread wafting up through the air. 
The woman was tired, with lines on her face
and wisps of brown hair she tucked back into place.

She gave him some water as they sat at the table,
and she answered his questions the best she was able. 
He asked her of children.  Yes, she had quite a few. 
The oldest was twenty, the youngest not two.

She held up a toddler with cheeks round and red. 
His sister, she whispered, was napping in bed. 
She noted each person who lived there with pride,
and she felt the faint stirrings of the wee one inside.

He noted the sex, the color, the age,
the marks from the quill soon filled up the page. 
At the number of children, she nodded her head,
and he saw her lips quiver for the ones that were dead.

The places of birth she "never forgot"...
Was it Carolina, or Tennessee, or Georgia or not? 
They came from Scotland, on that she was clear,
But she wasn't quite sure just how long they'd been here.

They spoke of employment, of schooling and such. 
They could read some and write some...though really not much. 
When the questions were answered, his job there was done,
so he mounted his horse and he rode toward the sun.

We can almost imagine his voice loud and clear,
"May God bless you all for another ten years."
Now picture a time warp...it's now you and me
as we search for the people on our family tree.

We squint at the census, and scroll down so slow,
as we search for that entry from long, long ago. 
Could they only imagine on that long ago day
that the entries they made would affect us this way.

If they knew, would they wonder at the yearning we feel
and the searching that makes them so increasingly real? 
We can hear if we listen, the words they impart
through their blood in our veins and their voice in our heart.

[~ by Darlene Caryl-Stevens -- The Census, Originally Published as "Voices in My Heart"; Originally written as a project for a genealogy class, and first published in Genealogy Bulletin, May/June 1997, Number 39, page 28. ]
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                                    [Source: Ancestry.com digitized records.] 

















1861 Census  Page 33, South Part of the Township of Delaware, County of Middlesex, Province of Ontario, Canada
 
Family marked in yellow at top of page 33-----
Lines 1, JOBE W SCOTT  (head of household; religion listed but not legible—but Jobe and Rebecca were members of the St Thomas Anglican Church, which is a museum today, in St Thomas Township, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada, where they were married on 11 Nov 1840 by Reverend M Burnham and wedding was witnessed by Jobe's brothers Jacob Scott and Enos Scott Junior; residence is one-story log house, occupation is farmer; age 43; 1817 Ontario, Canada -1893 Kansas);
Line 2, REBECCA SCOTT (wife of Jobe and mother of kids on census, age 40, 1820 Ontario, Canada -1889 Kansas);
kids at home:
Line 3, Sarah Jane Scott Dark (age 18, 1843 Ontario, Canada -1910);
Line 4, Hiram William Scott (age 16, 1845 Ontario, Canada -1910);
Line 5, Elvina Scott Stansel (age 14, 1847 Ontario, Canada -1942);
Line 6, John Henry Scott (age 12, 1850 Ontario, Canada -1945);
Line 7, Charles Edward Scott (age 10, 1853 Ontario, Canada -1932);
Line 8, Zenas George Scott (age 7, 1856 Ontario, Canada -1935);
Line 9, Samuel Enos Scott (age 5, 1858 Ontario, Canada -1951);
Line 10, Rachel Scott (age 1, 1860 Ontario, Canada -1882);
Line 11, SAMUEL ENOS SCOTT SENIOR (widowed, Jobe's father, age 87, 1774 USA -1861 Ontario, Canada). 
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                                              [Source: Ancestry.com digitized records.]
 
1871 Census, page 22, lines 15-20, household number 73, District 7, Sub-District of Delaware Township, County of Middlesex, Province of Ontario, Canada

Family marked in pink-----
Line 15, JAMES W DARK (farmer, age 29, born in England, religion is Church of England);
Line 16, SARAH JANE SCOTT DARK (spouse of James Dark, daughter of Jobe & Rebecca , age 27, born in Ontario, mother of kids);
kids at home:
Line 17, Ellen Alma Dark Frisbie (age 6, born in Ontario, in school);
Line 18, Emily E Dark (age 4, born in Ontario);
Line 19, Mary Ida Dark Clemmer (age 2, born in Ontario,);
Line 20, Henry Dark (could be brother of James Dark, occupation blacksmith, age 21, born in Ontario).
 

 
1871 Census, page 23, lines 1-11, household number 74, District 7, Sub-District of Delaware Township, County of Middlesex, Province of Ontario, Canada
 
Line 1, JOBE W SCOTT (head of household, religion not listed, farmer, age 53);
Line 2, REBECCA SCOTT (Jobe's wife, mother of kids, age 50);
kids at home:  
Line 3, John Henry Scott (farm laborer, age 20);
Line 4, Charles Edward Scott (farm laborer, age 18);
Line 5, Elvina Scott Stansel (age 16);
Line 6, Zenas George Scott (age 14, in school);
Line 7, Hannah Ann Scott Smith (age 12, in school);
Line 8, Helen R Scott Ebenhack (age 10, in school);
Line 9, James Alfred Scott (age 8, in school);
Line 10, Samuel Enos Scott (could be an error on census so age would be 16, age 6, in school);
and Line 11, Emily Scott (family connected, married to unknown person, age 21, born about 1850 in Ontario).  

