I am sure Ed would respond to a question on this. He is still very much a working historian, even if his day job does not give him must time to work at it. And is if of course one of the nicest people on the planet.
----
Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, NY 12208
518-445-3386 (p)
518-445-3363 (f)
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www.paulfinkelman.com
--- On Fri, 10/22/10, mlichtsr <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: mlichtsr <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [VA-HIST] When was the 1860 census taken?
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Friday, October 22, 2010, 12:24 PM
On page 15 of America on the Eve of the Civil War (Edward L. Ayers and Carolin R. Martin, eds., University of Virginia Press, 2010) the reader notes that the 1860 census may have taken place a year earlier. In the opening paragraph of Chapter 1, Professor Ayers, leading the discussion, states: "It strikes me that these 1850s have been pretty interesting times. What do you think is going to leap out from the census that is being taken for the country? It will later be known as the 1860 census, but it was actually taken in 1859."
Though it was authorized on May 23, 1850, I had always thought that if no law was passed by January 1, 1860, that the Eighth U.S. Census was to begin on June 1, 1860 as the original enabling legislation ordered. The June 1860 start date seems to hold true for Orange County, VA. Assistant Marshal John F. Taliaferro started on June 15, turned in 220 pages of census schedules on October 31, 1860 and had Thomas R. Towles, justice of the peace, sign off on the transfer on that date.
I am sure that Dr. Ayers is very busy as president of the University of Richmond, and I would not ask him to take the time to explain what he said. Perhaps someone else can enlighten me?
Mitchell Lichtenberg
Mt. Pleasant, SC
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