Census Questions, Questionairres and Publications

http://www.census.gov/history/www/reference/genealogy/

The U.S. Census Bureau has the census questions that were asked for all the census years:  Click on the URL above.  You will see the History section, click on the tab "Through the Decades" and then click on "Index of Questions"  Also included in the "Through the Decades" tab are the questionnaires  and Census Instructions. (This is also available as a PDF: http://www.census.gov/history/pdf/measuringamerica.pdf with more detailed information on Census history.

The U.S. Census Bureau Publications: in PDF
I also found a publication from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services regarding their Genealogy Program.  http://www.census.gov/history/pdf/uscisgenealogyprogram.pdf

The USGS publication: Using Maps in Genealogy

US Dept of Commerce; Factfinder for the Nation, Census, Availability of Census Records about Individuals.

Review of "Portal of Texas History" Website

The Portal of Texas  History site: http://texashistory.unt.edu/ allows you to narrow your search to narrow your search by resource type, county and decade.  For a test name I entered Riddell.  You can narrow decade results by clicking on the more button for earlier decades.  I am interested in the Civil War Era.  A slider button allows you to adjust the size of your selected scanned item.  The image viewer allows you to view four pages in sequence.  You can get the results highlighted but it seems cumbersome to figure out how to do have the image viewer do this.

Potter, Coon, Wescott, Knapp, Darling Family Coonnections

 Repost from a post I made  at http://genforum.genealogy.com/potter/messages/6486.html

Ichabod Potter (1753-1845 Manlius, Onondaga Co., New York) +Eleanor
Stokes Potter b. on 16 Dec 1720 in Dartmouth, Bristol, MA. Died in 1808 in Westpport, Bristol, MA)
Zebedee Potter (6 Oct 1753 Tiverton, Rhode Island, d. 08 Dec 1845, Manlius, Onondaga Co. NY) +Phebe Durfee
John Potter (b. btw. 1775-1783 Rhode Island or MA; Died before 1860 in Otisco, Onondaga, NY) + Rosamond Taber (Rev war 1775-1780)
Sarah Potter (b. 21 Jan 1820 in NY, died in Wisconsin+Simon Wescott
Julius Delos Wescott marriage 2 to Ada Coon
(I am descended from Ada Coon’s first marriage to Francis Darling Riddell)

I would like to know about: Please contact me if you have any further information on Darling/Potter/Wescott.

David Potter $460[I have three Potters related by marriage in my genealogy Harriet Potter 1823, Wisconsin; Sarah Potter who married Simon Wescott; and another Sarah Potter married to Andrew Darling, I am unsure how if how David Potter is related to these individuals, another person to research][Arms 92] see footnote 1 below

1. Arms, William Tyler and Masha E. Arms. The History of Leyden Massachusetts 1676-1959. The Enterprise and Journal. Orange, Massachusetts. 1959. p. 93, 96. (Georgina Cole Library, 974.422 H2 ARM.)

I believe there are even more mystery "Potters" in my collateral lines. I will provide info on these when I research further. There may be some in my Gates (New London, Connecticut line - Leyden, Massachusettes- Peter Gates)

Coon/Potter of Jefferson county, Palmyra, Wisconsin
I found three incidences of Coons and Potters:

*1850 Census: Palmyra, Jefferson, Wisconsin
Coon, Leander (son of Ephriam Coon)
married Harriet (?) whose first marriage was to a Potter
Harriet's children from her first marriage are listed in the 1850 census as in the household of Leander Coon:
Francis Potter
Henry Potter
Orilla Potter

* Marana Knapp (18 March 1908 buried in Hillside Cemetery, Palmyra, WI) was married to Ephriam Coon
Is Marana related to the following Knapps in Palmyra?

Orvilla Knapp- did she marry Stacey Potter?
Sylvanus Knapp

*Simon Wescott married to Sarah Potter (genealogy detailed at the beginning of this Email.)
child was Julius Delos Wescott who married Ada Riddell (nee Coon)

This one is just for Potter:

*Sarah Potter married Andrew Darling (b. 1748) in Gloucester, Rhode Island

Hiram Coon Research Report Introduction

Whew!  I have been working on a really long research report on the Coon family. 

Before this branch of my tree landed in Palmyra, Jefferson County, Wisconsin they lived in  Manlius, Onondaga County, New York and they came to Wisconsin with a large group of related persons and family friends to Palmyra, Jefferson County, Wisconsin.  Lura Dow daughter of Oliver Parker Dow (brother to Eliza Dow) was quoted in Dodge/Jefferson County Genealogical Society's publication "Out on a Limb"

                                      “The first that I know anything about were what I would call “our folks”.  There were quite a bunch of them.  They came from Chenango county, NY... some were brothers and sisters-in-laws, cousins, etc., probably. They were Mr. and Mrs. Albertus Knapp, Mr. and Mrs. John Morrison, Mr. and Mrs. Lyman Graves, Mr and Mrs. Elizer Graves."(Out on A Limb)

  

 One of the avenues I intend to investigate further will hopefully answer the question: Who exactly was included in the group of people who migrated from New York to Palmyra, WI?  

 I wrote a draft of the report on Hiram Coon (it is about 26 pages long) and The rest of the report is waiting for peer review (ProGen 8) at the end of this month. What follows are the names and dates for the subject and his family.

The subject under investigation is Hiram Coon born on 13 November 1819 in Manlius, Onondaga, New York and Died 4 October 1875 in Palmyra, Jefferson, Wisconsin and his first wife Achsah Moore (1816-1846). Hiram’s second wife was Anna Eliza Dow born 19 June 1825 and their children:

Elvira C. Coon born 3 August 1848 in Mendon, Monroe County, New York and died in 1916. Elvira married Robert Charley

Susan Coon was born on 21 Sept 1853 and died 22 July 1910 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California.  Susan married James Wrightson Congdon. (see appendix for timeline) child: Mirah Coon

Frank W. Coon was born on 7 May 1854. He married Agnes Swinton

Ada Martina Coon born 12 January 1855 in Palmyra, Jefferson, Wisconsin and died 1 January 1928 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. Married first, Francis Darling Riddell (1854-1905) on 19 August 1876 and second, married Julius Delos Wescott (Westcott) on 25 March 1893.

Anna Eliza Coon was born in 27 February 1844 and died on 7 June 1920, Anna married Frank Edward Donaldson

Marana Coon (b. 1840) married [?] Knapp (Socolich)

(note from gs: Please note that the bolded individuals are my direct line.)

1. Out on A Limb, page 10] [Dodge/Jefferson Counties Genealogical Society, Inc. Genealogy Newsletter, Out on a Limb. Volume 20 No. 1. February 2005. From the Jefferson County Union, Wilbur, S.D. 1924.)

2.  Socolich, Gwynn. Research Report on Hiram Coon, Introduction to Subject.