At age 5, a child was not yet in school at the period of which you
speak.   Most kids - if they went to "school" either did so through
the church or at one of the few publicly sponsored schools, and did
not do so there until ages 7 or 8 (or even older).    There were NO
pre-schools or kindergartens (German; "child schools") in the South
till well into the 20th century.

The wealthy, and some not quite so, often had tutors that came into or
lived in the home and served as instructors to children of all ages,
often teaching dancing and music also.

 For the very early years, see the lengthy discussion of Philip Bruce,
"Institutional History of VA In The Seventeenth Century" (available in
most better libraries and at VA Library)

 Answers for Census Question


Thanks to all who answered my question about the census.  Everyone
agreed
that it meant the 5 year old child in question was AT HOME and not in
school.  Someone mentioned that the person with this note was an
uneducated
person.  I would assume that most 5 year olds had received no formal
education.  Do you know what the age was when, and IF, children began
attending school in 1870?

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