William Hiram Vincent & the Early Censuses

Howell-Vincent Line
Census Sunday
By Don Taylor

My wife’s third great-grandfather, Burkett Vincent, may have had 12 children, or he may have had eight.  He apparently had two wives, Elizabeth Rose and an unknown first wife. To attempt to understand the Vincent family of Halifax, North Carolina, I thought I’d look closer at the children of Burkett (and Elizabeth).

Known Children of Burkett & Elizabeth Vincent

• • William Hiram Vincent
  • John Vincent
  • James Vincent
  • Elisha Vincent
  • Susan Vincent
  • Nancy Vincent
  • Burkett Vincent

There were also two boys and two girls who were born between 1810 and 1820.  It is unclear if these are William, John, Elisha, and a heretofore unknown girl.  There was also another girl born between 1804 and 1820 that is presumed to be Burkett’s oldest daughter.

I’ll take a look at each of the children, in turn, starting with:

William Hiram Vincent (1814-1893)

1890 Census (Not Available) 

Hardeman County Courthouse – Photo By RealElectrical, CC BY-SA 3.0

1880 Census[i] – Hiram Vinson was a farmer living with three of his children in District 9, Hardeman County, Tennessee. With him are his daughter, Francis, and two sons, Joe and Tom.

1870 Census[ii] – Hiram Vincent was a farmer living with seven implied children.  The oldest one and the youngest two were his children according to the 1880 Census, so I’m confident ascribing the other four children as his. This adds, James J., William, McAllister, and Martha to his list of children. It also provides a first name for his daughter Mary Frances, and middle initials for Joseph and Thomas. All the children were born in Tennessee, so I’d expect to find the family in Tennessee during the 1860 Census. 

1860 Census[iii] – Hiram Vintson [sic] and his wife Catherine are living in Hardeman, Tennessee, with their children, Mary, James, William, Elisha, and Martha. Elisha wasn’t enumerated in the 1870 Census, so he is assumed to have died between 1860 and 1870. Mary and James attended school. All were enumerated as having been born in North Carolina, although later censuses all suggest they were born in Tennessee. 

1850 Census[iv] – Hirum Vincin [sic] and his wife Catherine are living in Hardeman, Tennessee with their daughter, Mary. Hirum and Catherine had been married within the past year. Hirum is listed as “Overseer” for an occupation. Of Interest, Hirum is listed as 32 years old, suggesting birth between 1827 and 1828, where other census records suggest he was born between 1825 and 1826. 

1840 Census – In my initial review of Burkett Vinson, I ascribed the male, 20 to 29 years old, as presumed to be John Vinson. Upon further research, I have learned that John had two brothers also born between 1810 to 1820, Hiram and James. The male, 20 to 29 years old in the household of Burkett Vinson could easily have been any of the three. A look through the other Vinson’s in Halifax County yielded four results. Only Burkett and Robert had households that included a 20 to 29-year-old male. Further, Paul Vincent of Hardeman County, Tennessee was the only household with a 20 to 29-year-old. So, Hiram could have been the young man in the household. Alternately, Hiram could be elsewhere, or he could have been missed completely.

1830 Census – In my review of Burkett Vincent, it appeared that the teenager, age 15 to 20, in the household of Burkett Vincent is Hiram (William Hiram Vincent).

1820 Census – In my review of Burkett Vincent, it appeared that one of the children, a male under 10, in the household of Burkett Vincent is Hiram (William Hiram Vincent). 

Conclusion

William Hiram Vincent is in the FamilySearch tree as ID LHCZ-XB8. Census records before 1850 do not appear to clearly identify William Hiram Vincent as being enumerated. No new information regarding his parents was discovered.

Endnotes:

[i] 1880 Census, Family Search, 1880 Census – [William] Hiram Vinson – District 9, Hardeman, Tennessee. “United States Census, 1880,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD7D-QFM : 15 July 2017), Tom Vinson in household of Hiram Vinson, District 9, Hardeman, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district ED 58, sheet 474A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,260.

[ii] 1870 Census (FS), Family Search, 1870 Census – Hiram Vincent – Bolivar, Hardeman, Tennessee. “United States Census, 1870”,
 database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M VD7 : 14 June 2019), Hiram Vincent,
1870.  https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDD3-VD7?from=lynx1UIV8&treeref=LHCZ-XB8.

[iii] 1860 Census, Family Search, 1860 Census – [William] Hiram Vintson [Vincent] – 7th District, Hardeman, Tennessee. “United States Census, 1860”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8TD-4ZK : 18 March 2020), Martha A Vintson in an entry for Hiram Vintson, 1860.

[iv] 1850 Census (NARA), 1850 Census – Hirum Vincin – Hardeman, Tennessee. “United States Census, 1850,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDF-P2G : 4 April 2020), Mary Vincin in household of Hirum Vincin, Hardeman county, Hardeman, Tennessee, United States; citing family 676, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).