What the Census Suggests

        I use census records for most of my research.  The most useful are from 1850 to 1950.  A lot of information is available, and some information can be inferred that will require other records to confirm the hypothesis or not.

       So, let’s look at one of my immigrant ancestors – James Stead.  James was born on the 20^th of April 1819 in Ashford, Shropshire, England.  He married Mary Ann Tolson in Yorkshire, England.  They had six children, the two oldest were born in England in 1847 and 1848, with the remaining being born in Seneca Falls, Seneca, New York between 1851 and 1859.  Mary Ann died 21^st of May 1877 in Dundee, Kane, Illinois and James died 21^st of Feb 1882 and is buried in West Dundee, Kane, Illinois.

       1850 Census first listed all in the household giving age, sex, profession, value of real estate owned, place of birth, whether married within the year, attended school within the year, cannot read & write, or if they are deaf and dumb, blind, insane, etc.  My James Stead lived in The Town of Seneca Falls in the County of Seneca State of New York.  The household he was listed with is not family but may have been a boarding house.  His occupation was a moulder and he was born in England and was 30 years old.  This tells me that he immigrated first then sent for his family.  I will need to look for a ship’s passenger list between 1848 and June 1850.

       1860 Census now includes value of personal estate.  So, what does it have for James?  He lives in 4^th Ward Seneca Falls Village in the County of Seneca State of New York.  Now, he lives in a household with family members (assumption).  He is still a moulder and he is age 42. He now has real estate.  That means he owns property.  Mary is 34, a milliner, and was born in England; Elizabeth is 12 and was born in England; William is 8 and was born in New York; Mary Ann is 6 and born in New York, Franses (female) is 4 and born in New York; James is 1 and born in New York.  Another person resides with them by the name of William Tolsen, age 27, a machinist, and born in England.  We can assume that he is Mary’s brother.  This tells me that the rest of the family immigrated between June 1, 1850 and 1852.  Maybe Mary’s brother came with them.  Will need to locate a ship passenger list.  Where is Thomas?  He was born in 1847 so should be with the family.

        So, what can we glean from the 1870 Census.  More information is given – whether parents are of foreign birth; if child was born within the year, which month; if married within the year, which month; and if a US Citizen or if they no longer have the right to vote.  James and his family have moved and are now living in Dundee in the County of Kane, State of Illinois.  Besides Mary and four children, there are ten others living in the residence.  James is 51 and still works as a moulder.  However, he no longer owns real estate.  He is a US Citizen with the right to vote.  His parents as well as Mary’s are foreign born.  Three of the children attended school.  Mary keeps house and the oldest child at home, William, is 18 and works as a moulder.  This census suggests that we need to look for naturalization papers.

       The 1880 Census now adds relationship to the head of household.  Yay! We also learn whether a person is Single, Married, Widowed, or Divorced.  Also new is whether the person has been unemployed.  James is now living with his daughter and son-in-law, Mary & Henry Smith, in Dundee, Kane County, Illinois in an area known as Village of Carpentersville.  He is 61, a widow, and his occupation is a moulder.  It appears he has been unemployed for 8 months.

       So, now I have more research to do based on these Federal census records.

1.  Look for Passenger Lists

2.  Look for Naturalization papers

3.  Look for State Census records

4.  Look for Land records

5.  Look for City Directories 

Favorite Photo - 2026

 

Nathan, Marcy & David
at the Liberty Bell

Our most recent picture of us as a family.  This was taken last Spring (May 2025) when we visited downtown Philadelphia.

This photo was taken while we were visiting the Liberty Bell.  In the background you can see Independence Hall.

My husband & I took a long road trip from our home in Centralia, Washington to Sacramento, California.  In Sacramento, we got onto the Historic Lincoln Highway.  Sometimes, we ended up on current interstates and highways but tried to follow the original route as much as possible.  When we got just outside of Philadelphia, we left the highway and headed to our son’s place in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.  We spent several days with him.  On one of those days, we took the train to Philly so we could visit the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.  Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t very cooperative – it rained.  And there was a lot of construction going on around the area.  So, we caught the train back to Conshy.  We also visited Valley Forge while in the area.

