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Ancestry Daily News
5/7/2003 - Archive
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Where, Oh Where is Abraham? |
Where, Oh Where is Abraham?
Census indexes have taken some of the work out of locating people
in enumerations. Some of the work--but not all of it. It is still necessary
to think when using census records.
With the use of indexes, the desired forebear, Abraham Wickiser, was easily
located in Harlem Township, Delaware County, Ohio, in 1830 and 1850. 1840 was
the problem. Abraham was not listed in the index under any reasonable variant
and a manual check of the 1840 census for Harlem Township, Delaware County did
not produce the desired result. Note: I did not spend three hours getting creative
with the index when the actual township where the person should have been listed
was only a few dozen census pages at best. There are times when simply viewing
the pages is the most efficient way to go.
Time to Stop and Think
First of all, did I have good reason to believe Abraham was in Harlem Township?
I thought I did. Abraham is enumerated there in 1830 and 1850 and owned real
estate in the township. He could have lived elsewhere in 1840 only to return
by the 1850 census enumeration. Searches of indexes were made for Abraham in
Ohio and other states in 1840, all to no avail.
My next step would have been to analyze a map of Delaware County, Ohio, and
determine what townships were located adjacent to Harlem Township. These townships
would be the next place to manually search the census images for Abraham. After
all, he could easily have been enumerated in an adjacent township and his name
could have been spelled so incorrectly that locating it in the index would be
difficult. It is not always worth spending days creating oddball name spellings
for an index search when the actual census can be searched manually. However,
I decided to revisit the 1840 census for Harlem Township before I expanded my
search.
I Reviewed
Abraham and Catherine Wickiser's 1850 census entry indicated they were aged
70 and 66 respectively. Abraham's 1830 census entry indicates the presence of
a 50- to 60-year-old male and a 40- to 50-year-old female. These age ranges
are consistent with the ages of Abraham and Catherine in the 1850 census. Yet
the question remained: Where were they in 1840? Was it possible they were living
in Harlem township and simply not enumerated?
One of the individuals believed to be Abraham and Catherine's son is a George
Wickiser, also of Harlem Township. A George Wickiser is enumerated in the 1830
through 1850 censuses for Harlem Township. I will operate on the assumption
they are the same George unless evidence indicates otherwise.
In 1850, George and his wife are both aged 46. In 1830, George's household has
a 20- to 30-year-old male and a 20- to 30-year-old female. These 1830 age ranges
and the 1850 specific ages are consistent enough to be the same couple.
Then there is the 1840 census for George.
This entry indicates the following "adults" in the household.
A 30 to 40 year old male.
A 60 to 70 year old male.
A 30 to 40 year old female.
A 50 to 60 year old female.
The entries for the 30 to 40 year old male and female are consistent with George
and his wife from other census entries. But there is apparently an older couple
living with George in 1840. Who are these people?
The age ranges for this male and female are consistent with the age ranges established
for Abraham and his wife in the 1830 and 1850 census. But are they really Abraham
and his wife? The older couple living with George in 1840 could be his parents,
the parents of his wife, or another (likely related) couple. For now, we'll
work on the assumption that these older individuals are George's parents. However,
I will note that this is the assumption I have made.
If the older couple is George's parents, how do I know they are Abraham and
his wife and not another Wickiser couple? Good question.
Let's Back Up to 1830
The 1830 census enumeration lists six Wickiser households in Harlem Township,
indicating that Abraham's family was not the only one in the area. Based upon
the ages in the 1830 enumeration there appear to be two "patriarchs"
of the Wickiser group in Harlem Township: Abraham and Conrad (both of whom are
aged between 50 and 60 in 1830). Based solely upon the census, the relationship
between these two men is unknown. The four remaining Wickiser families are all
headed by men in their twenties. Our working assumption is that they are all
somehow connected. Further research will have to be done to separate the individuals
into the correct family groups.
Nagging Doubts
Could the older couple enumerated with George Wickiser be Conrad and his
wife instead of Abraham and his wife? It does not look like it. There is an
1840 census entry for a Coonrod Wickiser in Hancock County, Ohio, with only
two individuals enumerated in the household: a male and a female both aged 60
to 70. The oldest male and female in Conrad's 1830 Harlem Township entry are
aged 50 to 60. The chance of two separate Conrad Wickisers in Ohio of the same
age appears to be remote (although it is always possible).
Following are several key assumptions we made in the course of this analysis:
- Abraham Wickiser's parents are enumerated in Harlem Township, Delaware County,
Ohio, in 1830.
- The older man and woman living with George Wickiser in 1840 are his parents
and not his wife's.
- There was only one Conrad Wickiser born between 1770 and 1780 living in Ohio
in the early eighteenth century.
What Should I Do Now?
The census records got me off to a good start, but there are more records
that should be analyzed. In particular records at the courthouse such as estate
records, court records, land records, and tax records. All of these sources,
combined with the census and other records may give us a more complete picture
of the family. The census only provides a glimpse into the family every ten
years, and sometimes this occasional glimpse is not enough.
Why Are They with George in 1840?
If Abraham and Katherine are enumerated with George in 1840, one wonders why
they are not enumerated with George's family in 1850. The reason may never be
known. However, next week we'll see how land records for Abraham hint at a potential
reason why he's living in his own household again in 1850.
Michael John Neill is the Course I Coordinator at the Genealogical Institute
of Mid America (GIMA) held annually in Springfield, Illinois, and is also on
the faculty of Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois. Michael is the
Web columnist for the FGS Forum and is on the editorial board of the
Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly. He conducts seminars and
lectures on a wide variety of genealogical and computer topics and contributes
to several genealogical publications, including Ancestry and Genealogical Computing.
You can e-mail him at: mjnrootdig@myfamily.com
or visit his website at: www.rootdig.com/,
but he regrets that he is unable to assist with personal research.
Copyright 2003, MyFamily.com Inc.
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