The search for William Eaton (1792) has been challenging, and it’s been difficult to find him in early census records. If he can be found in early census records, it may be possible to identify his location in Georgia. Early U.S. Census records can provide evidence for our early American ancestors if you have some basic information from other records for matching. However, the 1820, 1830, and 1840 U.S. Censuses are a challenge for several reasons.
Table of Contents
William Eaton (1792)
William Eaton (1792) was found in the 1850 U.S. Census in Chambers County, Alabama with his family. 1
| Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Eaton | 58 | M | Ditcher | England |
| Susan E | 36 | F | Georgia | |
| William J | 10 | M | Georgia | |
| Sarah A | 5 | F | Georgia | |
| Martha J | 2 | F | Georgia |
This census details everything known about William Eaton (1792), to date. His birth year can be calculated to be about 1792 in England. His wife and children were born in Georgia. One could infer William and Susan were married in Georgia and lived there from about 1840 to 1848 before moving to Chambers County, Alabama. One could also infer a possible marriage year of about 1839 if William J. was the oldest child.
A search of Georgia marriage records found a marriage record between William Eaton and Susannah Galley in Carroll County, Georgia.2 However, no documentation has been found to connect William and Susan Eaton of Chambers County, Alabama to William Eaton and Susannah Galley of Carroll County, Georgia.
There are several things about William Eaton (1792) that are still a mystery. William Eaton was an immigrant. It is not known when he came into the country and when he arrived in Georgia. The age disparity between William and Susan needs to be explained. Both William and Susan could have been previously married.
1820 U.S. Census
Charles Henry Gilley was found in Habersham County, Georgia in 1820.3 Charles Henry Gilley is the hypothetical father of Susannah Galley/Gilley. If William Eaton and Charles Gilley are found to have a connection, then it would provide indirect evidence of a connection to a possible daughter of Charles. This theory has been proven to be unlikely.4
However, on the opposite page of the census page with Charles Henry Gilley is a listing for William Eaton. This discovery was surprising because previous searches for William Eaton in the 1820 U.S. Census returned no results.
The National Archives page for the 1820 U.S. Census provides some important insights about this census.5 The census was recorded on long sheets that were folded in half and bound into books in 1900. When that happened, the original order of the census was lost. It appears counties were kept together, but the pages within the county were intermixed. There are also a few counties that are missing from the census.
The consequence of mixed-up census pages means one should not assume individuals lived next to each other because their names appear to be near each other. In this scenario, we cannot assume William Eaton and Charles Gilley knew each other, even if they appear to be in the same county.
Another thing to take note of is the poor quality of the census index. The index for the 1820 U.S. Census was completed by Ancestry and shared with other platforms, including FamilySearch. Searching the index returns no results for William Eaton and others on the same page. If looking for your ancestor in these early census records, it may be worth looking at every image for a location to be sure.
But is the William Eaton in the 1820 U.S. Census a match for William Eaton (1792) in Chambers County, Alabama? The answer to that question is no. William Eaton (1792) of Chambers County, Alabama would have been about 28 years old in 1820. The William Eaton listed in the census is 45 years old or older. The William Eaton in the 1820 U.S. Census could still be a match for the William Eaton in Carroll County who married Susannah Galley, but there is no way to know for sure at this point. (And yes, this can get confusing sorting all the William Eatons!)
1830 and 1840 U.S Censuses
William Eaton (1792) of Chambers County, Alabama would have been 38 and 48 years old in the 1830 and 1840 U.S. Censuses, respectively. A search of both of these census years returned several possibilities in a few different counties in Georgia.
None of the listings for either census fall in the correct age range to match up with William Eaton (1792). It is possible William Eaton could fit into some of the listings if his reported age was a few years off. However, there is not enough information to know for sure. In addition, the 1840 listings should include a wife of the correct age and a son in the 0-5 years old column. Neither possible listing in 1840 is a match.6
Results Summary
None of the listings for William Eaton in the 1820, 1830, or 1840 U.S. Census appear to be a match to William Eaton (1792) of Chambers County, Alabama. While it appears that William Eaton (1792) was in Georgia from at least 1840 to 1848, his presence was not captured in the U.S. Census. His first appearance in the census is the 1850 U.S. Census. This conclusion leaves a lot of unanswered questions for William Eaton (1792) and also his wife Susan.
Sources
- 1850 U.S. Census, Chambers County, Alabama, population schedule, 19th District, p. 368 (stamped), dwelling 1001, family 1001, William Eaton household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 29 January 2023); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 2. ↩︎
- “Record of Marriages, Book C, 1827-1866,” entry for William Eaton – Susannah Galley, cert. 128, 29 July 1833; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2024); citing County Marriage Records, 1828–1978. The Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia. ↩︎
- 1820 U.S. Census, Habersham, Georgia, population schedule, p. 122 (stamped), line 19, Charles Gilly household;
digital image, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 8 September 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication
M33. ↩︎ - See the research reports for William Eaton and Charles Gilley in the Memories tab for William Eaton’s profile on FamilySearch. ↩︎
- “1820 Census Records” National Archives, accessed 13 October 2024, https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1820. ↩︎
- Refer to the research report on William Eaton in the Census in Georgia for a complete analyses and source citations. ↩︎
