Census Records for Mercer County, Illinois
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To visit the USGenWeb Census Project state index {CLICK}
To visit a site with links to online census records available by subscription { CLICK}
Comments from an 1880 census taker: "A thorough, patient, faithful canvass, which I have prosecuted in spite of dogs, an ignorant post-master, pitiful penny-a-liners, bad whiskey, a too sadly frequent assurance that my employer was a meddlesome fool, and long journeys, often with no one to enumerate for great distances."
Census records are the best resource for following the travels of a family (see list at the bottom of page for information that is included in various census records). Land records are good but harder to obtain and not all families purchased land. Census records are not very accurate sources, however, and researchers should be aware of this. Information was often taken from neighbors or from small children in the family if the parents were not at home, so birthplaces and ages and even names of family members can be inaccurate and vary from census to census. The census takers often made notes and recopied them later with some errors, and their handwriting can be hard to read. (We’ve noticed over time that sometimes the census taker is a man but the writing is definitely feminine which tells me that the wife probably transcribed her husband’s notes.) Transcribed indexes and censuses may often include errors in reading the handwriting. Locations can also vary a little as, in riding about, the census taker might not have been sure of the location of Township and even County and State lines. Sometimes we have found the same family censused in two different jurisdictions by two different census takers and you would hardly recognize the information as the same family.
If you don't find your family where you expect, check adjoining locations. Many of the people in New Boston and Eliza Townships owned land on both sides of the Mississippi River. The census often occurred at harvest time and families can sometimes be found in the censuses of Louisa and/or Muscatine County, Iowa, when that was not their permanent place of residence. An example is the Jesse Luster Adams family who bought land in Eliza Township, built a church across the line in Duncan township, and had gone to Muscatine County, Iowa, for the harvest in 1850. They have census records in all three places. Also, especially for Eliza Township don't forget the Rock Island County censuses as Eliza was up against that county line and people may be censused both places.
For an excellent article on using Federal Censuses {Click}. Sandra Ferguson, who operates several County mailing lists in various states sent us some interesting information about the mechanics of taking the census which we have reproduced at the bottom of the page. These appear quite complex and we wonder how many census takers actually followed them, but it might explain some inconsistencies noted in families if the census taker in one decade followed the rules and the next one didn't.
Federal Census Records for New Boston & Eliza Townships are generally available on microfilm on loan from the Latter Day Saints Family History Library in Salt Lake City through local LDS Libraries. These libraries often have CD-ROM's available with census indexes on them. Some of the actual census records are quite unreadable (too many Mississippi floods!), but at the time the census was taken a copy was made and was submitted to the State of Illinois. If you cannot locate a readable copy of your family's census record you may request a copy of the record from Director, Illinois State Archives, Norton Building, Springfield, Illinois 62756. You must give the census page number so it will be necessary to consult an index first. Cost is $1 per page. Do not enclose a return envelope with your letter and do not send money. You will be billed if the record is found. If you feel you will be requesting several records you may purchase prepaid $5 vouchers to send in with research requests. They will be punched for the amount of your bill and returned for your next request. They are valid for two years.
There is a limited amount of searching Illinois federal census records by the Illinois State Archives - see their Web page for instructions.
Ancestry.com has the AIS Census Indexes on line (available only to members - except the 1880 index which is free to all). A neat feature is that after you have found an index record for your ancestor you can go back and ask for the entire page and see who lived nearby. Sometimes this helps locate other members of the family. Ancestry.com has the U. S. Census records online as well and many are fully indexed while some are still indexed only by head of household. Their search engine is very easy to use. You must subscribe separately to the census records from a basic Ancestry.com membership. This is another place to get clear and readable census records as they are images of the originally submitted pages. Many times the county records for Mercer have been in one Mississippi flood or another and are barely (or not at all) readable. So it is handy to be able to get the National Record through Ancestry. Don’t be surprised though if the information is different on the two records as of course they were two different hand written copies!
Heritage Quest was planning on putting the entire U.S. Census from 1790 to 1920 online in the fall of 2000. The project was delayed but your local library should now have a subscription.
The 1830 Census is the first available for Mercer County. At that time there were six families, for a total of 26 residents. The families were William, Erastus, and John Dennison, Benjamin and John Vannatta, and Augustin Horton. As we put up pages for these families we will include the 1830 census information. (LDS Microfilm #7649)
The 1840 Census for New Boston and Eliza Townships consists of the names of 135 heads of household. We have a clear copy but the handwriting is difficult to read. As time permits we will put up our best guess on a list of names. (LDS Microfilm #7643) Be aware in searching other counties that some census takers alphabetized their names before making the final copies - this takes away a valuable resource of what families lived near each other so watch for this.
