|
|
This is only a preview of the paper
Click here to register and get the full text.
Existing members click here to login
|
|
|
Alcona County, Michigan Introduction Census records contain large amounts of valuable information about our ancestors and their way of life. Fortunately, most of the actual census records (through 1920) are available. Some of the original census books can be accessed, if a researcher knows where to look for them. The problem with these records is that, 1) they are not readily available to the casual researcher, 2) the handwriting is difficult (sometimes impossible) to read, 3) the ink has faded or smudged, and 4) indexes don’t exist for some of the census years, and those that do may be incomplete or difficult to use. Some of the enumerations for Alcona County were particularly difficult to read because the ink has faded badly. Greenbush Township, Harrisville Township, and Harrisville Village, on the other hand, were in relatively good condition (see Figure 1). Figure 1: An image of one of the pages of the 1880 Harrisville Village census, enumerated on the 18th of June, 1880 by C. P. Reynolds. About this transcription The 1880 census was originally transcribed from microfilm copies at the University of Michigan Graduate Library. Once the transcription was completed, the results were checked by a different pair of eyes against microfilm copies kept at the National Archives. Even with careful, sometimes laborious transcription, some errors are bound to have happened, particularly where the original handwriting was poor or the ink has faded. There are other transcription issues associated with names in these census returns. In some cases, the Assistant Marshals simply misspelled names while taking down the information. The authors have recorded the names the way they were spelled on the returns. Even more problems cropped up. There are also some surnames that the enumerator spelled correctly, but which have since been changed or been standardized by the family. Non-population census schedules The Federal census consisted of far more than just the population schedules. Much of this additional information is summarized in the following sections. For the 1880 census, the Products of Agriculture, Products of Industry, Social Statistics, and Mortality schedules have survived, and have been transcribed for this book. They are available at the National Archives, the Archives of the State of Michigan, and through the Family History Centers of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (LDS) on microfilm. Census Publications—1880 The Bureau of the Census published the following twenty-two volumes of abstracted data for the 1880 census.
Approximate Word count = 1576
Approximate Pages = 6.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
|
|
|
|
|
|