OCUPSYSHUN-Cencus Taker:
“I am a cencus takers for the city of Bufflow. Our city has groan very fast in resent years and now in 1865, it has become a hard and time consuming job to count all the peephill. There are not many that can do this werk, as it is necessarie to have an ejucashun, wich a lot of pursons still do not have. Anuther atribeart needed for this job is god spelling, for meny of the pephill to be counted can hatrdle speek inglish, let alone spel there names!” (Fonda D. Baselt, compiler. The Sunny Side of Genealogy. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1988)
Despite the fun this ditty pokes at census takers, we owe them a debt of gratitude for walking streets, searching out farm houses, fighting weather (1920 census was taken in January—what were they thinking?), kicking away menacing stray dogs, and knocking on doors to get the statistics required by their particular census year. Even though the job was mandated by the U.S. Constitution for allocating Congressional seats and gathering other pertinent data for planning, it is a boon to genealogists in putting families together. Praise to their tenacity in trying to understand information from immigrants. Praise to the beautiful, clear hand writers. Praise to the pages that weren’t blotted on MY ancestor’s names. Praise, praise, praise!
Census Records of Eugene & Marianne Bessire
I’ve typed the information exactly as it reads in the census, with information “as is” indicated by [sic] and other clarifications in brackets.
29 August 1850--Salt Creek Township, Wayne County, Ohio
Dwelling 57, Family 59
Eugene Basere [sic], age 27, male, farmer, born Switzerland.
Mary A. Basere [sic], age 19, female, born Switzerland.
[John F. & Mary A. Grimm, next family].
16 June 1860—Jackson Township, Allen County, Ohio
(Here’s one where writing their full name would have been appreciated!)
Dwelling 843, family 843
N. Bessire, age 37, male, farmer, $3000 real estate, $580 personal, born Switzerland.
M.A. Bessire, age 29, female, born Switzerland.
E. Bessire, age 8, male, born Ohio, in school.
A. Bessire, age 7, male, born Ohio, in school.
E. Bessire, age 4, male, born Ohio.
A. Bessire, age 2, male, born Ohio,
A. Bessire 1/12, male, born Ohio.
3 June 1870—Jackson Township, Allen County, Ohio
Dwelling 31, family 31
Eugene Bessire, age 46, male, white, farmer, b. Switzerland, real estate value $3000, personal property value $1000, father foreign born, mother foreign born.
Mary A. Bessire, age 37, female, white, keeping house, born Switzerland, father foreign born, mother foreign born. Alcied [sic] Bessire, age 17, male, white, farm laborer, born Ohio, father foreign born, mother foreign born, school in census year.
Alfrid [sic] Bessire, age 15 [sic], male, white, farm laborer, born Ohio, father foreign born, mother foreign born, school in census year.
Edward Bessire, age 15 [sic], male, white, farm laborer, born Ohio, father foreign born, mother foreign born, school in census year.
Arnol [sic] Bessire, age 11, male, white, at school, born Ohio, father foreign born, mother foreign born, school in census year.
Charles Bessire, age 7, male, white, at school, born Ohio, father foreign born, mother foreign born, school in census year.
Mary Bessire, age 5, female, white, at school, born Ohio, father foreign born, mother foreign born, school in census year.
3 June 1880—St. John Township, Harrison County, Iowa
Note: Relationships of family members to head of household given. YAHOO!
Dwelling 128, family 130
Eugene Bassire [sic], farmer, cannot read or write, born Switzerland, father born Switzerland, mother born Switzerland.
Mary A.. E. Bassire [sic], white, female, age 50, wife, keeping house, cannot read or write, born Ohio [sic], father born Switzerland, mother born Switzerland.
Albert Bassire [sic], white, male, age 20, son, farm laborer, born Ohio, father born Switzerland, mother born Switzerland.
Mary Y [or Z?] Bassire [sic], white, female, age 17, daughter, at home, born Ohio, father born Switzerland, mother born Switzerland.