A Breakthrough Moment

 Week 5 – A Breakthrough Moment

       Do I have a breakthrough moment?  Hmmm . . . Not quite for this year.  But I did last year!  Oops, make that in 2024.  I was working on a brick wall for my paternal 3x great grandparents.

       I started out using DNA to confirm the parents of my 2x great grandmother, Dorothea Ahrendt, who married Heinrich Johann Ludwig Kludt.  Dorothea was born 4 Jun 1836 in Mecklenburg, Germany.  She died 10 October 1919 in Fruitland, Muscatine Co, Iowa.  She married John Kludt the 27^th of November 1857 in Grafton, Ozaukee Co, Wisconsin.  They had six children but only three survived to adulthood.

       Her death certificate indicated that her father was Christen Arendt but the mother was unknown (the informant was the Reverend who was probably at the Lutheran Old People’s Home where she resided just before her death).

       Their marriage certificate indicated that her father was J. Ahrendt.  No name was given for her mother.

       Well, let’s see if I can find a birth record.  Jackpot!  Found it in the digitized Lutheran Church records from Mecklenburg.  Her full name was Christina Maria Dorothea Ahrend and her parents were Johann Christian Ahrend and Maria Elisabeth Ahrend.  Then I was able to find a passenger list from 1854 that lists Chr. Ahrends with his family Maria, Dorothea, Joh., and Wilhelmina.  With that information, I was able to use online church records and trace the family back two more generations.  I also found out that Johann Christian Ahrend married Maria Elisabeth’s sister first in 1828.  Her name was Maria Dorothea Arndt.

       Now, I have some more questions to be answered.

1.  Are Johann Christian Ahrend and Maria Elisabeth Arndt related?
2. Johann’s maternal grandmother was a Kludt.  Does she tie in to my Kludt family?

Death Certificate - personal copy obtained from State of Iowa

Marriage Registration

  

Germany Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1500-1971
Ancestry.com

 

Hamburg Passenger List
31 May 1854

New York Passenger List 
4 Aug 1854

A Theory in Progress

             I’m trying to determine who the parents are of my paternal 2x great grandparents that were from Bavaria.  I am trying to use DNA matches to see if any of the family members have determined the information.

       Roadblock:  Church records, especially Lutheran Evangelical, have not been digitized in Bavaria; unable to determine if there was a church in Wisconsin the family attended.

       Known information:  Location in Bavaria, immigration date, a couple of siblings that also immigrated.

       Currently, I’m working on Henry Reisner (Reissner/Risner).  I’ve written about this in the past – See March 2025 – Brick Walls in Family Research and January 2025 - Challenge.

Henry was born on the 19^th of Sept 1814 in Poppengrun (there’s an umlaut over the u).  He died the 19^th of Dec 1891 in West Union, Fayette Co, Iowa.  According to obituaries, he married Maria Margaret Haueisen circa 1847 in Poppengrun.  He then immigrated to the United States in 1848, arriving in New York.  He rented a place in Stoughton, Dane Co, Wisconsin before moving to Fayette Co, Iowa in 1859.

       Known timeline here in the United States based on Census records found.

·      1855 living in Dunkirk, Dane Co, Wisconsin (State Census)

·      1860 – West Union Twp, Fayette Co, Iowa (Fed Census)

·      1870 – same location

·      1880 – same location

·      1885 – West Union, Fayette Co, Iowa (State Census)

DNA analysis has been focusing on Henry’s known siblings – Christian & Adam.  So, I’ve been doing research and documenting their lives and their descendants here in the US. 

It appears I need to find some more immigration documentation like passenger lists and naturalization papers (except I thought I had that) for all three siblings.

