1850 CENSUS |
Local author/historian Bob Schmidt is at it again, this time he has published the entire 1850 census of St. Francois County, in an effort to help out even the most amateur genealogists.
Schmidt decided to take the census from microfilm and compile the information into a book while conducting research for a book on Company E of the 2nd Missouri Cavalry. The census gives some details, such as personal property worth, which Schmidt chose not to include in his book.
"It's kind of tedious to look at the census on film," Schmidt said.
While his book isn't the first county census to be compiled into book form, Schmidt's work is the first for the 1850 census, conducted from Aug. 1 to Nov. 4 by Assistant Marshal E.C. Sebastian.
The census was only for white and free black residents, with a separate census, called a "slave schedule" for slaves. Schmidt acknowledges those who were slave owners, while not listing slaves, had an asterisk by the person's name.
"So people can easily pick this up and see if their ancestors were slave owners," Schmidt said.
The book lists each family member's name, age, race, sex, occupation and place of birth, along with whether they owned real estate. Only about half of the county's approximate 5,000 residents in 1850s were land owners, according to the census.
Relationships between residents are not listed, such as whether a man and woman were married, but you can conclude two adults, both female and male, were in fact married. Anyone listed under the adults' names, with a significant difference in age, are presumably the couple's children.
Although the census only gives the basic facts about an individual, Schmidt hopes people will use the book as a stepping stone to further research. What information is provided, does give several clues and tips for further research.
For example, a listing of the Hampton family, with Joseph, 43, and Jane, 39, has seven people, presumably children, listed as well.
Joseph and Jane Hampton have birthplaces listed as North Carolina and South Carolina, respectively, while their first six children are listed as being born in Tennessee, with the oldest being 17 years old. The last child is given a birthplace of Missouri, and he was 1 year old when the census was conducted.
From this information, one can conclude Joseph and Jane were living in Tennessee no later than 1833, 17 years before the census was taken, because of the age of their oldest child. The couple had moved to Missouri sometime between 1846 to 1849, because of a two-year difference between the ages of their two-youngest children.
An indication on the industrialization of the county is found by looking at the occupations of its residents and their birthplaces, such as those who are miners or furnacekeepers. While the county is known for its lead mining, the north-eastern part of present day Iron County was still a part of St. Francois County during the 1850 census, lending the county to iron mining as well.
A person's birthplace can be used as a barometer for the county becoming more industrialized because someone from Connecticut or New York, both industrialized states by 1850, possibly came to Missouri to lend their trades to what was then a rural county.
"It kind of gives you the impression that the county is moving forward (in 1850)," Schmidt said.
One interesting entry in the census pertains to the John Miller Family, who with his wife Fanny, is listed as being born in Ireland. Their first child, George, was born in Cuba in about 1836, while their next child, John, Jr., was born in Louisiana three years later. Anne and Thomas, their remaining children, were born in Missouri.
Schmidt offers several ways to explain this families progression from Ireland, through Cuba to eventually Missouri, all centered around the fact many European immigrants arrived at New Orleans, not New York City.
One such explanation is there was a cholera epidemic in New Orleans, which prevented any ships from landing in the city. Those ships, instead had to stop in Cuba, hence George Miller being born in Cuba. John, Jr., was born in Louisiana three years later because his family was able to make it to New Orleans at some point in that three year span.
Anne and Thomas Miller were born in Missouri three and six years after John, Jr., indicating the family had made it to the state sometime after John, Jr. was born.
Other theories have a disaster at sea causing immigrant ships, such as one the Millers were on, to dock at Cuba, or George Miller could have been born while the ship was at sea, with Cuba being the nearest land mass.
The book contains several other interesting facts and leads for anyone interested in researching their family's history, or the history of St. Francois County. It sells for $15 and can be purchased by calling Schmidt at 573-358-7946, and the author hopes to have it available in Farmington, Park Hills and possibly Bonne Terre libraries soon.