1885—St. John, Harrison County, Iowa, Iowa State Census
Dwelling 137, family 144
Eugene Bessire, township 78, range 44, section 6, Lot 2, age 61, male, married, farmer, born Switzerland, father foreign born, mother foreign born, entitled to vote.
Mary A. Bessire, township 78, range 44, section 6, Lot 2, age 52?, female, married, HK ]housekeeping], born Switzerland, father foreign born, mother foreign born.
Neighbors: Chas A. & Jesse Bessire.
1890—The story goes almost all of the population schedules were destroyed in a fire of 1921. Every genealogist I is dying over this one.
6 June 1900—Taylor Township, Harrison County, Iowa
Note: Eugene Bessire deceased before the census date. Mary Ann Bessire is residing as a widow in the household of Jasper McCrillis, her son-in-law. Birth dates and immigration dates were a great addition to this census.
Dwelling 87, family 87
Jasper McCrillis, head, white, male, born Oct 1854, age 45, male, married, married 18 years, born Iowa, father born Indiana, mother born Illinois, merchant hardware, zero months not employed, can read and write and speak English, home owned, mortgage, farm, farm schedule #11?
Mary Z. McCrillis, wife, white, female, born Feb 1863, age 37, married, married 18 years, six children living of six children born, born Ohio, father born Switzerland, mother born Switzerland, can read and write and speak English. Clarence W. McCrillis, son, white, male, born Jul 1882, age 17, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, farmer, zero months not employed, can read and write and speak English.
Essie M. McCrillis, daughter, white, female, born Dec 1883, age 16, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, at school 9 months, can read and write and speak English.
Harvey R. McCrillis, son, white, male, born Aug 1885, age 14, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, at school 5 months, can read and write and speak English.
Florence McCrillis, daughter, white, female, born July 1887, age 12, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, at school 9 months, can read and write and speak English.
Verna McCrillis, daughter, white, female, born April 1889, age 11, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, at school 9 months, can read and write and speak English. John D. McCrillis, son, born Jan 1895, age 5, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio.
Mary A. Bessire, mother in law, white, female, born Nov 1830, age 69, widow, 7 children living of 8 children born, born Switzerland, father born Switzerland, mother born Switzerland, immigration 1838, 62 years in the U.S., can read and write and speak English.
7 April 1910—Green River, Emery, Utah
Note: This year includes information on how many children were born to a mother and how many children are still living.
Dwelling 111, family 113:
Jasper McCrillis, head, male, white, age 55, 1st marriage, married 28 years, born Iowa, father born Indiana, mother born Illinois, can read and write and speak English, fruit farmer, own account, house owned, mortgage, farm, farm schedule 49.
Mary Z. McCrillis, wife, female, white, age 45, 1st marriage, married 28 years, 8 children living or 8 born, born Ohio, father born Switzerland-French, mother born Switzerland-French, no occupation can read and write and speak English.
Florence McCrillis, daughter, female, white, age 22, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, can read and write and speak English, public school teacher.
Verna McCrillis, daughter, female, white, age 20, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, can read and write and speak English, school.
John D. McCrillis, son, male, white, age 15, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, can read and write and speak English, school.
Edith I. McCrillis, daughter, female, white, age 9, single, born Iowa, father born Iowa, mother born Ohio, can read and write and speak English, school.
Newell E. McCrillis, son, female [sic], white, age 6, born Nebraska, father born Iowa, mother bon Ohio, able to read and write.
Mary A. Bessire, mother in law, female, white, age 78, widow, born Switzerland-French, father born Switzerland-French, mother born Switzerland-French, can read and write and speak English, no occupation.
U.S. Census History
The first census was taken in 1790 following the American Revolution under Secretary Thomas Jefferson. From 1790-1940, only the names of the heads of households were recorded, with all other family members categorized by age and sex into particular age ranges. In 1850 all family members were recorded, even slaves were recorded beginning that year.
Searching Original Census Records
FamilySearch Internet, www.familysearch.org, and Ancestry.com, www.ancestry.com, have indexes and images of the censuses online. FamilySearch allows you to search for free. Ancestry.com requires a subscription for some years. You can also order microfilm copies from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City into your local Family History Library.
