Sally (researching Cumberland County) wrote: >What does BS between last and first name mean on the 1820 census? For example -- Robinson, BS, John? >The very next line reads Ross, free Negroe, David, if that provides some clue. Sally, it's good that you're looking for context into which this entry might fit. I called up the 1820 census at Ancestry. In the whole 25-page return, that "BS." appears three times. It does indeed appear "between last and first name" on this return. However, this return is not the original. The census marshal has taken the original pages (which would have been, more or less, in neighborhood order) and copied all the entries over again into alpha order, surname first. The latter shuffle displaced not only the surname, but also the appendages normally placed after the surname. (e.g., Jeffery Robertson, Jr.," became "Robertson Jr. Jeffery"). Correspondingly, "Robinson, BS. John" should have originally been written John Robinson, B.S. When appendages such as this (B.S., F.R., S.T.) appear after names on Virginia censuses and tax rolls, they usually represent a mechanism to distinguish between individuals of the same name. B.S. might be Bull Slough. F.R. might be Fluvanna River. S.T. might be Son of Thomas. Or the initialism could represent the name of the individual's plantation. In this case, the three entries found for BS on those 25 pages all appear in situations in which there are two entries for men of the same name. Stamped p. 129 [consecutive entries] Hobson, BS, Samuel Hobson, Samuel Stamped p. 134 [17 entries intervene between these] Robinson BS, Field Robinson S.M. Field Stamped p. 135 [1 entry intervenes] Robinson John Robinson, BS, John Since you well know Cumberland County, let me ask: Were there watercourses or other prominent landmarks that would be abbreviated "BS" and "SM"? If "BS" were restricted to only to John and Field Robinson, that might suggest the possibility that it could the name of a family plantation. However, the use of BS for Samuel Hobson would not fit that theory, unless he were, say, a joint heir to Robinson property. Elizabeth ------------------------------------------------------ Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG Advanced Research Methodology & Evidence Analysis Samford University Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research _Evidence: Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian_ (the "briefcase edition") _Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace_ (the "desktop reference edition") _QuickSheet: Citing Online Historical Resource, Evidence Style_ _Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers & Librarians_ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html