Follow Friday: Families in the 1790 Census Project

One of the print series I admire greatly is the Maine Genealogical Society's project on Families in the 1790 census.  Over 2,500 families have had sketches published in the 10 volumes of this series.  You can find a comprehensive index (for free) to it at their website.  A sample sketch is here.  This is great example of volunteering and publishing your own families at the same time. [Yes, Maine wasn't its own state until 1820, but the area that constitutes Maine is covered].

The other two northern New England states have followed suit, but not nearly to the extent of the Mainers.  Vermont has two volumes published, and New Hampshire one, to which I supplied two sketches.  I wonder why no other states have started such a project.  The idea was to bridge the gap between the American Revolution and the 1850 census.  This is a particularly hard time period to research.  

I should write up a few more families and send them in.  I just get so bogged down in getting them right that I neglect finishing them.

Comments

[Mary Blauss Edwards]

Michael Leclerc and Christopher Child are currently working on Western Massachusetts Families in 1790. NEHGS is accepting family sketches from interested genealogists. For more details, see:

http://www.newenglandancestors.org/publications/projects.asp

[Linda Gardner]

Mary beat me to it. I was going to mention the NEHGS Western Mass 1790 project, too.

I agree, I wish more states were covered. Unfortunately, the 1790 ancestors I currently know about are in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Maryland, and EASTERN Massachusetts. So close, and yet so far. I may be able to identify a collateral Vermont family, not sure yet.

For me, contributing to such a project would be a meaningful way to "publish" my work, a worthwhile objective. and, perhaps more attainable than other kinds of publishing, since it's "just the facts", doesn't have to illustrate some particularly interesting methodology, or incorporate a larger historical context.

[Martin Hollick]

Of course youre right. Thats my going by my bookshelf too much. Unfortunately these volumes seem to have a gestation period of years and years. I mean, how long has it been that Chris and Michael have advertised for sketches? I know the N.H. one took somewhere around 4 years, give or take. However, my earlier point stands that there no other volumes planned or not for the 1790 states of RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, and GA.

[Martin Hollick]

Perhaps we need a groundswell from within state genealogical societies.

[Linda Gardner]

I wonder what's involved in managing such a project. whether remote members could provide the needed volunteer support and leadership. Even if the info were never published in print form, if the quality were there, online 1790 project contributions could be a significant membership benefit, perhaps leading to increased membership.

I don't feel like I'm expert enough yet in any specific area to provide content quality control, but perhaps there'd be other ways to contribute. I do think these projects can make a significant contribution the research community. Maybe it's time to pick a society in a state of interest and see if there's any interest.

[Richard M. Hunt]

Thanks for the link to this Maine project. It got me thinking again about an old "obstacle"(non-brick wall) with my Maine Robinson line. Never did find the correct 1790 Robinson census listing in Maine. By re-thinking a Google search I found two more generations in "History of Thomaston, Rockland, and South Thomaston, Maine, Vol. 2, by Cyrus Eaton, 1865." Guess Nathaniel Robinson remained in the Boston area before moving to Maine after 1790. Thanks again.

[Martin Hollick]

Are your Robinsons descendants of Gain Robinson?