 

What This Story Means to Me

          Dad always told stories about his childhood and early adulthood.  Those stories add flavor to genealogy.  It gives it color.  I may have talked about these stories before when I’ve talked about Dad.  If so, oh well, they deserve to be repeated.  If not, you are in for a treat.

The Tractor

         This took place shortly after the family moved to Galvin and settled down (in the early 1940’s).  Dad can’t remember if it was something that Grandpa William and Uncle John built or if it was Papa and Uncle John.  It was built while Grandpa William was still on the farm out past Adna.  Anyway, they had taken an old Dodge pickup (at least that is what Dad believed it to be) and converted it into a tractor (wish I had a photo). There was a spot that was just perfect for a little boy.  Dad said he would hold on to the edges of this platform.  One day, his hand was hit and did some damage to one of his fingers.

         Dad indicated that Papa had to put extensions on the clutch, brake pedal, and throttle so he could even reach them.  This was shortly after they had moved to Galvin and he was 6 or 7 at the time.  Its last rumble was when he was taking it from the driveway to the orchard, turning the corner into the orchard that was on the farm.  There was this little bump on the shoulder of the road that jumped up about 4".  Evidently, the tractor motor didn't like that bump and that was the last time it ran.  Seems like a piston broke about that time and the bump up was what caused the piston to break.  It probably had a crack in it to begin with.  It wasn't too long after that Papa bought a little Model L John Deere which was a crank start.

 

The Go-Cart

         Another story from Galvin youth.  Dad was about 8 years old.  He and a friend had built a go-cart (Uncle Clyde

may have been involved on this one).   Dad talked about how they built it and what type of wheels they used (see photo to the right).  He also talked about riding it down the Lincoln Creek road into Galvin.

         One time, after Papa had obtained a small, gas-powered engine that was used in a washing machine, the boys had dismantled it (it wasn’t working), cleaned up the parts using either gasoline or oil, then put it back together.  Added a little bit of gas and started it up.  It worked!  So, they then attached the motor to their cart.  They zipped up the road until it ran out of gas.  As they were pushing it back home, a deputy sheriff pulled up (actually, it was the Sheriff).  He asked them some questions, then escorted them home to talk to the parents.  Guess Grandma was upset, and Papa tried really hard not to laugh.  However, those two were back at it again!

         Another story (I’m not sure if this was before the motor was attached or afterwards), the boys were out and the steering broke.  The cart ended up crashing into the local blacksmith’s brand-new car.  Did some damage.   Well . . . guess who had to go to work to pay for the repairs.  Dad ended up doing a lot of odd jobs around the blacksmith’s place.  The best was in the shop – Dad learned a lot about welding using both an arc welder and a settling welder.

That’s just a few stories.  There are many more from his youth.  There’s one he loved telling about when he was in National Guard.  Oh, the twinkle in his eye and the smile on his face,  you knew he had good memories.  I’ve been slowly trying to write these stories down and add them to my family history – it’s what makes genealogy more interesting – not just names, dates, and places.

A Record That Adds Color

        I’ve been researching my Kludt family for a few years, writing a short biography for each direct ancestor.  While researching my grandfather, I ran across some interesting records that I never knew about.  (Papa loved telling stories but this was never told).

       Papa (as we called him) was born Edward William Kludt on the 19^th of August 1900 in Fulda, Murray Co, Minnesota, to William Edward Kludt & Susan Katherine Reisner.  Most of his growing up years were spent on the family farm in the Chehalis and Adna areas of Lewis Co, Washington.

       We have the World War I draft registration card that he completed on the 12^th of September 1918.  At that time, he was working as a mechanic for H McEldowney (McEldowney’s Garage) in Tacoma.  Description was medium height, medium build, gray eyes, and light colored hair.  He may still have been working at the garage when the census was taken in 1920.  He was listed as a lodger for the Park Hotel on A Street in Tacoma.

