Census Sunday - W. P. Washer household, 1880 U.S. Census, Livingston Co., KY

W. P. and Ida Washer were enumerated in the 1880 U.S. census on 19 June 1880¹ about four years after their marriage². They were living in Carrsville Magisterial District #5, a rural area west of Carrsville in Livingston County, Kentucky. Although the young couple had a separate residence (dwelling 208), William C. Sharp, Ida's father, was considered the head of household, since he owned the land and was enumerated in the adjacent dwelling 207³. Here, is the extract of their census data from lines 46 and 47...

Page	375D (stamped)
Line	46	47
In Cities: Street Name
In Cities: Street Number
1.Dwelling	208
2.Family	208
3.Name	Washer P. W.	Washer Ida
4.Color	W	W
5.Sex	M	F
6.Age	25	19
7.If born within the Census year, give the month
8.Relationship of each person to the head of this family	Son-in-law	Daughter
9.Civil Condition: Single
10.Civil Condition: Married	1	1
11.Civil Condition: Widowed, divorced
12.Married during census year
13.Occupation
14.Number of months this person has been unemployed during the Census year
15.Is the person (on the day of the enumerator's visit) sick, or temporarily disabled so as to be unable to ordinary business or duties? If so, what is the sickness or disability?
16.Health: Blind
17.Health: Deaf and dumb
18.Health: Idiotic
19.Health: Insane
20.Health: Maimed, crippled, bedridden, or otherwise disabled
21.Education: Attended school within the Census year
22.Education: Cannot read
23.Education: Cannot write
24.Place of Birth of this person	Alabama	Illinois
25.Place of Birth of the father of this person	Alabama	Penn
26.Place of Birth of the mother of this person	Alabama	Kentucky

Commentary:

The enumerator for this census recorded names in column 3 using the order: last name, middle initial, first name. For example, W. P. Washer is recorded as "Washer P. W."

The 1880 U.S. census column 8 gives the relationship of each member of the household to the head of household. Since William C. Sharp in dwelling 207 fills this role, W. P. Washer is his son-in-law and Ida Washer is his daughter.

In his 1884 will, William C. Sharp bequeathed to Ida B. Washer, three land notes held against her husband, W. P. Washer⁴. This land is probably where the Washer family was living in 1880 and for which William C. Sharp still held title. This suggests that a deed exists which records the title transfer.

---

1. 1880 US. census, Livingston County, Kentucky, population schedule, Carrsville Mag. Dist. #5, enumeration district (ED) 84, p. 375D (stamped), p. 24 (penned), dwelling 208, family 208, W. P. Washer household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 November 2012); citing National Archives micro-film publication T9, roll 429.
^↩
2. Pope County, Illinois, Marriage Book D: 26, license 994, William P. Washer and Ida B. Sharp, 1876, marriage affidavit, license and certification; County Clerk's Office, Golconda. [See Wedding Wednesday - William Washer and Ida Sharp, 1876 - Part 1]
^↩
3. 1880 US. census, Livingston County, Kentucky, population schedule, Carrsville Mag. Dist. #5, enumeration district (ED) 84, p. 375D (stamped), p. 24 (penned), dwelling 207, family 207, William C. Sharp household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 November 2012); citing National Archives micro-film publication T9, roll 429. [See William C. Sharp household, 1880 U.S. Census, Livingston Co., KY]
^↩
4. Livingston County, Kentucky, Will Book C:92-93, William C. Sharp will, 2 June 1884; recorded 7 April 1885; County Clerk, Smithland. [See William C. Sharp's will, 1884, Livingston Co., KY ] ^↩