Thursday, August 23, 2012

Treasure Chest Thursday - 1900 U.S. Census Record for Thomas Richmond Family


It's Treasure Chest Thursday - time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1900 United States Census record for my great-grandparents and their family in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts: 


The entry for Thomas and Juliette Richmond is below:



The extracted information for the family, residing at 42 Summer Street in Leominster, taken on 4 June 1900, is:

*  Thomas Richmond - Head, white, male, born June 1848, age 51, married, married 31 years, born in England, father born England, mother born England, immigrated in 1856, US resident for 44 years, naturalized citizen,  occupation is overseer in a woolen mill, 0 months not employed,  able to read, able to write, able to speak English, rents a home.
*  Juliaette Richmond - Wife, white, female, born Sept 1848, age 51, married, married 31 years, 9 children born, 1 child living, born Connecticut, father born Rhode Island, mother born Rhode Island, no occupation, able to read, able to write, able to speak English.
*  Grace Richmond - Daughter, white, female, born Aug 1876, age 23, single, born Connecticut, father born England, mother born Connecticut, occupation is shirt-maker, 0 months not employed, able to read, able to write, able to speak English.
*  Emiley W. Richmond - Daughter, white, female, born Jan 1879, age 21, single, born Connecticut, father born England, mother born Connecticut, no occupation, able to read, able to write, able to speak English.
*  Charles E. Richmond - Son, white, male, born May 1880, age 20, single, born Connecticut, father born England, mother born Connecticut, occupation is printer, 0 months not employed, able to read, able to write, able to speak English.
*  Alma G. Richmond - Daughter, white, female, born Feb 1882, age 18, single, born Connecticut, father born England, mother born Connecticut, occupation is housework, 0 months not employed, able to read, able to write, able to speak English.
*  Edwin T. Richmond - Son, white, male, born Dec 1883, age 16, single, born Connecticut, father born England, mother born Connecticut, occupation is laundryman, 0 months not employed, able to read, able to write, able to speak English.
*  James H. Richmond - Son, white, male, born Nov 1876, age 13, single, born Connecticut, father born England, mother born Connecticut, occupation is at school, attended school for 10 months, able to read, able to write, able to speak English.

The source citation for the census image is:

1900 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Population Schedule, Leominster; ED 1644, Sheet 4B, dwelling #63, family #88, Thomas Richmond household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 October 2011), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T623, Roll 692.

I consider the 1900 U.S. Census records to be an "Original Source" (because this "family snapshot" in June 1900 is in its first written form); mostly as "Secondary Information" (since we don't know who provided the information - although it was probably Juliette Richmond), and as "Indirect Evidence" for most of the information (the exception being the home address,  the birthplaces, and Thomas's occupation which were certainly known by the informant).  

I see several obvious errors in this census record (based on what I know about these persons from other records, including birth and marriage records), including:

*  Juliaette's given name.  Her birth name was Julia (used in the 1880 Census and before) and at some point she adopted the name Juliet(te) before 1900, and used it for the remainder of her married life.  Juliaette is a variation of Juliette.
*  Juliaette had 10 children, and nine were still living at the time of this census.  The record says 1 child was living.  Perhaps she misunderstood the question, or the enumerator made a mistake.
*  The middle initials of several children are wrong - should be Charles P. [Percival], Alma B. [Bessie].


Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

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