A Question of Race: The U.S. Census - Part 2

Note that the 1930 and 1940 instructions are written in the past tense. All other instructions are given in present tense, indicating that the 1930 and 1940 directions may be a summarization instead of the actual instructions.

1890 census

Whether white, black, mulatto, quadroon, octoroon, Chinese, Japanese, or Indian.

Write white, black, mulatto, quadroon, octoroon, Chinese, Japanese or Indian, according to the color or race of the person enumerated. Be particularly careful to distinguish between blacks, mulattoes, quadroon, and octoroons. The word “black” should be used to describe those persons who have three-fourths or more black blood; “mulatto,” those persons who have from three-eighths to five-eights black blood; “quadroon,” those persons who have one-fourth black blood; and “octoroon,” those persons who have one-eighth or any trace of black blood.

1900 census

Write “W” for white; B for black (negro or negro descent); Ch for Chinese; Jp for Japanese, and In for Indian, as the case may be.

1910 and 1920 census

Write W for white; B for black; Mu for mulatto; Ch for Chinese; Jp for Japanese; In for Indian. For all persons not falling within one of these classes, write OT (for other), and write on the left-hand margin of the schedule the race of the person so indicated.

For census purposes, the term black (B) includes all person who are evidently full blooded negroes, while the term “mulatto” (Mu) includes all other persons having some proportion or perceptible trace of negro blood

1930 census

A person of mixed White and Negro blood was to be returned as Negro, no matter how small the percentage of Negro blood; someone part Indian and part Negro also was to be listed as Negro unless the Indian blood predominated and the person was generally accepted as an Indian in the community.

A person of mixed White and Indian blood was to be returned as an Indian, except where the percentage of Indian blood was very small or where he or she was regarded as White in the community. For persons reported as American Indian in column 12 (color or race), columns 19 and 20 were to be used to indicate the degree of Indian blood and the tribe, instead of the birthplace of the father and mother.

In order to obtain separate figures for Mexicans, it was decided that all persons born in Mexico, or having parents born in Mexico, who were not definitely White, Negro, Indian, Chinese, or Japanese, would be returned as Mexicans (Mex).

Any mixture of White and some other race was to be reported according to the race of the parent who was not white; mixtures of colored races were to be listed according to the father's race, except Negro-Indian (discussed above).

1940 census

All of the same procedures as in 1930 but “With regard to race, the only change from 1930 was that Mexicans were to be listed as White unless they were definitely Indian or some race other than White.”


It's tempting to conclude that our national obsession with race has been fueled in part by the government's obsession with classifying each of us into the appropriate category, all in the name of science and economics. It's also possible that the government has acted as a mirror for what was happening in society at large at any given time. So which came first — the chicken or the egg?

Until Next Time!


Note this post first published online, February 20, 2008, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

References:
“The Color Line in Ohio,” Frank U. Quillan, PH.D., (Quillan's Thesis for the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor) 1913.
United States Census Bureau, “Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses From 1790 to 2000,” 2002.
“The Seventh Census of the United States: 1850,” J.D.B. DeBow, Superintendent of the United States Census, 1853
1830 US Fed Census, Ohio, Ross County, Chillicothe, Vincent Curtis, HOH
1840 US Fed Cen, Ohio, Sandusky County, Lower Sandusky, Vincent Curtice, HOH
1850 US Fed Cen, Ohio, Sandusky County, Rice, Vincent Curtis, HOH, Visit 1538.
1860 US Fed Cen, Ohio, Sandusky, Fremont, Thomas Reese, HOH, Visit 96.
1870 US Fed Cen, Ohio, Sandusky, Fremont, Thomas G. Reese, HOH, Visit 133.
1880 US Fed Cen, Ohio, Sandusky, Sandusky Twp, Thomas Reese, HOH, Visit 50.
1900 US Fed Cen, Ohio, Sandusky, Fremont, T.G. Reese, HOH, Visit 151.
1910 US Fed Cen, Ohio, Sandusky, Fremont, T.G. Reese, HOH, Visit 48.
State of Ohio, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Death Certificate, Thomas G. Reese, File 50507

A Question of Race: The U.S. Census - Part 1

Roy Wilhelm wrote a newspaper column the other day called “Slavery Brought Blacks to Area.” It was a nice piece and I enjoyed reading it. I love a good historical story and I was particularly interested in the first African-American born in Sandusky County, Mary Jane Curtis. 

