The December newsletter is full of great genealogical and historical information. Thank you for subscribing! If you want us to address a specific topic in upcoming newsletters, send a message to tanya@familymattersgenealogy.com.
Researching the 1900 Census
We touched on the 1900 census in the October 2022 newsletter but I received a request to go into it in depth. So let’s have an extensive conversation about the 1900 census. Go!
The years between the 1880 and 1900 censuses proves to be a painful gap for genealogists. We get frustrated trying to track down ancestors and their migration patterns during this period in history. We have many unanswered questions because families disappeared, migrated or life events occured (birth, marriage, death) and only census records are the evidence to their existence.
A few records from the 1890 census survived a fire (see September 2022 newsletter), therefore the 1900 census is very important to us. As mentioned, each census gives more information than the previous one. The 1900 census is a treasure trove of information. Many categories continued from the 1880 census to the 1900 census (i.e., marital status, relationship to head of household, occupation and literacy). However, there were several additional categories, making it easier to track our ancestors.
Column 7 – Date of Birth
The 1880 census only gave us the ages of the enumerated, forcing us to estimate the birth year. The 1900 census gave us the month and year of birth plus the age. Because the date of birth is more precise than previous census records, it can eliminate people with similar names.
Column 10 – Number of Years Married
This helps researchers estimate the marriage year to find marriage bonds and licenses. These are significant because they often contain the names of both the bride’s and groom’s parents. This assists researchers by giving parental names from another generation.
Column 11 & 12 – Mother of How Many Children/Number of Living Children
Due to the lack of information between 1880 to 1900, it was possible that children were born and/or died between these years. The pain of losing a young child might be concealed from extended family members. These columns record the number of children born and number living. The difference would be the death of a child, causing a researcher to look other places for records of the child’s existence through birth or death records.
Columns 16, 17 & 18 – Immigration Information
These are very important columns to review, especially if you know your family members emigrated from another country. These columns prompt you to search for passenger manifests, naturalization documents, and border crossing information. Knowing this information can help you determine your family’s country of origin and/or ethnicity.
Columns 25, 26, 27 & 28 – Ownership of Home
Home ownership information can help you understand the economic status of your family in 1900. The type of dwelling (farm or house) and farm schedule allows the researcher know if the family income was based on an occupation or agriculture. Most families living on farms worked their own land as income. If you can find the farm schedule, you would see what crops your ancestors grew and sold.
An owned or rented dwelling could mean a sharecropping/tenant situation or contract farming (especially with African American farmers). An owned home, especially owned free and clear of mortgage, could mean family land. A mortgaged or home owned free and clear could indicate an upper middle class status of the family.
BIG GIVEAWAY!!!! We will give away one DNA test kit* from one of the BIGGEST family genealogy companies between 12/1/22 and 12/31/22. Anyone who signs up for the Family Matters Genealogy newsletter will receive an entry to win. If you are already signed up for my newsletters and blogs, you will automatically be entered. The drawing will be held New Years Day! Tell your family and friends! Don’t let them miss out! The DNA test kit has a $99 value.
A Blast from the Past: The Phone Book
Surprisingly, I remember the excitement when the mailman delivered the phone book to our apartment. The dictionary and encyclopedias were fun to read and I learned a lot. I would grab the phone book and hurry to our third-floor apartment and devour it like a novel, looking for my parents’ names, friends’ parents’ names, and the names of my favorite places. Perusing the yellow pages intrigued me and kept me busy for hours. There was interesting information in the front and middle of the book – population information, county maps, zip codes by city, political information, etc.
The First Telephone Directory
The New Haven District Telephone Company in Connecticut first issued the first telephone directory on February 21, 1878. It listed 50 names, not alphabetized, and contained mostly businesses, and no telephone numbers! By November 1878, the same telephone company, renamed The Connecticut District Telephone Company of New Haven, Connecticut, upgraded the directory to a telephone book that included 391 subscribers that paid $22 per year to have their name and address listed. Businesses paid to place ads in the back section of the phone book (designated with yellow paper). Still, the book did not contain phone numbers! The Connecticut phone book finally published phone numbers in 1889!
Phone Book vs. City Directory
Genealogical research sites make a distinction between the phone book and city directory. What is the difference? Phone directories/books contained a subscriber’s name, address and telephone number. City directories came about 1786, nearly 100 years before the telephone book. It contained a subscriber’s name, residential address, occupation, business address. Also, city directories listed everyone in the city or town, not just those that had a telephone.
