While it can be frustrating when someone is not listed in a census record, it is possible that the occasional person was enumerated more than once.
A move during a census year, time spent at a “summer home,” living away from home during the week, separating from a spouse but not divorcing, are all reasons why someone may appear in a census enumeration more than once.
9 Responses
I’ve observed families being enumerated twice within the same county . They were in different dwellings and locations within the county. Did the family in question tell the census taker that they had already been counted? I’ve wondered what the instructions to the census takers were about this.
In the 1930 census, I had the same two ancestors enumerated in two different states. In Louisiana they were enumerated in their own household, and the husband was listed by his first name. They were shown to be living next door to their daughter Ellen and her family.
In Mississippi they were enumerated as living with their daughter Mary and her family. The husband was listed by his middle name!
My Grandfather and Aunt were counted in NH at their home in 1930. A few days later they were also counted at a hotel in Boston. But I can’t find them anywhere in 1940!
I have examples of children being enumerated with their parents and at a separate address with their grandparents.
I have my dad as a ten year old living with his father two streets over from his mother at the beginning of April and then his mother living with the Stepfather two weeks later
I’d be curious to see the US Census records for 1890, but am making do with Washington State Censuses, enumerated April 5, 1892; on that date, my wayward and mostly absent great grandfather is listed as head of household in Tacoma, joining his wife and 4 of their 6 children young enough to be living at home. That same day, he appears on the state census taken in Seattle, as a single man. These records, unfortunately, have been recopied from the originals, because the names are listed iin alphabetical order.
The April 4, 1892 Seattle Intelligencer, in the Real Estate Sales, reports that my great grandfather had sold two lots to a (Tacoma) woman named Agnes, for $1,500. Five months later, Agnes—a wealthy grey-haired resident living a couple of blocks away from my great grandmother, in Tacoma)—claims that, through hypnotic influence, my great grandfather had buncoed her out of $2,000, and then squandered most of the money on a drunken “spree” in Seattle. This event was published in the Seattle PI, the Denver Rocky Mountsin News (he actually spent more time in Denver than anywhere else), the Waterloo Daily Courier, Chicago Tribune, etc.
Meanwhile, on August 23, 1892, my great grandmother went to court in Tacoma and asked the judge for a “silent divorce.”
This is why I keep all my printouts re. my grandparents in chronological order, in two 3” binders (and name corresponding computer files starting with year-month-day, then headline or title of document, as well as important key words/tags.
I have one family who was counted in Georgia in June 1850 (I think) and then they were counted in Florida when the census was taken there in September. Loved being able to pin down exactly when they made the move.
I have another great uncle, the oldest son, who was counted at home with the family in Alabama in 1880. I think he was about 20. Then he was counted same year as a boarder with a family in Texas. He ended up marrying a daughter of the family next door and he stayed in Texas. Mom and dad probably counted him with the rest of the family at home, maybe expecting him back in a few months, not thinking he’d be counted elsewhere.
Fun facts. No so fun when a family seems to have missed the census entirely!
Jan
Another reason for people to appear in the census records twice was if the city officials disagreed with the count of the enumerators. This happened in the City of St. Louis, Missouri for 1880. City officials disputed the count of the population and requested/demanded a re-enumeration. Sometimes families will be exactly where they were on the first census, and sometimes they weren’t. Also the “new” enumerators may have spoken the language of the neighborhoods they were working in, and the surname may be spelled more what the family is used to.
The brother of one of my 3x great grandmothers was counted twice several weeks apart. Once at his sister’s house where he was listed as a painter and once at his parent’s house listed as a farmer. I can see how he might have been hired by his sister to do some painting and had stayed with her until the job was done.