According to Wilhelm, Curtis was born Oct. 2, 1833. Her husband Thomas George Reese voted in 1867 which was three years prior to the 15th Amendment being ratified. The genealogist in me couldn't resist taking a couple quick peeks at the couple in the U.S. Census, so I logged onto Ancestry.com and found Mary J. Curtis listed with her parents in the 1850 census. They were living in Rice Township, family number 1538. 

Vincent Curtis Age 47 

Jane Curtis Age 46 

Charles Curtis Age 23

Mary J. Curtis Age 16

Ellen L. Curtis Age 15 

William E. Curtis Age 8

Peter Thompson Age 7

Vincent was listed as a farmer and his birthplace given as Delaware. His wife, Jane, was born in Pennsylvania. When I searched for them in Sandusky County in the 1840 census, the family was indeed living in Sandusky County but the last name was spelled “Curtice.” 

They were not living in Sandusky County for the 1830 census, but a Vincent Curtis of the correct age and listed under “Free Colored Persons” was found living in Chillicothe, Ohio. I could not locate the family prior to 1830. 

Thomas George Reese is not found in any census until he shows up in the 1860 census in Sandusky County as a barber. Thomas was born in Mississippi and though I looked for him in the 1850 enumeration, I was unable to find him. For the record, in the 1850 census Mississippi enumerated 295,718 whites, 930 “free colored” and 309,878 slaves. 

Mary Jane and her family were listed as mulattoes in the 1850 census, she and Thomas were both listed as such in the 1860 and 1870 census. In the 1880 census, and thereafter until Thomas's death on September 13, 1911 the family is listed as black. (The death certificate, however gives the race as mulatto.) 

The mulatto status was important distinction because two separate cases before the Ohio Supreme Court in 1842 held that if a man was more than 50 percent white and less than 50 percent black, he was considered white and therefore had the right to vote in Ohio. This was repealed in 1859 by a statute that held in part, “That the judge or judges of any election … shall reject the vote of any person offering to vote at such elections, and claiming to be a white male citizen of the United States, whenever it shall appear to such judge or judges that the person so offering to vote has a distinct and visible admixture of African blood.” 

This statute is what makes Thomas Reese's vote in 1867 an impressive occurrence in the state of Ohio. The whole mulatto/black issue made me wonder about the criteria for enumerating race. Below are the instructions given to the enumerators for each census 1850 through 1880. 

1850 and 1860 census Under heading 6, “Color,” in all cases where the person is white, leave the space blank; In all cases where the person is black, insert the letter B; If mulatto, insert M. It is very desirable that these particulars be carefully regarded. 

1870 census “Indians not taxed” are not to be enumerated on schedule 1. Indians out of their tribal relations, and exercising the rights of citizens under state or Territorial laws, will be included. In all cases, write “Ind.” in the column for “Color.” Although no provision is made for the enumeration of “Indians not taxed,” it is highly desirable, for statistical purposes, that the number of such persons not living upon reservations should be known. It must not be assumed that, where nothing is written in this column, “White” is to be understood. The column is always to be filled. Be particularly careful in reporting the class Mulatto. The word is here generic, and includes quadroons, octoroons, and all persons having any perceptible trace of African blood. Important scientific results depend upon the correct determination of this case in schedules 1 and 2. 

1880 census By the phrase “Indians not taxed” is meant Indians living on reservations under the care of Government agents, or roaming individually, or in bands, over unsettled tracts of country. Indians not in tribal relations, whether full-bloods or half-breeds, who are found mingled with the white population, residing in white families, engaged as servants or living in huts or wigwams on the outskirts of towns or settlements are to be regarded as a part of the ordinary population of the country for the constitutional purpose of the apportionment of Representatives among the states, and are to be embraced in the enumeration. It must not be assumed that where nothing is written in this column “white” is to be understood. The column is always to be filled. Be particularly careful in reporting the class mulatto. The word is here generic, and includes quadroons, octoroons, and all persons having any perceptible trace of African blood. Important scientific results dup upon the correct determination of this class schedules 1 and 5. 

Tomorrow's post will have the instructions for enumerators of the 1890 through 1940 census. 

Until Next Time!

Note this post first published online, February 19, 2008, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

© 19 February 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Where were you?

The GenLady has asked the question — Where were you during each of the U.S. Censuses? 

U.S. CENSUS 1960 

I turned 7 years old on the official day of the census in 1960. I don't know what possessed the government to make April Fool's Day the official census day, but with me, it was just a matter of being late, as usual. You might say I “fooled around” until 18 minutes after midnight before deciding to make my first appearance into the world. My birthday and the official census have been linked ever since. My family lived in Fremont, Ohio, which is where you will find me each and every census. It was just my sister and I along with our parents. 

