My WDYTYA Episode - Census Research

Household of Andrew and Luvenia Bullock
Nutbush Township, Vol. 68, ED 96, House 244, Family 244, Sheet 13A , Lines 47-50, and Sheet 13B, Lines 1-6

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The only census which I have located Uncle Andy B. on is the one for 1900. On censuses for 1910-1930, I have tried various methods to locate either Uncle Andy B. as an adult (1920 and 1930) or his family (1910), but thus far my efforts have been unsuccessful.

Where Did I Obtain Census?
Early on in my research after 1994, I looked at the census on microfilm for my NC and VA ancestors at my local library. Later, probably sometimes after the year 2000, I obtained a subscription to Ancestry.com and was therefore able to look at these census pages online.

1900 Census
On the 1900 census, Andrew, Jr. aka Uncle Andy B. was the youngest of eight children living in the household of his parents Andrew and Luvenia Bullock in the Nutbush township of Warren County, NC. The eight children ranged in ages from 10 months to 17 years old. The birth month and year of Uncle Andy B. was listed as July 1899. While all other accounts of his birth indicate a birth month of July, the reported birth years on various documents range from 1895 to 1899.

The 1900 census also indicates that Uncle Andy B’s parents had been married for 18 years. This led to the discovery of a marriage license (February 8, 1882) in Warren County, NC for Andrew Bullock, son of Ottoway and Mimmy Bullock, to Luvenia Jeffress, daughter of Green and Ella Scott Jeffress.

Census Pages
When looking at the census, experts suggest that researchers look on several pages before and after whatever family they are focusing on. Household #240 in Warren County begins on line 47 at the bottom of the page on the 1900 census starting with Andrew Bullock, Sr. on down through his son John. The remaining members of this household (James – Andrew, Jr.) are listed on the top of the next page on lines 1 to 6. These two pages were written with two different types of ink pens; one ballpoint and the other a finer or thinner tip. To me, the handwriting looks to be that of the same writer.

1910 Census
If Uncle Andy B’s age is accurate on the 1900 census, then he would have been 10-years-old at the time of the 1910 census. (He would have turned 11 in July of that year). However, I have not been able to locate the Bullock family on the 1910 census. I have searched line for line on the 1910 Warren County, NC census as well as on the 1910 Vance County, NC census, which is an adjacent county the Bullock family moved to some time possibly in 1910.*

*Note: I found a 1910 land deed (cannot find my notes right now) in Vance County, NC where Andrew Bullock, Sr. purchased land. Maybe the Bullock family was in the process of moving during the time of the census which caused them to miss being listed on the 1910 census in either Warren or Vance counties.

1920 and 1930 Censuses
Furthermore, I have not been able to locate Uncle Andy B. on the 1920 and 1930 censuses. He was likely living in NY during these census years. I currently have three documents from the time period 1917-1936 which indicates Uncle Andy B’s residence as New York City.

• 1917: WWI draft registration card (birth year 1895)
• 1928: Land deed of family property in Vance County, NC in which indicates Uncle Andy B’s residence as New York City. (no age or birth year given)
• 1936: Social security card application (birth year 1895)
  
  

These three documents and Uncle Andy B’s age conflicts will be discussed more in depth in future blog postings.

Stay tuned. . . Coming Up! – Professor Dru Discovers Uncle Andy B’s WWI Draft Registration Card

Ancestral Tunnel Vision

Many new researchers make the mistake of only looking at their family's household when researching the census. I'm sure I was guilty of having "ancestral tunnel vision" when I first began researching in 1994. Somewhere along the way I read that researchers should look at the neighbors of their ancestors on the census, perhaps five pages before and after the household. Studying the neighborhood could enable researchers to learn about possible new family or about the surnames in the community.

Studying the neighborhood of my ancestors has been highly beneficial to my research and I have found new family members as well as pinpointed the land they were living on during the years some of them did not own their own land. This method was especially helpful in studying the 1870 and 1880 censuses where I researched the landowners in my ancestor's communities.

Angela Walton-Raji has done a video on the Study of Your Ancestor's Community. I hope that this will give you further knowledge about the benefits of community research.

Finding Aunt Della’s Correct Birth Year

By the time I met my Aunt Della around 1996, I was in my early 30s, and had been researching my family history for about two years. Aunt Della is the youngest sister of my paternal grandmother, Hattie and she is now the last living of my grandmother’s siblings. Three of her brothers were alive when I began my family history research. Though various conversations with Aunt Della, I have learned about my father’s family. She used 1910 as her birth year, but often said that she didn’t think that was correct. The births of Aunt Della and her siblings had been recorded in the family Bible by her mother, Mary Eliza Robinson Moore (1880-1920,) however this Bible was destroyed in a house fire. By the time she applied for a social security card in the 1960s, she had been using the birth year of 1910.

