As a baby genealogist, I had no idea what to do with all the conflicting clues I found in census records. Over time, I learned that these things should be noted, highlighted, and eventually resolved. I also started to understand how these conflicts occurred in the first place.
AGES
How could someone age only five years within a ten-year period? People didn't always know exactly when they were born or how old they really were. The person providing the information might have been a child or a neighbor who was just guessing at the ages. And of course, there were times when people just lied. Perhaps a woman didn't want everyone to know she was ten years older than her husband. All these things get noted and can provide clues to one's actual age.
PLACE OF BIRTH
How could someone be born in Pennsylvania on one census and in Ohio on the next? This was a bit trickier. Since we don't know who provided the information (except in the 1940 census), they may be only guessing. Sometimes people don't realize they may have been born in Pennsylvania because they moved to Ohio when they were very, very young - and Ohio was the only home they knew growing up. Sometimes a boundary may have changed. There are lots of reasons for this confusion.
Sometimes the names of countries change. For example, on one census, a person might be listed as born in Germany. In the next census, they could be listed as born in Austria-Hungary. Clues are noted and eventually dealt with — in this case by understanding history and boundary changes and by looking at maps.
NUMBER OF CHILDREN
Another conflicting clue in the census is in the 1900 census, when a woman was asked how many children she had given birth to. What if they say seven and you are sure it was only four? That's a great clue because it means you should be looking for additional children that were born and likely died before the census was taken.
YEARS
Sometimes you have to look at a date as more of a range. For example, on the censuses that provide an immigration year, it could be off by one year or five. The person giving the information might be guessing. Or the person just forgot exactly what year it was. The farther they get away from the event, the more likely errors can creep in.
RESOLVING CONFLICTING CLUES
Census records can be a gold mine for genealogists. They are typically the low-hanging fruit that enables you to track where a person was every ten years. But they can't be taken as the gospel truth.
Enumerators were human. They made mistakes. They had to make copies of the information they gathered, so there is a risk of errors. Reading the enumerator's instructions can help you understand why they might have written something puzzling to you.
Make sure you are pulling out every piece of information from the censuses. Spend time correlating the pieces, resolving any conflicts you encounter.
_________________________________________________________
This Week's #52Ancestors Prompt is CONFLICTING CLUES.
