Roberts/Scott/Hendricks
Census Sunday
For some time, I have known that my 3rd great-grandmother, Emily Hendricks’s parents were Vaden and Sylvania (Brown) Hendricks. During my research into Emily, I wanted to find her in all of the censuses during her lifetime. I believe I have found her in both the 1840 and 1850 Censuses.
1850 Census
Household of Sylvania Hendricks, Washington county, Illinois[i].
| Household | Sex | Age | Birthplace | |
| Sylvania Hendricks | F | 42 | Kentucky | |
| William Hendricks | M | 19 | Kentucky | |
| Emily Hendricks | F | 15 | Kentucky | |
| Nancy E Hendricks | F | 11 | Kentucky | |
| Mary J Hendricks | F | 9 | Illinois |
This record suggests many things.
That Sylvania is the head of household suggests that her husband, Vaden, died before the 1850 Census and after Mary was conceived in 1840. Also, because Sylvania was only 33-years-old when Mary was born, her husband likely died before 1845[ii].
The family could have been in either Illinois or Kentucky in 1840 as they probably moved from Kentucky to Illinois sometime between 1839 and 1841.[iii]
Let’s see if we can find the family in the 1840 Census. In 1840, I would expect the following in a household:
- Female: Age 32
- Male: Age 9
- Female: Age 5
- Female: Age 1
If they had migrated to Illinois by 1 June 1840, I would expect them to be in Washington County.
During the 1840 Census, there were 87 Hendricks families in Illinois, but none were in Washington County. However, there was a Baden Hendrix in adjoining St. Clair County. Could this be the household of Emily’s father?
Baden Hendrix Household 1840 Census[iv]
| <5 | 5-10 | 10-15 | 15-20 | 20-30 | 30-40 | 40 to >100 | |
| Males | 1 | 1 | 1 | All Blank | |||
| Females | 2 | 1 | All Blank |
Yes, Sylvania fits the female between 30 and 40. The son, William, fits the 5-10 range. One daughter fits into the two daughters under 5. The other daughter was probably 5, but could have easily been 4. The one son, between 10 and 15 would have been between 20 and 25 during the 1850 Census; he is likely to have been enumerated elsewhere. As such, I’m confident that Emily is one of the two girls under five enumerated in the Baden Hendrix Household during the 1840 Census. With that finding, I have discovered Emily in all of the census records during her lifetime and have her Birth, Marriage, and Death information.
Endnotes:
[i] “United States Census, 1850,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M857-FL8 : 12 April 2016), Household of Sylvania Hendricks, Washington county, Illinois, United States; citing family 1241, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
[ii] Within 4 Year’s of Mary’s birth, I would have expected Sylvania to have had another child if her husband were still living.
[iii] Between the births of Nancy and Mary.
[iv] “United States Census, 1840,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHBJ-RD6 : 15 August 2017), Baden Hendrix, St Clair, Illinois, United States; citing p. 322, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 70; FHL microfilm 7,644.