Early on in my research, I had located Aunt Della’s family on all the censuses available, including her name listed on the 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses. But it would not be until about two years ago, that I would revisit the census records and reevaluate all the information given on this family. At this time, I looked at the date the census was recorded (May 9, 1910) and noticed that the age of Aunt Della was listed at ‘5-months.’ She had to have been born in 1909 I concluded. (See 1910 Census – Moore Family)

After this discovery, I had several phone conversations with Aunt Della, but I did not want to share this new finding over the phone. In 2007, our family had a reunion and I spoke about our family history, but did not mention this new finding because I felt it was better to talk to her in private first. I did, however, mention this discovery to Aunt Della's youngest daughter, Marva Jo. She told me that she also had discovered this age discrepancy through the census and told her mother about it. However, for whatever reason her mother did not react to this news. The family also continued using Aunt Della's age based on a 1910 birth year.

During the past year, I had several phone conversations with her and intended to visit, but somehow never got around to it. Another family reunion arrived this past 4th of July weekend, and I again spoke at our family banquet about our history and DNA, but did not mention this age discovery. I had prepared poster boards displaying copies of family documents. After showing them to Aunt Della at the reunion, she asked for copies. On the next day, before leaving town, I visited her with copies of documents including the 1910 census.

Aunt Della was not surprised by this new birth year discovery which would make her 98 years old instead of 97. “Come back to see me real soon,” she said as I was about to leave her house. “You know I’m not far from 100,” she said with laughter in her voice. If she lives another year and a half, she will turn the big 100.

1930 Census - Moore Family

By 1930, Robert Moore had a third wife, Elizabeth Mitchell, whom he married on February 23, 1924, in Greensville County. Several of his children had married and left home (Washington, Hattie, Sarah, and Jack.)

1930 Census ~ Zion Township of Greensville County, Virginia

1920 Census - Moore Family

By the year 1920, all of the Moore children had been born. Mary Eliza Robinson Moore was pregnant during this year, but died from childbirth complications on March 7, 1920.

1920 Census ~ Zion Township of Greensville County, Virginia

1910 Census - Moore Family

By 1910, Washington Moore had died, and his son Robert had taken over the household and property and was also raising his children along with his wife Mary Eliza. Robert’s mother Ellen Moore was living in the household with the family. All of the children in this household lived to be grown, except for Kattie, who died around 1915 of whooping cough. This census was recorded on May 9, 1910 and Aunt Della Moore Richardson was listed as age 5 months. That would give her a birth year of 1909 instead of 1910. Since birth certificates were not generated in Virginia at this time, it was common to get birth years and dates mixed up.

1910 Census ~ Zion Township of Greensville County, Virginia

I informed Aunt Della of her correct age this past Sunday. Read more about the conversation as well as a discussion about getting one’s age corrected on the Afrigeneas discussion “Getting Aunt’s Birth Year Corrected.”

1900 Census - Moore Family

By 1900, Robert Moore had married Mary Eliza Robinson, the daughter of Joshua and Ersie Jane Providence Robinson. The married on February 2, 1899 in Greensville County. Charley Wilks was a son Washington and Ellen’s daughter, Martha. Emmet Moore, who was listed here as a nephew of Washington on the 1900 census, was the son of Luther Moore. Luther Moore was the son of Henry and Eliza Moore. Therefore, Washington and Henry Moore were probably brothers.

1900 Census ~ Zion Township of Greensville County, Virginia

1880 Census - Moore Family

By 1880, Grandma Ellen had a third child by Washington Moore named George, who was born around 1874. The Moore family had moved the Zion township of Greensville County possibly to the Liberty area where they remained the rest of their lives. Junious Scott was married by this time and Pleasant Lundy was living with his father Charles Lundy in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

1880 Census ~ Zion Township of Greensville County, Virginia

1870 Census - Moore Family

The 1870 census was the first census which listed individuals who had formally been enslaved. Washington and Ellen Moore, and other former slaves had been free for five years when the 1870 census was taken. They married around 1865 and this was Ellen’s third marriage. Junious Scott is believed to be a child from the first marriage and Pleasant Lundy from the second. (See article on Grandma Ellen's Three Sets of children.) Martha and my ancestor Robert Moore were from the union with Washington Moore.

Robert Moore was the father of my paternal grandmother, Hattie Moore Pair (1902 - 1956)

1870 Census ~ Hicksford Township of Greensville County, Virginia