William Lister & the 1830 Census

Census Sunday
By Don Taylor

Following families in the early census records is always tricky, and when a census’s information is entirely unexpected, it makes things difficult. During my review of the life of 3^rd great-grandfather, William Lister, I realized that I had William in a different location and with a different family than many other researchers.

William Lister and Nancy Strain married on 17 June 1822 in Highland County, Ohio.[i] William was 29, and Nancy was about 15. Their first child, my second great-grandfather Nimrod, was born between 1824 and 1827 in Pickaway County, Ohio. Their second child was Sarah, who was born about 1831 and wouldn’t have been enumerated in the 1830 Census.

1830 Census – Pickaway County

My finding for William Lister placed him in Walnut Township, Pickaway County. The entry reads:

Wm Lister[ii]

• Males Under 5           1       [Presumed to be Nimrod, age 3 to 6.]
• Males 20 thru 29        1       [Presumed to be William. Age 37]
• Females 10 thru 14   1       [Unknown Female]
• Females 20 thru 29   1       [Presumed to be William’s Wife, age 23.]

I figured William’s age was incorrect in the Census, and the unknown female was probably a sibling of either William or his wife. Possibly the daughter of a previous wife as William would have been between 23 and 27 when the unknown female was born. However, I have not seen any other evidence of a daughter this age, so I just considered her an “unknown female.”

1830 – Ross County

Many researchers find Wm Lister in Deerfield, Ross County. That entry reads:

Wm Lister[iii]

• Males under 5             1          [Presumed to be Nimrod, age 3 to 6.]
• Males 10 thru 14        1          [Unknown male]
• Males 15 thru 19        1          [Unknown male]
• Males 30 thru 39        1          [Presumed to be William, age 37]
• Females under 5         1          [Possibly Sarah, age 0]
• Females 20 to 29        1          [Presumed to be wife, Nancy, age 23]

Deerfield township is about 180 miles from Monroe Township, whereas Walnut Township is about 45 miles from Monroe Township. Monroe Township is where William lived when his son William Marcus was born in 1832. In this case, William, Nancy, and Nimrod are enumerated and are the correct age.

1840 – Pickaway County

I haven’t found William Lister in the 1840 Census in Pickaway County. An Aaron Lister and an Eliza (or Elza) Lister live in Pickaway County. Neither household consists of a family that fits William Lister and his family.

1840 – Ross County

William Lister[iv]

• Male under 5              1          [Possibly James, age about 0]
• Male 5 thru 9              1          [Probably William, age 7]
• Male 10 thru 14          1          [Probably Nimrod, age 13 to 16]
• Male 15 thru 19          1          [Unknown male]
• Male 20 thru 29          1          [Unknown male]
• Male 40 thru 19          1          [Probably William, age 47]
• Female 10 thru 14      1          [Possibly Sarah, age about 10]
• Female 20 thru 19      1          [Unknown female]
• Female 30 thru 19      1          [Nancy age 33]

So, all of the known Lister family unit individuals living in 1840 can be accounted for in this enumeration. There are some unknown people who might be anyone; lodgers, nieces, or nephews are all possible.

Sadly, Nancy died in 1844, William remarried in 1846, then died in 1848. It is clear the household was dispersed by the 1850 Census.

I also noted there were no changes in the boundaries of Pickaway between its creation in 1810 and 1843 when “Pickaway lost small area in the town of Adelphi to Ross County.”[v]

Conclusion

I don’t have enough evidence to prove to me which William Lister in the 1830 census is my 3^rd great-grandfather. It could be the Ross County or the Pickaway County William Lister. To ascertain which is which, I think I’ll try a study of his 1830s Pickaway neighbors and see where they were and who their neighbors were in 1840. If needed, I’ll also try to review property transactions in Pickaway County from 1830 thru 1848 for William.

Endnotes:

[i] Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016, Family Search, Highland County Marriage Records 1821-1837, vol 1-2, Page 180 – #600 – William Sister [Lister] & Nancy Strain – Issued 17 June 1822. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ZZ5F-7T6Z.

[ii] 1830 Census (A) (NARA), Ancestry.Com, Walnut, Pickaway, Ohio; Series: M19; Roll: 138; Page: 50; Family History Library Film: 0337949. 16th name down, Wm Lister. https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/27472134?h=cac284&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url.

[iii] 1830 Census (A) (NARA), Ancestry.Com, Walnut, Pickaway, Ohio; Series: M19; Roll: 138; Page: 50; Family History Library Film: 0337949. 16th name down, Wm Lister. https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/27472134?h=cac284&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url.

[iv] 1840 Census – Deerfield, Ross, Ohio; Roll: 424; Page: 413; Family History Library Film: 0020175. 11th from bottom – William Lister. https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/27472171?h=02f56c&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url.

[v] Internet: The Newberry – “Ohio: Individual County Chronologies – Ohio Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.” https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/OH_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm#Individual_County_Chronologies.