Census Analysis: John Sauls (b. 1805) of Colleton County, South Carolina

Since I am most interested in following the family of John Sauls (b. 1805), I will start with analyzing the census data for his family.  I am purposely only looking at the census data and not at other documents for information.  I want to have a clear view of what the census includes and what it does not include.

The 1850 census is the first census to list all of the free household members, so that is where I will start.

John (age 45) and his wife, Sarah (age 36), lived in St. Bartholomew's Parish in Colleton County with the following children: Ann (age 18), Jane (age 7), John (age 15), William (age 15), Charles (age 10), James (age 6), George (age 4), and Benjamin (age 2).  It is not clear if all of these children are the children of John and Sarah or if they are related in other ways.

As mentioned in earlier blog posts, no Sauls families show up in the Colleton County census until 1840.  One John Sauls (spelled Jno Sauls) appears in that census.  No age is given, and no names for the other household members are given, which makes it hard to say that this is the same John Sauls.  However, there are some indications that it may be him.

1. John Sauls is living in Colleton County in both censuses.
2. Only one John Sauls is listed in each of the 1840 and 1850 censuses.
3. The John Sauls listed in the 1850 census was born in 1805-1806.  He was 45 in the 1850 census, so he would have been 35 in the 1840 census.  The household of John Sauls listed in the 1840 census includes one male, age 20-29.  (Censuses are noted for their mistakes regarding people's ages.  This is not a big enough discrepancy to discount on its own.)
4. In the 1850 census, John's wife Sarah is shown as being 36 years old.  She would have been 26 in 1840.  The household of John Sauls in 1840 includes one female, age 30-39.  This could be Sarah, or it could be another wife.
5. In 1850, John's household includes John (age 15), William (age 15), and Charles (age 10).  The household of John Sauls in 1840 includes 3 males, under age 5.  These would seem to be the same boys.
6. In 1850, John's household includes Ann (age 18).  The household of John Sauls in 1840 includes 2 females, ages 5-9.  Ann is probably one of these two girls.  Jane may be the other one, and her age in the 1850 census may be quite wrong.

It seems likely that the household of John Sauls in 1850 is the same as the one in 1840.  Now let's move forward in time.

In 1860, we see that John (now age 55) and Sarah (now age 50) are still listed as living in St. Bartholomew's Parish in Colleton County.  Jane (age 24) seems to have aged too much since the 1850 census, and she is probably the missing girl from the 1840 census.  James (age 16), George (age 12), Benjamin (age 8), and Ann (age 22) are also still present.  There seem to be discrepancies with many of the ages.  Sophia (age 1) has also joined the household.  John and his wife Elizabeth live on a neighboring farm.  William is not present in Colleton County.  Charles may be working for Isaac Sauls, but it is not clear that it is the same Charles Sauls.

In 1870, the household of John Sauls (now age 65) is somewhat smaller than it had been.  Sarah is no longer listed.  Ann (now age 35) is listed as keeping house.  Three new children have joined the household: Henry (age 7), Thomas (age 5), and another Benjamin (age 4).  All of the previous children, except for Ann, have left the household.  James (now 25) and Benjamin (now 20) are still in Colleton County working as teamsters.  John and William are no longer in Colleton County.  There is a Charles Sauls living in Colleton County, but the age discrepancy in large enough to suggest that it is not the same Charles Sauls.

In 1880, there are several men by the name of John Sauls, but none of them are from the household we have been tracing.  It doesn't look as though any members of this household are left in Colleton County.  There are two sons who may still be there: Charles and Henry.  However, Charles is the wrong age, and Henry is with an unfamiliar woman named Sarah.

The next steps to take in studying this family will be in finding the youngest children in future censuses and locating their death certificates, if possible.  A job for another day.