Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Snooping on the Censuses


Click on images to make them readable.


The above are the censuses (transcribed) for my grandfather's household family living with him in 1920, 1930, and 1940.

I joined Ancestry.com and am taking one family at a time and seeing what I can find, as far as public records, go.

The first census, 1920 show my father as 8 years old.  That is about right, he was born in August, 1913.  Although, his name was Edwin not Edward.  But again, it might have been Edward and somehow somehow changed to Edward.  He was named after his uncle Ed Tyson, and in case Ed is short for Edward.  Also on the 1820 Census the last name Doryla I am pretty sure is suppose to be Douglas.

Ten years later on the 1830 Census the two oldest boys, Herbert and Robert "Bus" had left home.  It surprised me my father, who would have been 17 years old then was also not enumerized.  But after thinking about it I think I know why.

Back when Daddy was about 17 or so his Uncle Will offered him a job for the summer working on his farm near Hwy 92 and Cherokee County for an agreed upon amount.  Will asked Daddy would he rather be paid weekly or at the end of the season.  Daddy reasoned that if got it weekly he would spend it all as it came in.  However, at the end, if he got paid in one lump and he could buy a car he had dreams of owning.  He worked hard on the farm all summer and his last day of work and went to Uncle Will for his money and Uncle Will told him he was sorry but he didn't have any money to pay him.  He said all his neighobrs were going bankrupted and he was using his money to buy their land.  Remember, that was 1830, when a depression was going on.  Will gained on buying land at a cheap price, their lost was his gain, and what makes it even more ironic, he was using money to buy the land on money he promised someone else.

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