The 1850 Census is the first to list more information than the head of household, including: (1) Dwelling house numbered in order of visitation, (2) Family numbered in order of visitation, (3) Name of every person in the family, (4) Age of every person, (5) Sex of every person, (6) Color - white, black, or mulatto, (7) Profession, Occupation or Trade of each male person over 15 years of age, (8) Value of Real Estate owned, (9) Place of birth, (10) Married within the year, (11) Attended school within the year, (12) Persons over 20 who cannot read or write, (13) Deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper or convict. New Boston Township (Township 14N Range 5 West) included dwellings numbered 284-427, and Eliza Township (Township 15N Range 5West) included dwellings 595-680. There is a small book Mercer County, Illinois, 1850 Census, which indexes the census and there are CD-ROM indexes. The microfilm of the actual 1850 records from Mercer County is quite unreadable (LDS Microfilm #442908). We have a complete set of the households for New Boston and Eliza Townships, which we ordered from the Illinois State Archives, that is fairly easy to read. We recently obtained the Keithsburg Township list from the State Archives - it is not very readable and we are having a hard time even identifying the surnames. As time permits we will list the families included and will be glad to furnish the full information to descendants. If your family disappears from Mercer County in 1850, after checking nearby census records (such as Rock Island, Henry, Knox, and Warren Counties in Illinois, and Louisa and Muscatine Counties across the River in Iowa), remember the 1849 gold rush and also check California!
The 1860 Census for Mercer County has been published and indexed by Eulalia Garrett in book form. We are using this book as a source on this site. The census is also available on LDS Microfilm #803211 and is fairly readable. We were somewhat puzzled over the many inaccuracies in the 1860 census record for Mercer County until we noticed that the census was taken by a man but the handwriting on the forms was clearly that of a woman. We suspect the census taker's wife transcribed her husband's notes and wasn't able to read a lot of them correctly.
The 1865 Mercer County Manufacturing and Agricultural Census is available in some libraries. It only lists Heads of Households and the number of males and females but does list the dollar value for livestock owned, grain on hand, other agricultural products, and the pounds of wool on hand for each family. We have copies of the New Boston and Eliza Township information and will include it with family histories.
The 1870 Census for Mercer County has been published by Eulalia Garrett and is available in book form. This census includes columns to check if father or mother were of foreign birth, but that is not included in the book. The census is available on LDS Microfilm but is quite unreadable and hardly worth ordering. The best approach is to find your family in either Eululia's book or on a CD-ROM index and order a copy of the page from the Illinois State Archives. We opted to get a copy of Eulalia's book rather than order just New Boston and Eliza Townships from the Illinois Archives. That way we can tell if a family just moved about in Mercer County or whether they left the County altogether. If you can't find your family in Mercer County remember that after the Civil War was really the beginning of the great Westward migration. We have a page up Maps West with migration trail maps and comments on where some Mercer families might have gone.
The 1880 Census is the first indexed census available; however, it is indexed only for families with children ten years of age and younger (Ancestry.com has a complete index.) This is the first census to include the birthplace of the parents of the individual. The Blackhawk Genealogical Society Bulletin, Vol XXIII, #1, Spring, 1996, includes an article: "Residents of Mercer County, Illinois, Listed in 1880 Census as Being Aged 65 Years or More." This can be useful for locating your older ancestors. A small amount of the census information is included with the index of names. The 1880 Mercer County Census is available on LDS Microfilm #1254236 - very readable. The LDS Library has produced the entire 1880 US census on 55 CD's. It is available for a very nominal price from them ($49.00). It is fully indexed (by all individuals) and quite easy to use. The only problem we have experienced with it is that the transcriptions were done by people not familiar with old handwriting and there are many, many misspellings. There is a "wild card" capability in their search in the actual records and with a little creativity you can usually find your family.
Warning!We have noticed that Enumeration District 178 Eliza Township includes quite a few people that we are 100% sure lived in the City of Aledo. We are not quite sure how this error happened but there it is. Some of our pages may contain errors as it took us awhile to notice this anamoly.
As most of you know there is very little 1890 Census information available. Ancestry.com has undertaken a large project to recreate the 1890 census from other records. You can see what they plan to add at their 1890 Census Substitute Web Site. You need to be a member of Ancestry.com to access the substitute census but for each of the items they add there will be a free ten day period to access that item.
The 1900 Census for Mercer County has been published and indexed by Eulalia Garrett and is available in book form. The 1900 census also uses a form of indexing called Soundex (see description below). This is a great help in turning up names with spelling variations. It is usually best to obtain a Soundex listing on microfilm first and then obtain the census itself (LDS Microfilm #1240330). Generally speaking the 1900 census is the last information that we will include on family pages as our site covers only 1800 to 1900 to protect privacy.
The 1910 Census for Mercer County is available on LDS Microfilm #1374324. Indexing is by Soundex.
The 1920 Census for Mercer County is available on LDS Microfilm #1820393. Indexing is by Soundex
The 1930 Census came out in April 2002 (a 70 year privacy law covers census data). NARA has a 1930 Census Information Web Site as a guide to obtaining and using the 1930 census. Indexing is by Soundex.
Abbreviations and Acronyms in Census Records - the U. S. Census Bureau has a site that is a glossary of census terms {Click}
Below is a Soundex coding guide from Ancestry, Jan/Feb 1994 Issue, page 27.
