Special Census SchedulesBy Connie LenzenA column written for the 29 July 2004 issue of the Vancouver Columbian. |
A friend tells about her father who quit school in 1910 after completing the fourth grade. The nickels that he earned helped put food on the table.
She would like to know about conditions in 1910. One way to find out is to go online and make a search on an Internet search engine like Google.com. For her search, the phrases: "working conditions" and "1910" resulted in 20,000 hits. High on the list of hits was a page called "American Cultural History The Twentieth Century 1910-1910." It was on the Kingwood College Library website. http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decades.html. Another helpful page was an essay on child labor on the University of Louisville's website.
In 1910, two million children were working in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. Some children worked from 48 to 50 hours for a couple of dollars per week. This compared to the average salary of $750 per year. Life expectancy during the decade from 1910 to 1919 was 48.4 years for men and 51.8 years for women.
Statistics like these come from the U.S. Census Department. They are part of the facts and figures that we seldom bother to use. However, they provide us with much information about the times in which our ancestors lived.
Two special census schedules with fascinating statistics are the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 "Social Statistics" and "Industry Schedules." They are an original source of primary information for the areas where our ancestors lived.
The 1870 Social Statistics for Clark County, Washington reported that $25.00 was the average monthly wage paid to farmhands who were hired by the year and boarded. The average carpenter earned $4.00 per day.
In the 1870 Industry Schedule, also for Clark County, Washington, we find the companies that produced over $500 annually. As a for instance, Thomas Drennan had a carpenter shop. He had $80 invested in the business, and he used hand power as opposed to steam, water, wind, or horse. James Hulett had a fishery and employed 4 males. He paid them $640 for the year for an average of $160.
These special schedules exist for every county and state. They are a bit difficult to obtain because they are not part of the regular population censuses, the ones that we find on microfilm and on the Internet.
The National Genealogical Society (NGS) offers an online course that teaches you how to access and use these special schedules. You can enroll online at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org. Click on the "Learning Center" tab and then "Online Courses."
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© 2004
Connie Lenzen, CG