OVERTON COUNTY, TN 1860 FEDERAL CENSUS http://ftp.us-census.org/pub/usgenweb/census/xtn/overton/1860/ ===================== TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: ===================== Prepared by Donald Robbins Transcription aid by Betty Hawley Checked by D. K. Robbins November 24, 2006 Census Sheet's Format ------------------------------- Census Sheet Header Information ------------------------------- Each Census Sheet consists of 40 lines. The Header information contains a place for the Date of entry, Post Office, The County Name (Overton) and the name of the recorder of the information. ------------------------------- Census Sheet Detail information ------------------------------- Column 1 - Dwelling - houses numbered in the order of visitation Column 2 - Families, numbered in the order of visitation Column 3 - The name of every person whose usual place of abode on the first day of June, 1860 was in this family Column 4 - Age Column 5 - Sex Column 6 - Color, White, Black or Mulatto or Indian Column 7 - Profession, Occupation or Trade of each person, male and female, over 15 years of age Column 8 - Value of Real Estate Column 9 - Value of Personal Estate Column 10 - Place of Birth, Naming the State, Territory, or Country Column 11 - Married within the year Column 12 - Attended School within the year Column 13 - Person over 20 who could not read or write Column 14 - Whether deaf & dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper or convict In the interest of getting the information transcribed to an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet, some adjustments were made in the format of the transcription. The information was transcribed from the Images which were on line for the 1860 census of Overton County. The Surname is in Caps, along with the date of the census page, the census district, the Post Office, and the information from Column 1 and Column 2. The information from Columns 11, 12, 13 was encoded following the Column 10 information, Place of Birth. The encoding is: M, for married within the year, S, for attending school within the year, and I, for illiterate for a check in Column 13 for persons over 20 who could not read or write. The information from Column 14 is added, as is, to the person's line. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The information from the Images for the 1860 Census for Montgomery County consists of 292 pages. There were 2072 families in Overton County. There were 6 vacant houses, and 6 houses that housed 2 families each. The Enumerator for Overton County was P. H. Armstrong. He is in the first family in the enumeration at P001-01. ========================================== COUNTS ========================================== Number of White Males 6047 Number of White Females 5927 Number of Mulatto Males 21 Number of Mulatto Females 17 Number of Black Males 29 Number of Black Females 37 Number of Students 2944 Number of Illiterates 1538 Number of Married 128 in the last year PLACES OF BIRTH Tennessee 9847 Kentucky 590 North Carolina 533 Virginia 377 South Carolina 45 Missouri 22 Georgia 20 Pennsylvania 13 Illinois 12 Louisana 11 Maryland 9 Arkansas 6 Texas 4 England 3 New York 3 Ireland 2 Mississippi 1 New Hampshire 1 Mass 1 ========================================== OCCUPATIONS ========================================== Alphabetically appt 1 artist 1 Baptist Preacher 3 Basket Maker 2 Black Smith 30 Brick Layer 1 Brick Mason 2 Broom Maker 1 clerk 2 cook 1 C. P. Preacher 3 Cabinent appt 1 Cabinent Maker 6 Carpenter 26 Chair Maker 1 Christian Prchr 1 Constable 3 Cooper 3 County Clerk 1 Day Laborer 6 Dept Sheriff 1 Ditcher 1 Doctor 8 Farmer 1644 Farm Laborer 333 Gentleman 1 Grocer 2 Gun Smith 1 Hat Maker 1 Hotel Keeper 2 Hotel Mistress 1 House Labor 2 House Servant 38 House Work 25 Inn Keeper 1 Knitter 5 Laborer 1 Lady 1 Lawyer 9 M. Preacher 1 Magistrate 1 Merchant 29 Mill Right 3 Mill Wright 1 Miller 21 Miner 1 pauper 1 P M Preacher 1 Painter 3 Peddler 2 Physician 3 Preacher 1 retired Farmer 3 retired Merchant 1 Register 1 student 3 Saddler 9 Seamstress 11 Sheriff 1 Shoe Maker 6 Speculator 1 Spinner 9 Stage Driver 1 Stone Mason 2 Striker 1 Student 1 Tailor 1 Tailoress 1 Tanner 4 Task Ironing 1 Taylor 4 Teacher 13 Trader 1 Waggon Maker 2 Waggoner 3 Washer Woman 3 Weaver 17 Weaving 1 Wool Carder 1 ========================================== OCCUPATIONS ========================================== by frequency Farmer 1644 Farm Laborer 333 House Servant 38 Black Smith 30 Merchant 29 Carpenter 26 House Work 25 Miller 21 Weaver 17 Teacher 13 Seamstress 11 Lawyer 9 Saddler 9 Spinner 9 Doctor 8 Cabinent Maker 6 Day Laborer 6 Shoe Maker 6 Knitter 5 Tanner 4 Taylor 4 Baptist Preacher 3 C. P. Preacher 3 Constable 3 Cooper 3 Mill Right 3 Physician 3 Painter 3 retired Farmer 3 student 3 Waggoner 3 Washer Woman 3 Basket Maker 2 Brick Mason 2 clerk 2 Grocer 2 Hotel Keeper 2 House Labor 2 Peddler 2 Stone Mason 2 Waggon Maker 2 appt 1 artist 1 Brick Layer 1 Broom Maker 1 cook 1 Cabinent appt 1 Chair Maker 1 Christian Prchr 1 County Clerk 1 Dept Sheriff 1 Ditcher 1 Gentleman 1 Gun Smith 1 Hat Maker 1 Hotel Mistress 1 Inn Keeper 1 Laborer 1 Lady 1 M. Preacher 1 Magistrate 1 Mill Wright 1 Miner 1 pauper 1 P M Preacher 1 Preacher 1 retired Merchant 1 Register 1 Sheriff 1 Speculator 1 Stage Driver 1 Striker 1 Student 1 Tailor 1 Tailoress 1 Task Ironing 1 Trader 1 Weaving 1 Wool Carder 1 ========================================== INFIRMITIES ========================================== blind 6 deaf & dumb 5 idiot 6 insane 5 ========================================== OTHERS ========================================== twin 88 ========================================== HISTORY OF OVERTON COUNTY ========================================== Overton