Following is a listing of what is included in the various censuses
1790 CENSUS
Name of Head of household,# males over 16,# males under 16,# females,# slaves
1800, 1810, and 1820 CENSUS (does not include Indians)
Name of Head of household, # males under 10,# males 10-16,# males 16-26, # males 26-45, # males over 45, females (the same categories) (1820 census adds an additional category of males 16-18 (military)), #slaves
1830-1840 CENSUS
Name of Head of household, # males under 5, males 5-10, males 10-15, males 15-20, males 20-30, males 30-40, males 40-50, males 50-60, males 60-70, etc. females (the same), # slaves, #free colored.
1850 CENSUS
STATE or TERRITORY, Names of all living in the household,Ages, Sex, Occupation/School, Place of birth,(if Black or Mulatto)
1860 CENSUS (same as 1850 CENSUS except *)
* $ amount of Real Estate & Personal Property
1870 CENSUS (same as 1860 CENSUS except *)
* W-White, B-Black, or M-Mulatto, If person Votes, Indicates if parent is foreign born
1880 CENSUS (same as 1870 CENSUS except *)
* Relationship to Head of household,Married or Single, Where father was born, Where mother was born, Street address is given
1890 CENSUS
Lost in a fire! except * Schedules for Union Vets & Schedules for Widows of Union Vets of the Civil War, * Police Census in NYC (by address only)
1900 CENSUS (same as 1880 CENSUS except *)
* Date census was taken, Month & year of birth, M-Married, W-Widowed, D-Divorced, # of times married, # of years married, # of children born to a woman, # of children living,Immigrated in what year,# of years in USA, OFH Owns Free a House, OFF " " " Farm, OMH " Mortgaged House, OMF " " Farm, RH Rents House, RF " Farm
1910 CENSUS (same as 1900 CENSUS except *)
* Asks if Naturalized, Does not ask how many years in USA, Does not give month of birth, (only year)
1920 CENSUS (same as 1910 CENSUS except *)
* Asks for year Naturalized, Does not ask how many children a woman had, Does not ask how many children are living
1930 CENSUS (same as 1920 CENSUS except *)
*Asks only if the person was naturalized, includes the value of home if owned or amount of rent paid each month, Asks if the home had a radio, Asks persons age at time of his or her first marriage (usually shows how many marriages as well "m1" or "m2", etc. According to NARA it asks which specific war a man fought in but haven't really seen this on a record yet.
1940 CENSUS
Will be available in 2010 (70 year privacy rule)
MECHANICS OF CENSUS TAKING
Here are some details about the mechanics of taking a census that most of us probably haven't paid much attention to (some of the census takers didn't seem to pay attention to them either!). Beginning with the 1790 (first) federal census and continuing with every census thereafter, each enabling law authorized by Congress specified a census day for gathering the census information from every household in America. From 1790 to 1820, the census day was the first Monday in August. The census day was NOT the day the enumerator arrived at a household, it was the day for which all the statistics of the census were collected. The actual instructions given to all the U.S. Marshals right before the 1820 census explains: "....all the questions refer to the day when the enumeration is to commence; the first Monday in August next. Your assistants will thereby understand that they are to insert in their returns all the persons belonging to the family on the first Monday in August, even those who may be deceased at the time when they take the account; and, on the other hand, that they will not include in it, infants born after that day."
Similar instructions have been given for every census since 1790, but with different census days. Census day for each census, 1790-1920, and the time allowed to take the census:
1790 2 August 9 months
1800 4 August 9 months
1810 6 August 10 months
1820 7 August 13 months
1830 1 June 12 months
1840 1 June 18 months
1850 1 June 5 months
1860 1 June 5 months
1870 1 June 5 months
1880 1 June 1 month
1890 1 June 1 month
1900 1 June 1 month
1910 15 April 1 month
1920 1 January 1 month
1930 1 April
There is a great Web Site with lots of information on how the census is taken. It contains forms and copies of the questions to be asked for most of the censuses since 1850 a page on the instructions to the census taker (enumerator) for each census: CLICK
Genealogists should record two dates when copying information from the censuses: the census day and the enumeration date. No matter how many months it took for an enumerator to reach a house, he was supposed to gather the information as if time had stopped on the census day. Every person whose regular abode was in a particular household on the census day was to be enumerated, even if a person were away at the time of the enumeration.
Understanding the impact of the census day versus the enumeration date may explain why certain people appear in a census listing, even though you have other evidence to show the person died before the household was enumerated. If a person were alive on the census day, that person was to be included - even if it took some time for the enumerator to get around to the house to take the census. The person could have been dead for several months.
Or, you may wonder why that youngest child in a family was not listed in a census. If a child were born after the census day, that child was not to be included - even if the census taker had visited the house and was aware of a playful little toddler crawling around in front of him.
For example, on the 1880 Census the information was to be as of 1 June 1880. Births before 1 June would be counted; those coming after 1 June would not be counted. People dying before 1 June would not be enumerated but those dying after 1 June would be enumerated. That means if someone died June 2 but the census was not enumerated until 15 September, the person would be enumerated as though he were living.
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