       By 1921 he was working as a laborer for the Chehalis Mill Company per the 1920-21 Lewis County City Directory.  The mill was destroyed by fire in August 1922.

       Now, here’s the interesting document.  While researching the digital archives, I ran across a Prisoner Register for Lewis County, Washington, that had him listed as being in jail for “contributing to delinquency of minor”.  Released on suspended sentence by Gerlach and Allen.  This was on March 22, 1921.  What was he doing?  I don’t know.  There was no other records.

       By 1923, he moved on to work for Weyerhaeuser.  He worked for them until his retirement in August 1965.  I wanted to obtain his employment history with them to find out where he was at during the early years of his career as a mechanic and road construction foreman.  I know that in 1926 he obtained a chauffer’s registration from the State of Oregon.  He lived in La Grande at the time. It was in LaGrande that he met his future wife, Bernice LaVerne Swinehart.  They were married in March 1928.  In 1929, they lived in Wheeler, Oregon.   

       The 1930 census had them living in Chehalis on the farm with his parents.  It said he was a laborer and was listed on the Unemployment Register (no copy of this).  I do know that by January 1931, they were in Lind, Washington when their daughter was born.  In 1935, they were back in Oregon, living in Marion County per the 1940 census.  In 1937, they were in Pendleton, Oregon, where my dad was born.

       Now is the confusion, census records show that he lived in Centralia in 1940 and 1950.  Land records show that he purchased a home in Centralia in 1938.  In 1943, they purchased land in Galvin (outside of Centralia) and sold the land in town.  Dad grew up in Galvin, attending grade school there then attending Centralia schools until he graduated in 1955.  His senior year, Papa purchased a farm in Zenkner Valley.  The family lived there until it was turned over to my parents to operate in about 1958.

       However, both dad and his sister often told stories about the time they lived in St Maries, Idaho when Papa worked there as a mechanic on the big logging cats & trucks.  Dad thought he was four or five years old (this would have been around 1942.  Papa also spent a lot of time at the logging camps and, on some weekends, when he had to work, the family would visit him.  There was also a period of time in the mid 1940’s that he was hospitalized due to a logging accident.  The doctors said he would never drive a cat again.  He proved them wrong.

       In February 1942, he did complete the World War II registration card for those born between 1897 and 1921.It indicated he worked for Weyerhaeuser Timber Co located in Tacoma, WA but that his job was in Vail, Thurston Co, WA.  Description was more complete – 6 ½ feet tall, weighed about 200 pounds, blue eyes, blonde hair (and bald) with a ruddy complexion.  I wouldn’t consider six feet a medium height if that was how tall he was when he was 18!

An Ancestor I Admire

        It’s hard to pick one.  Some are just names and I really don’t know them.  Others were in my life briefly.  Others, like my parents, have been in my life for many years.

(1)       My parents – the love and devotion they had for each other.  Dad passed away in February 2024 and Mom is still thriving.  They raised a family on a very limited income (and they never let it be known).  We were never without food, clothes or shelter.  We had a lot of good times and did a lot of things together as a family.  That is rare now a days.

(2)      

Grandma Fern – a strong, independent woman who raised nine children during the 1930’s through the 1950’s.  Money was tight and it seems like they moved a few times during the early years of their marriage.  She suffered a stroke that took away her speech, and she had to learn to write with her left hand (this happened just before I was born).

(3)       The ones I can’t name – living through the various wars (like Thomas Stead – Civil War) or moving to a new country and learning the language (Kludt, Ahrendt, and Reisner families).  Or even establishing a new nation (Patrick Porter & Thomas Pinson, to name a couple).

Great Granparents w/family
William Kludt & Susan Reisner

 

Grandparents Ed Kludt
& Bernice Swinehart

Great Grandparents
Bernice Stead & 
Raymond Reynoldson

Great Grandparents
Harry Swinehart &
Bertha Davis