County, Tennessee was formed in 1806 from Jackson County, Tennessee and Indian lands. In 1835 the county seat was moved from Monroe to Livingston. Livingston, named for the honorable Edward Livingston, become incorporated in 1907. Overton County was originally a part of Davidson County and later Jackson County. In 1805 Moses Fisk surveyed the first village in what is now the community of Hilham. On September 12, 1806, the area of Overton County was established by the state legislature as a county. The Indian Territory that had been within, in which Cherokee Chief Nettle Carrier presided over, was conceded to Tennessee for use by the white man. Overton County, at one time, included part of the territory that eventually became Fentress, Clay, Pickett, and Putnam counties, and since many of the early records of these counties have been partially or entirely destroyed, the extant records of Overton County are important. The courthouse was burned in April of 1865. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - THE STORY TELLERS We are the chosen. My feelings are, in each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again, to tell the family story and to feel that somehow they know, and approve. To me, doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called as it were, by our genes. Those who have gone before cry out to us: Tell our story. So, we do. In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told the ancestors you have a wonderful family you would be proud of us? How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love there for me? I cannot say. It goes beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who am I and why do I do the things I do? It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to weeds and indifference and saying I can't let this happen. The bones here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It goes to doing something about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or giving up, their resoluteness to go on and build a life for their family. It goes to deep pride that they fought to make and keep us a Nation. It goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us. That we might be born who we are. That we might remember them. So we do. With love and caring and scribing each fact of their existence, because we are them and they are us. So, as a scribe called, I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next generation to answer the call and take their place in the long line of family storytellers. That, is why I do my family genealogy, and that is what calls those young and old to step up and put flesh on the bones. Author unknown ==================================================================================== The 1860 Census or Lots of Questions Answered The 1860 Census lists a dwelling number and family number and each sheet lists the county as well as town and post office name. Questions answered on the 1860 census include, name, age and sex of each individual; color, occupation, value of real and personal property; birthplace, whether married within the year (m.y.), whether attended school, can read or write and the date of the enumeration. Also included are boxes to indicate if an individual was a pauper or convict. Here is an article published in 1859 about the upcoming 1860 census: Friday September 23, 1859 Weekly Star THE NEXT CENSUS The year 1860 is the time appointed for taking the eighth census of the United States. From having been originally a simple enumeration's of persons, this Federal census has grown to be a decennial register of the number of inhabitants and their occupation, religious denominations & c, and also a statement of the commerce, manufacturers, arts and industry, and the wealth of the nation. The collection of these statistics has hitherto been attended with immense labor and difficulty. The inquiries of the census takers have not only been baffled by the stupidity and perverseness and ignorance of many to whom they were addressed; but it has been impossible to obtain accurate information upon important subjects because the parties; who alone are presumed capable of imparting it, have never taken the trouble to inform themselves. It often occurs that, in the absence of the head of a family no other member of it is able to give the information required; for instance as to the ages of the different members or it, or the amount of land in cultivation, the number of negroes and their ages, the quantity and value of horses, mules and oxen, etc., or of farming implements or farm products. In town and country similar difficulties are continually met with by the marshals appointed to collect these statistics, and the census is consequently returned incomplete. It is probably that while care will be observed to prevent any frauds or excess in the publication of the next census, it will be ordered by Congress to be taken so as to include all the most important items of information in regard to the progress of our population and our country. In view of this contingency the Nashville News very sensibly suggest that each farmer, this fall , as he gathers his crops, shall keep something like an accurate account of the quality and value of the same; and if he will take the trouble to make out a statement of the names and ages of his family; the number and ages of his servants, the number and value of his horses and mules; the number of bales of cotton, barrels of corn, bushels of wheat, oats, rye, barley, potatoes, etc., and leave it in some place where any member of thefamily, who may be at home when the deputy marshal shall call, can readily get hold of it, it will save time to all concerned, and very greatly assist to make the census return perfect, complete and satisfactory.