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                                        [Source: Ancestry.com digitized records.]
 
June 1880 Census, page 2, lines 36-44, Superior Township, McPherson County, Kansas, USA

Line 36, SAMUEL ENOS SCOTT (age 21, son of Jobe W Scott of Line 40, head of household, single, farmer);
Line 37, JOHN HENRY SCOTT (age 29, son of Jobe W Scott of Line 40, head of household, farmer, married to Nellie B Scott of line 38);
Line 38, Nellie B Scott (age 18, born in Minnesota, married, wife of John Henry Scott of line 37);
Line 39, Zenas George Scott (age 23, son of Jobe W Scott of Line 40, head of household, single, farmer);
Line 40, JOBE W SCOTT (age 62, head of household, married to Rebecca Scott of line 41, farmer, father of kids line 36, 37, 39,42, 43,44);
Line 41, REBECCA SCOTT (age 59, married, wife of Jobe W Scott of line 40, occupation is keeping house);
Line 42, Hannah Ann Scott Smith (age 19, single, daughter of Rebecca Scott of Line 41);
Line 43, Helen R Scott Ebenhack (age 17, single, daughter of Rebecca Scott of Line 41);
Line 44, James Alfred Scott (age 15, single, son of Rebecca Scott of Line 41, farmer).
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                             [Source: Ancestry.com digitized records.]


1 March 1885 Census, lines 28-32, Superior Township, McPherson County, Kansas, USA
 
Line 28, SAMUEL ENOS SCOTT (age 25, son of Jobe W Scott of Line 30, head of household number 9, married, husband of Lena Scott of Line 29, farmer);
Line 29, Lena D Ryckman Scott (age 23, born in Canada, lived in Michigan before moving to Kansas, married, wife of Samuel Enos Scott of Line 28, occupation is farmer's wife and housekeeping);
Line 30, JOBE W SCOTT (age 66, head of household number 10, married to Rebecca Scott of line 31, farmer, father of kids line  28, 32);
Line 31, REBECCA SCOTT (age 64, married, wife of Jobe W Scott of line 40, occupation is farmer's wife and keeping house);
Line 32, James Alfred Scott (age 20, single, son of Rebecca Scott of Line 31, farmer).

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           [Source: Ancestry.com digitized records.]
 
1 March 1885 Census, Page 3, Superior Township, McPherson County, Kansas, USA
 
Line 1, JOSEPH W SMITH (age 26, head of household number 10, married to Hannah Ann Scott Smith of line 2, occupation is farmer);
Line 2, Hannah Ann Scott Smith (age 24, married to Joseph W Smith of Line 1, occupation is farmer's wife and housekeeping, daughter of Jobe W Scott and Rebecca Scott);
Line 10, JACOB HENRY STANSEL (age 39, head of household number 12, married to Elvina Scott Stansel of line 11, occupation is farmer);
Line 11, Elvina Scott Stansel (age 36, married to Jacob Henry Stansel of line 10, occupation farmer's wife and housekeeping, daughter of Jobe W Scott and Rebecca Scott);
Line 12, Alonzo William Stansel (age 2, son of Jacob Henry Stansel and Elvina Scott Stansel).

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                              [Source: Ancestry.com digitized records.]
 
1 March 1885 Census, Page 22-23, lines 28-32, Turkey Creek Township, McPherson County, Kansas, USA
 
Line 8, ZENAS GEORGE SCOTT (age 29, son of Jobe W Scott, head of household, single, farmer);
Line 9, Letitia Amelia Shotwell Scott (age 21, born in Canada, married wife of Zenas George Scott of Line 8, occupation is teacher);
Line 10, Estella Laudora Scott Stowe (age 2, born in Kansas);
Line 11, Marian Grace Scott Farnsworth (age 1, born in Kansas).

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CLOSING THOUGHTS -- JUST THE BEGINNING
 
So many times -- a CENSUS record is the ONLY documentation or clue to Family History!  This is due to the lack of photographs identified with captions, no birth, death, marriage records, no bible records, no church records, no historical records, no grave markers or cemetery records, no letters or diaries, no tax or land records, no wills, no court records, no emigration records, no naturalization records, and no ship travel log records.  Therefore, the Family Researcher is challenged by the limited documentation that is available—which is frequently just CENSUS records; however, with a little imagination, some research about the timeline-in-history, the locations, and events in history-- a Family History can be "painted".

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