“Saturday Night Genealogy Fun” is a feature of Randy Seaver’s Genea-Musings blog. I’m participating in this week’s challenge, which is:
"1) Do you know which of your ancestors appears the
most times in the Federal Census records?
How many years? Are there duplicate
entries?
2) Describe
that ancestor’s entries in the records in a blog post of your own, in a comment
to this blog post, or on Facebook or Goggle+."
Without a doubt, my ancestor listed the most times
in the Federal Census was Eliza (Knapp) Menke, who lived to be 102 years
old. I’ve found her in every Federal
census from 1850 to 1940.
1850 – District #133, Vernon Township, Scioto
County, Ohio. The household is listed
as: (Head) Henry Knapp, age 44, Laborer; (Mother) Caroline, age 37; (son)
Fredrick, age 14; (son) Lewis, age 9; (daughter) Eliza, age 7; (son) Henry, age
8; (daughter) Mary. On the next page but
included in this household was Wendel Stop, age 30, Laborer. All of
these people were born in Germany except the youngest – Mary.
1860 – Elizabeth Township, Lawrence County,
Ohio. The household (Dwelling #1546, Family #1505) is
listed as: (Head) Henry, age 52, Miner,
Personal Estate $800, born in Hanover, can’t read or write; (Mother) Caroline,
age 47, born Hanover, can’t read or write; (son) Lewis, age 19, occupation is
difficult to read, born Hanover;
(daughter) Louisa, age 17, Servant, born Hanover; (son) Henry, age 14, born
Hanover; (daughter) Mary, age 11, born Hanover; (daughter) Hannah, age 9, born
Ohio; (son) August, age 7, born Ohio; (son) George, age 3, born Ohio.
1870 – Decatur Township, Lawrence County,
Ohio. Dwelling #161, Family #158. Listed as:
(Head) Mink, Henry, age 34, Iron ore miner, born Hanover, Citizen;
(Mother) Eliza, age 27, born Hanover; (son) John, age 11, born Ohio; (son)
Henry, age 8, born Ohio; (daughter) Elizabeth, age 6, born Ohio; (daughter)
Caroline, age 2, born Ohio; (daughter) Mary, age 8/12, born Ohio. Everyone’s parents were both of foreign
birth. Both parents are able to read and
write. The children are not marked as
attending school, but on the entire census page there are no marks that I can
see under that column.
1880 – Clatonia, Gage County, Nebraska. Family #96;
The household is listed as: (Head)
Menke, Henry, age 47, Farmer, born Prussia;
(Mother) Louise, age 38, born Prussia; (son) Fredrick, age 21, school
teacher, born Prussia; (son) Henry, age 18, Farmer, born Ohio; (daughter)
Caroline, age 12, born Ohio; (daughter) Mary, age 10, born Ohio; (daughter)
Mathilda, age 8, born Ohio; (daughter) Katherine, age 6, born Ohio; (daughter) Luise, age
2, born Ohio; (daughter) Rosa, age 1, born Ohio. Almost
everyone on this census page has a mark under the columns “Cannot Read” and “Cannot
Write”, but I think the enumerator crossed off the “not” part of “Cannot”. Caroline, Mary and Mathilda attended school.
1890 – If this Federal census record existed it
should show Eliza still married to Henry Menke, living in Clatonia, Nebraska, with
three more children – George Edward, age 9; Nettie, age 7; and Charles Albert,
age 4.
1900 – Clatonia, Gage County, Nebraska. Dwelling #109, Family #110. (Head) Henry Menke, born DEC, 1832; age 67,
married 33 years, born Germany, Immigrated in 1859, 41 years in US, Farmer, can
read & write, Owns Farm mortgage free, Farm #114; (Mother) Lisa, born MAY
1843, age 57, 8 children, 7 living, born Germany, Immigrated in 1859, 41 years
in US, can read & write; (daughter) Rosa, born JAN 1879, age 21, single,
born Ohio; (son) Edward, born APR 1881, age 19, single, born Nebraska;
(daughter) Nettie, born APR 1883, age 17, single, born Nebraska; (son) Albert,
born NOV 1887, age 12, born Nebraska.
Ancestry has this family’s last name indexed as “Schenke”.
1910 – Clatonia, Gage County, Nebraska. Dwelling #122, Family #124. The household is listed as: (Head) Menke, Henry, age 77, married twice,
43 years, born Germany, Immigrated in 1853, Naturalized, able to read and
write, Owns house; (Wife) Eliza, age 67,
married once, 43 years, 11 children, 8 living, born Germany. Their youngest son, Albert is living next
door to them.
1920 – Clatonia, Gage County, Nebraska. Dwelling #124, Family #127. (Head) C Albert Menke, Rents, age 33, parents
born Germany, Farmer; (Wife) Charlotte I, age 32, parents born New York; (son)
Harold W, age 12; (son) Victor L, age 10; (son) Willis H, age 8; (son) Cecil H,
age 7; (daughter) Elsie A, age 5; (son) Raymond E, age 4; (son) Kenneth K, age
2; (daughter) Irene I, age 4/12; Louise K, Mother, age 78, Widow, Immigrated
1860, Naturalized 1865, born Germany; Albert C Wayman, Boarder, age 23,
single. Everyone other than Louise was
born in Nebraska.
1930 – Clatonia, Gage County, Nebraska. Dwelling #15, Family #15. (Head) Eliza Menke, Owns farm, lives on farm,
age 87, Widow, married at 24, able to read and write, Immigrated in 1865. She is living alone. Ancestry has her indexed as “Manke”.
1940 – Clatonia, Gage County, Nebraska. Household #19, Owns, Value of home $1000,
lives on farm, (Head) Eliza Menke, age 98, Widow, highest grade of school is 0,
born Ohio, unable to work, received income of $50 or more from sources other
than money wages or salary.; (daughter) Eliza Kiene, age 62, Divorced, highest
grade of school is 8th, born Ohio, doing Home work, received income
of $50 or more from sources other than money wages or salary.
I get 9 not counting the non-existent 1890 census. Eliza stayed on her farm until about 1942 and died in the Anna Rohe Nursing home in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1944.
