Mari,

To the contrary. The mortality schedules, for example, are for the previous year (i.e. 1859). Census day was June 1st, 1860, of course. but the total population schedule includes mountains of material for the previous year. What it is not supposed to include is anyone born after 1 JUN 1860. So, in theory, it is merely a snapshot in time. I know of one case in my own family (Kilby) where the family is enumerated twice in 1860, which must make up for their total invisibility on the 1850 census. 

It is important to keep in mind the political aspects of the US census (which haunt us to this day.) It's all about apportionment in Congress and, today, money from the US government to localities. It doesn't take a giant leap of faith to see how figures lie, and liars figure. (An old saying, not my own pithy original.)

Craig

On Oct 26, 2010, at 7:49 AM, Julienne, Mari (LVA) wrote:

> As I recall from the conference, nothing that happened from 1860 forward
> was supposed to be discussed that day. So the statement that the census
> was taken in 1859 isn't to be taken literally. That probably should have
> been made clear in the published text.  
> 
> Mari Julienne

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