Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Treasure Chest Tuesday -- 1870 U.S. Agricultural Census Record for D.J. Carringer in Iowa

The treasure today is the 1870 United States Agricultural Census record for D.J. Carringer, my 2nd great-grandfather, in Jackson, Washington County, Iowa:

There are two pages for these records, and they are on two different images on Ancestry.com.  Here are the two images:



D.J. Carringer is in Line 35 on the first image on the right-hand page, and his agricultural information carries over on Line 35 the left-hand page on the second image.

Here are the headings and D.J.'s information (Line 35) on the first page:


The headings and D.J.'s information (Line 35) on the second page are:



The information on the first page is (by column number):

1.  Name:  D.J. Carringer
2.  Acres of land - Improved: 40
3.  Acres of land - Unimproved - Woodland: 1
4.  Acres of land - Unimproved -  Other: 0
5.  Present cash value - Of farm ($): 1200
6.  Present cash value - Of farming implements and machinery ($): 300
7.  Total amount of wages paid during the year, including board ($): 0
8.  Live stock, June 1, 1870 - Horses: 4
9.  Live stock, June 1, 1870 -  Mules and Asses: 0
10.  Live stock, June 1, 1870 - Milch cows: 3
11.  Live stock, June 1, 1870 - Working Oxen: 0 
12.  Live stock, June 1, 1870 - Other Cattle:  0
13.  Live stock, June 1, 1870 - Sheep:  0
14.  Live stock, June 1, 1870 - Swine:  9
15.  Live stock, June 1, 1870 - Value of all live stock ($):  520
16.  Produce during the year - Wheat, Spring (bush):  452
17.  Produce during the year - Wheat, Winter (bush): 0
18.  Produce during the year - Rye (bush): 0 
19.  Produce during the year - Indian corn (bush): 400
20.  Produce during the year - Oats (bush): 39
21.  Produce during the year - Barley (bush): 0
22.  Produce during the year - Buckwheat (bush): 0
23. Produce during the year - Rice (bush): 0
24.  Produce during the year - Tobacco (bush): 0

And on the second sheet:

25.  Produce during the year - Cotton (bales): 0
26.  Produce during the year - Wool (lbs):  10
27.  Produce during the year - Peas & Beans (bush):  0
28.  Produce during the year - Potatoes - Irish (bush):  40
29.  Produce during the year - Potatoes - Sweet (bush):  0
30.  Produce during the year - Orchard products ($):  0
31.  Produce during the year - Wine (gallons):  0 
32.  Produce during the year - Produce of market gardens ($):  0
33.  Produce during the year - Dairy products - Butter (lbs):  200
34.  Produce during the year - Dairy products - Cheese (lbs):  0
35.  Produce during the year - Dairy products - Milk sold ($):  0 
36.  Produce during the year - Hay (Tons):  3
37.  Produce during the year - Seed - Clover (Bush):  0
38.  Produce during the year - Seed - Grass (Bush):  0
39.  Produce during the year - Hops (Lbs):  0
40.  Produce during the year - Hemp (Tons):  0
41.  Produce during the year - Flax (Lbs):  0
42.  Produce during the year - Flax seed (Bush):  0
43.  Produce during the year - Silk cocoons (lbs):  0
44.  Produce during the year - Sugar - Maple (Lbs):  0
45.  Produce during the year - Sugar - Cane (1000 Lbs):  0
46.  Produce during the year - Molasses (Gallons):  0
47.  Produce during the year - Bees - Wax (Lbs):  0
48.  Produce during the year - Bees - Honey (Lbs):  0
49.  Produce during the year - Forest products ($):  0
50.  Produce during the year - Value of home manufacture ($):  0 
51.  Produce during the year - Value of animals slaughtered or sold for slaughter ($):  80
52.  Total value - Estimated value of all farm production ($):  685

The source citation for this entry is:

1870 United States Federal Census, Washington County, Iowa, Agricultural Schedule, Jackson township: Page 9, Line 35, D.J. Carringer entry; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 April 2010); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T1156, Roll 13.

From this, we can see that D.J. Carringer's 40 acre farm had 4 horses, 3 milch cows and nine swine; the farm produced 452 bushels of spring wheat, 400 bushels of Indian corn, 39 bushels of oats, 40 bushels of Irish potatoes, 200 pounds of butter, 3 tons of hay, 10 pounds of wool, $80 worth of slaughtered animals, with a total farm production of $685 in the year ending June 1, 1870.  Presumably, the rest of the farm production was used on the farm itself or traded for other commodities with other producers.  The farm's value was $1200, the machinery and farm implements was worth $300, and the livestock was worth $520. 

 It appears that he had no hired workers during this year.  In 1870, D.J. was age 41, with wife Rebecca age 38, two sons, Harvey age 18 and Henry aged 16, and daughter Effie aged 11.

Isn't that a great record?  It's a snapshot of the possessions and livelihood of one man and his family for one year.  

Don't we all wish we had information like this for all of our ancestors?  I need to look for more Agricultural Census records for my farmer ancestors in the Midwest.

David Jackson (D.J.) and Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer are my 2nd great-grandparents through their son Henry Austin Carringer (1853-1946), my great-grandfather, who married Abbie Ardell (Della) Smith (1864-1944) in 1887 in Wano, Kansas.

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Copyright (c) 2018, Randall J. Seaver

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1 comment:

Melvin Key said...

Hi Randy,
Found your census information very interesting. Had to look up the definition of "milch cow", thought it might just be a translation error for milk cow. Miriam Webster says it is a cow kept in milk.
Secondly upon reviewing the information with interest towards how many animals it took to produce how much. Something was missed as they produced 10 pounds of wool without any sheep.
My families were farmers through the years and I spent my first 10 years on the farm.
Read you blog daily.
Thanks for all the work you do.
Melvin