July 29, 2019
Elbridge Gerry & Julia Clifford (Hanson) Sawyer were married on 23 July 1850. Happy Anniversary.
At that time the United States had only 31 states and 4 organized territories: Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, and Utah.
I found Elbridge and Julia in the 1850 census on GenealogyBank. Looking closely, we see that they were recorded by Charles Woodman, an Assistant Census Marshall, on Wednesday, 30 October 1850.
Be sure to read the entire census page looking for clues.
For example, what are the check marks in column 10 at the end of their lines on the census?
Column 10 asks the census taker to “tick” or check that box if the person was “Married within the year.”
That is a terrific clue and piece of information.
That box is checked for both of them because they were married on Tuesday, 23 July 1850.
Examining the rest of their section on the page, we see that they were the 246th “Dwelling” enumerated by the census taker. The census also tells us this home contained two “Families” – Elbridge’s older brother & sister-in-law, Elisha Smith and Susanna Colby (Woodbury), as well as Elbridge & Julia.
The census gives their ages, gender and occupations.
So – Elisha was a farmer and Elbridge was a shoemaker.
According to column 8 – “Value of Real Estate Owned” – Elisha did not own property, but Elbridge did. It was valued at $1,000. Looking at the census pages before and after their page, we see that the occupations of their neighbors were similar: farmers, carpenters, shoemakers, laborers and one physician. The value of the real estate ranged from $500 to $3,000.
Genealogy Tip: Examine every detail in the records you find about your ancestors. Look for clues that will help you discover more about their lives.
