Some Notes on The State Census of Alabama, 1866 on Ancestry

My 3rd great grandfather, Henry Hill Freeman (1815-1887), and his daughter Nancy "Nannie" Elizabeth Freeman (1857-1934), were my last direct ancestors to leave Alabama when they headed out for Texas in 1869.

I'm related to the Freemans through my mother's grandfather, James Chappell Warren Jr, son of Nannie.

Detail of where Henry Hill Freeman lived in Macon County, Alabama, in 1866.  From the Library of Congress: State of Alabama. October. 2nd. 1866.

The last Alabama census that Henry appeared on was 1866 Alabama Census.

Going to the Alabama Department of Archives and History led me to this description from the catalog entry description:

Title: State census, 1866.
Author: Alabama. Secretary of State.
Description: The series consists of 131 volumes organized by county. Four schedules were taken as part of the 1866 state census, but all four schedules may not be available for each county.
Schedule 1 headings include, for the "White Population": Name [of head of household]; Males under 10 years, Males 10 to 20, Males 20 to 30, etc.; Total Males; Females under 10 years, Females 10 to 20, etc., Total Females; Total White population; Soldiers [who had been in the household before the Civil War] killed, died of sickness, or disabled; Insane, Epileptics, idiots.
Schedule 2 enumerates the "Colored Population," listing each household's head and the number of males and females by 10 year groupings (under 10 years, 10 to 20, etc.)
Schedule 3 counts the white population by township and range, listing the name of the head of each household and how many members were male and female in each within the age categories of "under 10 years," "10 to 20," and "Over 20."
Schedule 4 tabulates white population and educational facilities by township and range under the headings: Population, Colleges, number of scholars, Academies, number of scholars, Common schools, number of scholars.

This record set is available on Ancestry, but Ancestry does not make it clear what is included, but instead lumps its description with Alabama censuses from 1820, 1850, 1855, and 1866.  And unfortunately the drop down menu on the right doesn't clear up the fact that the 1866 census had 4 different schedules!  It is not clear to me that schedules 2 and 4 were included on Ancestry's collection.  The navigation certainly does not reflect their existence one way or the other.

I'd also really like to take a look at schedule 4 for information on education.  I'll keep looking!

But back to Henry Hill Freeman.

When I looked up "H H Freeman" on the Ancestry collection it showed him listed four times in Macon for that year.

Why is he listed 4 times in the census?

This proved to be duplicate pages in the actual census, not a mistake on Ancestry's part.  H H Freeman appeared on both Schedule 1 and Schedule 3, and each schedule was written out twice (not sure why).


Schedule 1:

1866 Alabama state census, Macon County, white population, Schedule 1, p 5, dwelling [blank], family [blank], for H. H. Freeman; digital image, Alabama State Census, 1820-1866 (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1576 : accessed 3 May 2016); citing Secretary of State, Alabama, at Alabama Department of Archives and History (SG5,686, Reels 3-17).

1866 Alabama state census, Macon County, white population, Schedule 1, p 50, dwelling [blank], family [blank], for H. H. Freeman; digital image, Alabama State Census, 1820-1866 (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1576 : accessed 3 May 2016); citing Secretary of State, Alabama, at Alabama Department of Archives and History (SG5,686, Reels 3-17).

An interesting aspect of Schedule 1 is that it provides a section at the end that includes losses of each family due to the Civil War, by tallying soldiers who had been killed, died of disease, or were disabled.  Henry Freeman had one son (and my 3rd great granduncle), Thomas "Tom" D Freeman (1846-1862) had died after the Battle of Perryville.  He served in Company H, Forty-fifth Alabama, under Captain Wilson, and was wounded October 12, 1862.  Note that the census showed he died of disease.



Schedule 3:

1866 Alabama state census, Macon County, white population, Schedule 3, Township No. 15, Range 24, p 7?, dwelling [blank], family [blank], for H. H. Freeman; digital image, Alabama State Census, 1820-1866 (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1576 : accessed 3 May 2016); citing Secretary of State, Alabama, at Alabama Department of Archives and History (SG5,686, Reels 3-17).

1866 Alabama state census, Macon County, white population, Schedule 3, Township No. 15, Range 24, p 63, dwelling [blank], family [blank], for H. H. Freeman; digital image, Alabama State Census, 1820-1866 (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1576 : accessed 3 May 2016); citing Secretary of State, Alabama, at Alabama Department of Archives and History (SG5,686, Reels 3-17).

Edited to add:  FindMyPast also carries this record set.  They have this to say about it:

A year after the American Civil War ended in 1865, Alabama conducted this state census to count the population. While state censuses were usually necessary to calculate representation in the state legislature, the state was placed under a military government after the war which lasted until 1868. However, the state government was then returned to local control.

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