About the 1900 census. Found this in an old newspaper

shraby

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Sun Jul-03-11 10:53 AM
Original message

About the 1900 census. Found this in an old newspaper

and I didn't know it was a problem at the time. Guess it was, so those of you who are doing a family tree, here's a clue as to why the ages sometimes are messed up. Women were the main culprits then and they haven't let off since.

Women will be obliged to give their correct age in the coming
census. The new law says: "Women who refuse to tell their ages
or indulge in inaccurate statements thereof, as well as all
other persons refusing to reply to questions or making false
statements, shall, on conviction be fined one hundred dollars."
Manitowoc Daily Herald, Manitowoc, Wis. Saturday, May 27, 1899 P.2

Refresh | 0 Recommendations

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

sybylla

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Jul-19-11 10:58 AM
Response to Original message

1. I always figured that was the problem with ages

That or the census taker was easily confused (sometimes kids don't match the proper age, etc)

Many of my female ancestors couldn't even be consistent. Every census they seemed to have a different birth year.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

CBHagman

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu Jul-21-11 10:22 PM
Response to Original message

2. Amused to hear about that announcement.

But it's not just the Census. There seems to have been a huge amount of lying about ages in my family.

That said, I think in some cases people just weren't sure of their exact ages, and/or the source for the information was faulty. Weren't some Census lines filled out through second-hand accounts, neighbors and the like?

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

frogmarch

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Jul-27-11 08:35 PM
Response to Original message

3. Emigrants coming to America

often ~~lied about~~ misrepresented their children's ages to get lower fares on ships. This is thought to have happened often during the Great Migration of 1630-1640, which brought many English families - mainly Puritans - to Massachusetts, and it was probably commonly done long before that too.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

DU AdBot (1000+ posts)

Mon May 06th 2024, 11:53 PM
Response to Original message

Advertisements [?]

Top

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.