Genealogy Lesson #16: The 1860 U.S. Federal Census

First, here are the answers to the scavenger hunt questions from lesson #15 posted on Tuesday, April 14, 2020.

1. Being that John Losee Jr. was born in 1870, he may not appear in the 1870 census. Although maybe he does. Can you find him?

• You should be able to find him.

2. If you can find John Jr., how old is he on the record?

• John Jr. is listed as being 2/12 in the 1870 census which means 2 months old. This is actually the record in which I learned his month of birth. Unlike the 1900 census which we learned listed everyone’s month of birth, the 1870 census listed the month of birth for anyone born within a year of the census which was taken in June of 1870. It clearly lists that John Jr. was born in March. Thus he was almost 3 months old.

3. What are the names of John Sr.’s children?

• John Losee St. is living with his wife and 4 children in his parents’ home; Leonard and Lydia Losee. His children’s names are Benjamin F (age 6), Georgianna (age 4), Oliver (age 2), and John Jr. (age 2 months)

4. John Sr.’s has a sister living in the household. What is her name?

• Right below John’s mother Lydia’s name, we see John’s younger sister Sarah Losee (age 14) listed as living in the household too.

In the 1870 Census an important detail disappeared from the recorded data. It didn’t list the relationships between the head of household and the people in the house. So you are left making assumptions about the relationships. For instance, is the younger woman really the wife and the little ones all that man’s children or could, on the rare chance, that younger woman really be the head of the household's widowed sister living there with her brother and her children? These things most certainly happened. 

In genealogy it is important to recognize the difference between what is stated in documentation and conclusions you are drawing on your own.

For now, try your hand at finding my Losee line in the 1860 census.

John Jr. won’t be there as he was after 1860, as were all his siblings. Look instead for his father John Losee who was born on 17 August 1841 in Freeport, NY and John Sr.’s father Leonard Losee. Also remember that Leonard had at least one other child, Sarah Losee who was born in about 1856.

After you find the census record answer the following questions:

1. What is John Losee’s occupation?
2. Is John’s occupation the same as his father Leonard’s?
3. How many children do Leonard and Lydia have living with them?
4. What are the children’s names?
5. Which of the kids attended school in 1860?
6. What town and “Post Office” is this family residing in?

Answers to these questions will appear in the next lesson as long as a bit of info on the 1850 census.

Have fun!