United States Census records carry a wealth of information that can be utilized to understand the makeup of a family unit at a given point in time. Taken ever 10 years, the content will vary by year. Starting with the 1870 census relationships to the head of the household were given. This allows children to be identified.
Albert Pinkney was born on 19 September 1849 and died on 31 December 1908. During his lifetime, he married three times between 1871 and 1892.
| Wife | Marriage Date | Marriage Place |
|---|---|---|
| Hasseltine Selvidge | 17 September 1871 | Roane County, Tennessee |
| Mary Clowers | 7 January 1883 | Roane County, Tennessee |
| Mary Fritz | 25 September 1892 | Meigs County, Tennessee |
These marriage dates imply:
- He would probably be included in the 1880 census with his wife Hasseltine Selvidge in Roane County or Meigs County, Tennessee.
- Barring any birth before marriage, his first child would have probably been born in 1872 or later.
- He would probably be included in the 1900 census with his wife Mary Fritz in Meigs County, Tennessee.
- His wife Mary Clowers would not be included as his wife in any surviving census records as the 1890 census has been destroyed.
- As he died in 1908, there could be children captured in the 1910 census.
Can I use the census records to glean a list of his potential children? Below are the 1880 and 1900 census records with Albert Leffew included and the 1910 census with his wife Mary that was taken after his death.
From the three census records the following children are listed in the table below with their ages from the census records listed. Please note that by the time the 1900 Census was taken the two older children, Tranquilla and Delphia were no longer residing in the household with their father. And in the 1910 census, the only children in the household with Mary Fritz Leffew were her 5 children.
| Name | Relationship | 1880 Census | 1900 Census | 1910 Census |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memonanth T. Leffew | Daughter | Age 7 | ||
| Delphia J. Leffew | Daughter | Age 5 | ||
| Robert A. Leffew | Son | Age 3 | Age 23 | |
| Joseph Leffew | Son | Age 3/12 | Age 20 | |
| Charlotte E. Leffew | Daughter | Age 14 | ||
| Sarah F. Leffew | Daughter | Age 6 | ||
| Mattie E. Leffew | Daughter | Age 4 | Age 15 | |
| Rosa L. Leffew | Daughter | Age 3 | Age 12 (Soda) | |
| Charles A. Leffew | Son | Age 1 | Age 10 | |
| John H. Leffew | Son | Age 16 | ||
| Wm T. Leffew | Son | Age 14 | ||
| Nancy A. Leffew | Daughter | Age 12 | ||
| Kirt (Curtis) Leffew | Son | Age 9 | ||
| Lissie Leffew | Daughter | Age 6 |
Based only on the census information there is a conflict with the ages and births of two of the children. Both Charlotte F. Leffew and Wm T. Leffew are the same age. The birth months given in the census clearly indicates they were not twins. Additionally, there was not 9 months between their birth months. To resolve the question around these two children, more research is required to clearly identify which children were born to which of Albert Leffew’s wives. That will be discussed and resolved in a future blog.
For now, based on the relationships in the census records Albert P. Leffew was the father of at least 14 children, 8 daughters and 6 sons.
