Extracting Information from the Census

Study the B. S. Gifford household, dwelling 1374, in the census image. I will use this enumeration to illustrate some ways I enter extracted census information in TMG. How you interpret and apply evidence from any source is very subjective. This page takes you through my own procedure.

• B. S. Gifford, age 31, b. Pa., shoe dealer, with $800 in real property and $800 in personal property. The following illustration uses this line, that of the head of household, in correlation with evidence from his household makeup.
  Person Screen showing Relevant Tags

Residence:
• The members of this household resided in Covert Township, Seneca County, New York on 1 June 1860 [official enumeration date] and were probably there 6 August 1860, the date the enumerator visited the household. On the "Sue's TMG Surety Scale", this information is a 3. I seldom enter a separate Residence Tag as the Census Tag serves an equivalent purpose.

Identity:
• This is the result of an accumulation of data and cannot be based on one source alone. How I know that this B. S. Gifford is my Benjamin S. Gifford is memo information for my use only. The Citation Memo, or a split Citation Memo, would be a good place for this information. Although I don't enter a separate tag for this, the evidence from the census may become part of an analysis statement.

Birth:
• The evidence on Gifford's birth found here yields a birthdate of circa 1829. It's indirect evidence. When determining a birth date from a person's age on a certain date, I always include that age in the footnote. The sum of these circa dates is usually analyzed in a paragraph about the birth.
• That Gifford was born in Pennsylvania is a direct statement of fact. The validity, of course, depends on the informant, information we will probably never know. In the case of the census, there is also no "check the data" possibility. It's not likely that B. S. Gifford ever had a chance to see this enumeration and correct any errors.
• Birth evidence from other sources that do not conflict with this circa 1829 date will be added to this Birth Tag as additional citations. A new Birth Tag (I call it Birth-Alt) will be added to the Person screen if conflicting evidence appears. All conflicting evidence must be acknowledge and explained.
  Tabbed Citation List
  Citation Entry Screen

Occupation:
• Gifford's occupation, shoe dealer, is probably accurate regardless of the informant. Most neighbors would know each other's occupations. It's direct evidence and a note can be added that it's verified by the appearance of an apprentice and a journeyman in his household.

Note:
• $800 in real property and personal property has no meaning without context. Examine the holdings of the neighbors and make a comparison. This conclusion is memo information for my use only. I have been putting this in this non-printing note tag.

Marriage:
• It appears that B. S. Gifford has a wife named Julia, age 29, born in Seneca Co., NY. This is an inference based on indirect evidence and should be noted as such. This analysis statement is memo information for my use only.
• One can infer a marriage date of say 1852, probably in Seneca Co., New York. The marriage was likely to have occurred about two years prior to the birth of the first child and, given the Seneca Co. birth places of both Julia and William and the family's Seneca Co. residence, likely to have taken place in Seneca Co. Julia would have been about 21 years old at the time, an appropriate age for the marriage. Yes, this conclusion must be explained in a memo or note for my use only.

Children:
• The William W. Gifford, age 6, born in Seneca Co., New York, is probably Benjamin's son, although there is the possibility he's a nephew or step-son. The fact that there are no other children in the household suggests at least two research possibilities. Julia may be a second wife, and William's mother was the first wife, now deceased. Julia may be William's mother and the couple lost a child in the interim since his birth. Again, TMG ver. 6.0's Citation Memo, or a split Citation Memo, may be a very good place for this information. It keeps your evidence analysis with the evidence that supports it.
  Citation Screen with non-printing Citation Memo

• It's good practice to add all members of the household to your data base. I must admit that I tend to do so only when I'm having problems piecing the family together.

Go to Editing the Census Source Template
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This page copyright January 2005 by Susan Goss Johnston.
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