I was a first-grader at Hayes School. The first grade happened to be the year, and I might point out, the only year, that I threw up in front of the entire class. I had warned my teacher that I couldn't drink that whole bottle of milk, and I guess I proved my point. All of you did want to hear my throwing up story, right? Oh, and first grade was the year of my first mutual kiss, behind the bushes on the corner of June and Whittlesey streets. I'm not counting the kiss I was given by a certain someone in kindergarten, as we lay on our nap rugs, because 

1. I was HORRIFIED and 

2. Some little goodie two shoes tried to tell the teacher about it and I was DOUBLE HORRIFIED that I might actually get into trouble for something that wasn't my fault, unless of course, my being irresistible was considered a fault. 

You will be relieved to know that my promiscuity peaked along with my popularity in first grade. 

U.S. CENSUS 1970 

I turned 17, and of course, I knew everything. And I mean everything. I loved my parents but they were “square.” My siblings, two more had been added, were annoying. In that junior year of high school, my plan involved going to college to become an elementary school teacher and/or maybe saving the world. Important stuff to be sure, but my main goal in life that year was to have sleek, long straight hair ala Cher. 

I tried letting my hair dry naturally (as opposed to sitting under a bonnet dryer), rolling my hair into one huge jumbo roller on the top of my head, and ironing my hair — with an iron and an ironing board. If you think laying your head on an ironing board and ironing your hair yourself is easy, I suggest you try it. Thank goodness, it didn't work, or back surgery would have probably figured big in any future plans.

The summer of that year, I had my first non-babysitting job. I worked as a carhop at the A&W Root Beer stand. I got off to a rocky start when I spilled Black Cow down the side of one hapless customer's car. After that, things went well and I made good tips, on top of the whopping $.75 an hour that the job paid. I managed to save over $200 that summer, which my dad made sure, was deposited into the Credit Union — fiscal irresponsibility being akin to a deadly sin in my family. 

U.S. CENSUS 1980 

The 1980 census found me turning 27, married, with three children aged, 7, 3 and 1. A stay-at-home mother, those years are one long blur. I enjoyed being a mom, but the days went by too fast, and there were never enough hours in a day. I looked longingly at women who went to work and had an identity outside of mom. I didn't realize that they still had to take care of sick kids, buy groceries, run errands, wash clothes, pay bills and try to figure out how to stretch a dollar, IN ADDITION, to holding down a job and keeping another whole group of people happy. The grass is always greener, right?

U.S. CENSUS 1990 

In the 1990 census, we received the long form to fill out. I was really ticked at the time, because it was a pain to fill it all out. Al and I had been married less than a year, and all six of our children were living with us at the time. Between the two of us, we had six children, 5 boys and 1 girl, aged 10 to 17. We never had a table big enough to seat all of us at the same time, and in fact, the very first meal we had together was predictably noisy and chaotic. 

I had just doled out the last of the spaghetti, when the youngest one ran in the back door announcing, “I'm here!” Al and I looked at each other horrified. In all the confusion, neither one of us had realized that one of our little chickadees was missing. Oh yeah, we were going to be GREAT at this blended family thing! We still shake our head at those years with the whole crew. We always say

1. You have to truly love and like your partner to survive the stresses of a blended family. And, 

2. WHAT WERE WE THINKING? 

U.S. CENSUS 2000 

By this census, I was 47 years old and living in the country, half way between Fremont and Clyde, just my favorite fellow and me. I drove 45 minutes one way to work every day, and I would amuse myself by calculating how many weeks of my life I was spending on the road in a year. Ah, good times! 

I was working at a bank and my friend, a loan officer who shall remain nameless and shameless, pulled me into a corner the day of my birthday and said in a James Bond fashion, “Do you have your purse with you today?” My crazy nameless loan officer friend had me go get the purse. Then looking both ways and over her shoulders to make sure the coast was clear, she grabbed something out of her purse and shoved it into mine. I looked down, and saw what I would later learn was a Mike's Hard Lemonade. She had brought it for me as a birthday present. Mike and I have been good buddies ever since. Ah, Carole, I mean Nameless, I miss you! That's what I was doing during each census. How about you?

Until Next Time — Happy Ancestral Digging! 

Note this post first published online, February 6, 2008, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

© 6 February 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder