The Betty Frain System for United States Census Citations

I have been asked several times how I use the Census roles as listed on Teresa’s webpage. If I remember correctly, Teresa actually designed how roles could be created and designed, and I went crazy building on her idea.

First let me set some parameters. I was raised in Arlington County, VA, just across the river from Washington, DC. From tenth grade on I had excellent English teachers who taught and demanded complete documentation of any papers we wrote. I have the enviable experience of having done all my high school papers at the Library of Congress. We all did.

Yes, I do own and use ‘Evidence’ by Elizabeth S. Mills. Her work is outstanding and very complete. My book is worn out. I just don’t agree with her about everything. The following system adjusts TMG to give basically the census citations as she describes.

What does that mean? It means, particularly when discussing how to document census research, I disagree heartily with many of the methods offered today. They simply enlarge your Bibliography. They don’t really add any information to your work. This system will provide ALL the information necessary to find any specific citation. Excessive listings can become very confusing.

We were taught that each censes is the equivalent of a book of many volumes. Each volume or roll is NOT a separate book, but a part of the total book. For that reason, I set up each census as one entry. Since I used UFT before TMG, I have the entries pretty much as I brought them forward, and have overridden the automatic entries created by TMG.

One additional thought. It is not necessary to list where you found commonly available books and documents. Only if they are in your private library, or are rare and hard to find, would it be helpful to your readers to indicate where you found the information. The Federal Census is widely known and microfilm or scans of the microfilm can be found in many places. This is going to be true in the future. So there is no reason or purpose to document exactly where you found the Federal census. It is the same, no matter where you read the information you are using. I have looked at the same page of the census in as many as three places, at Archives in DC, at my local LDS Library, and on Ancestry.com. Do I have to list that page three times? No. THIS DOES NOT APPLY IF YOU ARE QUOTING A CENSUS INDEX. THEY MAY VARY. But if you look at the scanned document, original, microfilmed, or scanned, the information will not vary from library or webpage or microfilm roll.

Step 1 – Set up the Federal Census Sources

Following is how I set up my Federal Census Sources. I have used the 1850 Census as the example, but it will not be hard to carry this forward to the other Federal Census documents.

The above shows the final Bibliographical listing. Yes, 1920 and 1930 are not listed, but I used the same system for those Federal Census listings.

Under Tools / Master Source List, create or edit an 1850 census source as below:

Because I have overridden the original TMG census formulas, the data shown in Preview is the same as the data shown in the formula block. Please compare to the Bibliography shown above.

I suggest that you add all available Federal Census data at the beginning. You will probably need some, or all of the years before you are through. Do it now. Then it will be consistent.

Step 2 – Set up a Name Style

Under Tools / Master Style List, create or edit a name style that will list the name given in a document and the age given in that document. Select Names as the Style type. When you first open this page, only the U.S. Standard Name style will display. Feel free to open that page to familiarize yourself with how things are setup, but I would not make changes there.

Any number of Name Styles can be set up. They only affect the printout of your data, if you have assigned the Name Style to a tag, and if you select the Use Name Styles switch when printing your report. As long as you do not change the U.S. Standard Name, you really cannot do damage here. Later, when you are more experienced, there may be something you want to change on the U.S. Standard, but be very careful. That is your default Name Style.

NOTE: I created a name style ‘Census’ not realizing that I could use this style anytime I cited a document that gave a name and age for a person. I now use my Census Name Style for Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates, etc. The important thing is that you have a name and an age. Do not use this style without an age. To begin, select Add.

The page that opens will allow you to change the name of each Label. Set your labels as shown above.

Once the labels are set, the really important part of this graphic is the Output template. Set the Output template exactly as you see it above.

Now click OK.

Step 3 – Set up Census Name Tags

Under Tools / Master Tag Type List, create or edit a Name tag type for each type of official document you expect to use. NOTE: I would create one for Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates, Tombstone, and each year of the Census. This allows you to record the actual name shown in the document.

Only two things are important here, the label should read as above (See General tab), and the Male sentence structure must be set to --. That way, no sentence will be printed for this tab.

Now look at all the information we can have by using the Name tags and Census (Age) Name Style. Each Name Tag indicates the way the individual was listed in the document, and if there was an age, the age given. I never print these tags, but have them sort at the top of my tag list for information purposes. This information may help you recognize the person when listed with a nickname or initials elsewhere. Here is how:

Step 4 – Recording the Census

Find your census entry. For each person in the household create a Name tag for that census:

Do add a date.

Select Name Style

Age given on the census.

Name exactly as found on the census.

 

Now create the Census Tag:

I am assuming you have created the Census Tags as listed on Teresa’s webpage, showing a role for each type of role given in the census.

Enter all other information as memo 3. Note sentence structure.

Official date of the census.

Actual date the census was taken.

Select the Name-1850 Census data from the drop-down list.

Add Citation in this form, M1||M2. Use name exactly as in the census.

Add each witness, select correct Name Tag data from drop-down list, select correct role, and add any information specific to this person at the end of the sentence.

Complete the tag and run a Journal Report.

I am attaching 2 pages of a Journal Report for Walter Lindsay Penn:

Descendants of Walter Lindsay Penn

Generation One

1.  Walter Lindsay¹ Penn.  Walter was born on 6 May 1814, in Virginia.^[1],[2],[3] 

Walter Lindsay Penn married Mary Elizabeth Durr, daughter of Conrad Durr and Elizabeth Reynolds.^[4] 

On 1 April 1885 Walter died at age 70.^[5] 

He was buried in Trinity United Methodist Church Cemetery located in Alexandria, Virginia.^[6]

Walter L. Penn (given age 41) was listed as the head of a family on the 1850 Census recorded 30 August 1850 in Alexandria, Alexandria County, Virginia. Mary E. Penn (given age 36), Ada R. Penn (given age 7), Mary V. Penn (given age 5), Walter A. Penn (given age 1) and Elizabeth Thompson (given age 59) were listed as household members in Walter L. Penn (given age 41)'s household. The official date for this census is 01 Jun 1850. Walter was a constable and jailer. Listed in this household is Catharine Murdock, white female age 35, born in Maryland, who was in jail at the time.^[7] 

W.L. Penn (given age 56) was listed as the head of a family on the 1870 Census recorded 14 June 1870 Alexandria, Virginia. M.E. Penn (given age 55), W.A. Penn (given age 21), G.C.H. Penn (given age 8) and Elizabeth Thompson (given age 77) were listed as household members. The official date for this census is 01 Jun 1870. Walter was a Justice of the Peace. He reported personal property of $100.^[8]

     Children of Walter Lindsay¹ Penn and Mary Elizabeth Durr all born Virginia were as follows:

                              i.    Ada Rebecca².  Based on age 7 on the 1850 census, Ada was born circa 1843.^[9]  She married (--?--) Brooks.^[10]

Ada R. Penn (given age 7) was listed as a household member living with Walter L. Penn (given age 41) on the 1850 Census in Alexandria, Alexandria County, Virginia. The official date for this census is 01 Jun 1850.^[11]

                   2.      ii.    Mary Virginia, born circa 1845; married Stephen Andrew Jackson Cheshire.

                   3.     iii.    Walter Ann, born circa 1849; married (--?--) Young.

                             iv.    George Chauncy Hughs.  Based on age 8 on the 1870 census, George was born circa 1862.^[12]

G.C.H. Penn (given age 8) was listed as a household member living with W.L. Penn (given age 56) on the 1870 Census Alexandria, Virginia. The official date for this census is 01 Jun 1870.^[13]

Generation Two

2.  Mary Virginia² Penn (Walter¹).  Based on age 5 on the 1850 census, and age 24 on the 1870 census, Mary was born circa 1845, in Virginia.^[14],[15] 

Mary Virginia Penn married Stephen Andrew Jackson Cheshire, son of James Black Cheshire and Margaret Charlton, before 1870.^[16]

Mary V. Penn (given age 5) was listed as a household member living with Walter L. Penn (given age 41) on the 1850 Census in Alexandria, Alexandria County, Virginia. The official date for this census is 01 Jun 1850.^[17] 

Mary Cheshire (given age 24) was listed as a household member living with Andrew Cheshire (given age 32) on the 1870 Census Alexandria, Virginia. The official date for this census is 01 Jun 1870.^[18]

     Children of Mary Virginia² Penn and Stephen Andrew Jackson Cheshire were:

                   4.       i.    Grace Reynolds³, born 22 February 1870 Virginia; married Joseph Augustus Donohoe.

3.  Walter Ann² Penn (Walter¹).  Based on age 1 on the 1850 census, and age 21 on the 1870 census, Walter was born circa 1849, in Virginia.^[19],[20]