Cambria, PA 1880 Federal Census
http://ftp.us-census.org/pub/usgenweb/census/pa/cambria/1880/

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DESCENDANT NOTE for the James Wilson household living in Pennsylvania, 
Cambria Country, Clearfield Township in 1880, Census page 396A, line 10-14.
Furnished by David Carl Lewis, Seattle WA, 5/25/2008
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On Page 396A (Line 10-12), the enumerator recorded the name Wilson and it has been 
incorrectly transcribed as Witson because: 

As one can see upon examining the 1880 census, there is an extended line over the 
3rd letter forming a “t”. However, looking at the rest of the t's on the page, 
none of them have such an extended line; and it just might be the Enumerator 
drew the line on the page before adding Wilson. The line looks more like the lines 
he used to signify "duplicate" of the above Last-Name, and he may have gotten so 
used to writing that line for the next family member that he automatically drew 
it before realizing he was past the last name for the previous family. Therefore, 
when the enumerator wrote the word WILSON on the space provided, the extension line 
already inserted made the letter “l” appear as a “t”.

In the 1870 Census “James Wilson” can be clearly seen as WILSON. 
Herein he is found living with the same family group, in the same County, Township 
and community as in the 1880 census. 

As a researcher and genealogist of my mother’s father, 
Robert Grant WILSON, son of James Wilson, and having knowledge of this family 
and their whereabouts from Robert’s Memoirs, I feel confident that this family’s 
name is, was and should rightly be: WILSON. 

Cropped .jpg file showing the WILSON household in the 1870 census.
http://ftp.us-census.org/pub/usgenweb/census/pa/cambria/1880/descendant-notes/Wilson-1870.jpg

Cropped .jpg file showing the WITSON(WILSON) household in the 1880 census.
http://ftp.us-census.org/pub/usgenweb/census/pa/cambria/1880/descendant-notes/Wilson-Witson-1880.jpg

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CENSUS YEAR: 1880    
STATE: PA    
COUNTY: Cambria    
TOWNSHIP: Clearfield Township    
MICROFILM#: T9-1111    
SUPV/DISTR: 8    
ENUM/DISTR: 203    
ENUMERATOR: Charles Wharton    
ENUM/DATE: 4-22 June 1880
TRANSCRIBED-FILE:
http://ftp.us-census.org/pub/usgenweb/census/pa/cambria/1880/pg0393c.txt

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