Mitch,
AMEN! I'm working on this very idea right now. I don't know if this forum is the right place to post metadata material, but it's worthy goal. I certainly see no need for acrimony. Facts are facts. The statistical data and sample data are of course always open for discussion and interpretation. My most hated class in college (after Calculus, where I needed a mentor) was statistics. But guess what? I have used this knowledge in every aspect of my professional life.
I agree we need a good statistical sample here. With just enough knowledge to go on from the Appleby District of Columbia County, GA is already leading me into unchartered waters. We need to keep an eye on who the Assistant Marshall was versus the actual census taker.
What concerns me here is the suggestion that some people simply refuse to believe that persons of color could be incompentant and illiterate enough to conduct a census. Worse, some people seem to be unwilling to acknowledge is that there was a Federal Military government that far exceeded 1870. Revisionist history is fine, but simply white-washing an entire era is inexcusable.
Craig
On Oct 29, 2010, at 11:11 AM, mlichtsr wrote:
> Jon Kukla's request for documentary evidence might be partially resolved if one went to the source (the population schedules) and looked up the race of the census taker. How many people on this forum who have access to Ancestry.com or other sources, would be interested and willing to spend a few hours checking out the schedules for a few southern counties in 1870? What would be a valid statistical random sample for, say, Georgia which I estimate had about 120-130 counties in 1870? Would it be 10? 15? (I'm not a statistician but somebody out there knows the answer). Suppose 11 people volunteered to each take one Confederate state, look up a valid sample of county enumerators, check their race and report their results here. You might at least get a rough idea about who the census takers were though more work would have to be done to discover who was ex-slave and who was originally free. Yes, I understand there are many other considerations - but here's one way to harness the power of this forum by working together on an interesting hypothesis! Such an effort might lead into a variety of different avenues. Who knows? I'll volunteer some time. Any other takers?
>
> Mitch Lichtenberg
>
>
> On 10/29/2010 10:13 AM, Jon Kukla wrote:
>> Before the list erupts in a flurry of "Was not!" "Was so!" posts, it would
>> be nice to see a response to my and Leslie Anderson's fair and reasonable
>> queries about actual evidence for statements made about the administration
>> of the 1870 census:
>> L.A. : So the question remains unanswered. Are you aware of sources?
>> Does anyone on the list know of documentation that supports the assertion
>> that "In 1870, most census takers were often former slaves"?
>>
>> J.K.: I'm (still) curious about the documentary evidence for the statement
>> that "In 1870,
>> most census takers were often former slaves....."
>>
>> Jon Kukla
>> ________________
>> www.JonKukla.com<http://www.jonkukla.com/>
>> Online interview : http://www.virginiavoice.org/celebrity.html
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 5:35 PM, Craig Kilby<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>> There were plenty of literate and educated people of color in 1870.
>>>
>>> Craig
>>>
>>> On Oct 28, 2010, at 9:14 AM, JEFFREY D SOUTHMAYD wrote:
>>>
>>>> Seems unlikely since the vast majority of slaves were illiterate and
>>> could neither read nor write.
>>>>
>>>> JDS
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