The Phone Book is Good for Genealogy
I’m sure you are wondering…how it’s good for genealogy? Either directory can fill in the gap between censuses by pinpointing the movement of your relatives with a city, county or state. It also listed other important locations within the area that are important to your research – churches, cemeteries, schools and social organizations.
The Fate of the Phone Book
Why did the phone book become extinct? Two reasons – the environment and the internet. The manufacturing and distribution of phone books produced approximately 1,400,000 metric tons of greenhouse gasses and accounts for 600,000 tons of paper per year. Lessening the world’s carbon footprint have aided in the demise of the phonebook. The internet makes having a phonebook obsolete. Google can give you any information you need to know within seconds. Beside, contacting people is much easier today than it was hundreds of years ago.
Client Corner – Ellen Lovett Reaves
Tanya Foreman performed genealogy research for my family. I have known Tanya Foreman for over 20 years and had no doubt her work would be excellent. What I was not expecting was the stellar results I received. I volunteered when she asked if anyone would be interested in finding out more information about their Ancestry.
My father’s side of the family had been somewhat of a mystery to me for years and this was my opportunity to find out anything at all. I did not have high expectations that information was available but Tanya was able to uncover such in depth information about not only my father’s side of the family but some of my mother’s as well. I shared her research with my aunt, brother, and several cousins.
I am eternally grateful to Tanya who has helped me unlock this mystery for my family. It feels wonderful to have such a connection now to my family history.
Looking for Long Lost Ancestors?
MASTERCLASS ALERT!
GENEALOGY 101: LEARN THE BASICS! If you are interested in researching your family history (and I strongly encourage everyone to do so), I will be conducting a Masterclass on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 called Family Matters: Shaking Your Family Tree. You will learn how to get started performing your own genealogical research. More details to come in the January 2023 newsletter. Those currently receiving the newsletter will be the first to have the information!
If you don’t have the time to do your own research, I offer several affordable packages depending on your research needs.
Did You Know about the Grandfather Clause?
Did you ever wonder where the phrases “grandfather clause” or being “grandfathered in” came from? This phrase came up in conversation recently with a friend who did not know the origin of the phrase. Merriam-Webster defines this phrase as “a clause creating an exemption based on circumstances previously existing.” I know a few situations in which the grandfather clause applied to me because the rules of engagement changed AFTER I had been a member or had a job or a law had passed, etc. Very few know that the grandfather clause has a racial history.
The Post Civil War South
The 15th amendment prohibited disenfranchisement based on “race, color or previous condition of servitude.” However, Southern whites did not want Blacks to have the power to vote. They had to get creative in order to circumvent the amendment and encourage racial discrimination. Unfortunately, this creative measure was in place for nearly a century.
After Reconstruction, the southern states created requirements for all its citizens to vote, hoping to prevent the Black vote. Boards of Elections used literacy tests, poll taxes and constitutional quizzes to determine who could register to vote. African Americans, fresh from slavery and uneducated, were unable to pass these bias test. However, this created a problem for poor Southern whites could not pass these test either due to lack of education. Thus, the southern governments created the grandfather clause. It simply stated that you were allowed to vote if your grandfather was able to vote. African Americans had no previous ancestors vote, therefore they were forced to take the tests and/or pay the tax.
The grandfather clause disenfranchised eligible African Americans while making it easier for previously disenfranchised whites to vote. It created a political imbalance that favored white supremacy, paving the way for Jim Crow laws to rear its ugly head.
Editor’s Note – Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa & Happy New Year!
I love Christmas. One daughter was born 3 weeks before Christmas and the other was born 3 weeks after Christmas. Also, people seem nicer and more forgiving during this season. I’m not sure if it’s because they want to get nice gifts or if this time of year brings out the best in people. I do wonder when we stopped celebrating Kwanzaa. In the 1990s, there were so many parties, festivals and celebration that I could not keep up! I want to make more of an effort to celebrate Kwanzaa this year and contribute more to African American history. It’s great to read about history but it’s also important to create and celebrate it too. You can quote me on that!
Enjoy the season, spend time with your family, talk to your elders and learn about your family.
Know and love your family history. Peace, Love and Genealogy.