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Building on what others have said, sure I have found errors on census data...
But I have also found exacting details that revealed more:
My Great Grandmother was farmed out (literally) to another family line when her father died. We didn't know who the foster family was, but she had said she was treated like a servant girl or farm hand in later years. Finally I stumbled upon the 1900 Federal Census where her vitals were absolutely correct, and the foster couple she was with were wholly wrong (1900 has the birth month).
I deducted that the census taker had probably talked to her directly, and with the lack of the 1890 census data, I probably would not have found her otherwise. It was some distance from where her mother and other siblings were. Very quickly I did find an 1895 census for that state, listing her and the foster couple, with her details slightly off, and probably not enough to find on their own (with the distance from where I was searching).
Even though it was ultimately an older half-brother of her mother, and his wife, she did say she was a "servant" in the household for the 1900 Federal Census...
It also put to rest another claim, that her mother was told she was dead by the couple, but the 1900 census has the number of children (and those that are living) a mother had, which counts her as well...
Now to find her older sister, whom could have been shacked up anywhere in 1900...
On another note, has anyone else found Federal Census duplicate entries for relatives?...
I have found two instances, with one case separated by an entire county: A Great Grandfather and his first wife in a boarding house together, and also both of the listed within his parents' household...
Censuses were "suppsoed" to be taken the same day. Now everyone can figure out with usually one enumerator in most small towns, he didn't get around in one day. In big cities with hundreds of enumerators, they probably took months -- I have seen NYC censuses that go from April to late June dates on the day the info was gathered. I saw one where numbers on a streets had a big bracket and it was written "buildings being built". Plus, add in the time it took to get info from the people who didn't speak English while the enumerator only spoke English.
Duplicate entries seem like a totally feasible item - someone moves, the census is taken later in the town where they move, they get double counted. My husband's grandmother was counted in her father's home in a small town prior to her marriage ( maiden name) and in the city of Buffalo a month later in her married name ( we knew where she lived and found both). OTOH, his grandfather is nowhere to be found -- we know why: he was working up in Canada.
Remember, the enumerator took the census for the county. It was copied for the state. The state copied it for the federal: you get the federal online. I have seen the county copies for some of my husband's family ( real small farm towns) and they are different than the federal online. The smae grandmother was born in 1880 and has her name correct on the county and not correct on the federal. My mother, aunt, uncle and grandmother all have names misspelled on the 1930 census -- it was a real chore to find them: it was in NYC; I figure the enumerator wasn't quite with it. They were educated people, had been here for a long time and the family had always spoken only English -- so misspellings were either the enumerator or the copiers.
Read censuses with an open mind and also look for all the nicknames in the family. If the person giving the info gave the nickname, that is what is there.
^
The census is not meant to be enumerated on the same day. The census taker asks what the population of the house was on a pre-designated day regardless of when he or she is there to take the census.
In the most recent census, not everyone got their form the same day, or were visited by an enumerator on the same day if they didn't mail it in, but they were asked who lived or stayed there on a specific day after the fact.
So, if you cannot find what should be there, search for different spelling.
Also, when you are searching, sometimes try just initials for the first name(s). I googled "William Henry" one time and did not get much. Tried "W. D." and got his Civil War info.
I have discovered that people who transcribe the census records are told not to change what look like spelling errors. They are to try to transcribe exactly what the enumerator wrote. They have at least two people transcribe each record and get a third to look if the first two disagree.
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