Using a Tax List as a Census Substitute
I have at least three lines who were in Hawkins County, Tennessee in the early 1800s. The 1810 census for Tennessee, unfortunately, has been lost, 1 so tax lists serve as a census substitute, at least for males age 21 and over.
Transcription
Hawkins County
Loudebacks Company 1810
[Numbers refer to 1) land, 2) white polls, 3) black polls. Dashes indicate blanks. Kin are bolded]
Bright, William – 1 –
Barnett, John – 1 –
Beal, George – 1 –
Barrott, Stepen – 1 –
Breaden, James 1000 1 1
Cox, James – 1 –
Coward, James – 1 –
Coward, Joel Jnr – 1 –
Cyster, Daniel 150 – –
Chesnut, Henry – 1 4
Counsel, Cyrus – 1 –
Cox, Tabitha 300 – 2
Dodson, John 350 – –
Day, William – 1 –
Everhart, Jacob 300 1 –
Everhart, Christley – 1 –
Finney, William 160 1 –
Farmer, James – 1 –
George, Harbert 150 1 –
Gollihorn, John – 1 –
Grigsby, John Snr 550 – 6
Henton, William – – 2
Haskins, John – 1 –
Hoard, William Snr 270 1 –
Hoofmaster, Goodlef 200 1 –
Haynes, Thomas – 1 1
—————————-
3420 20 16
Jeffres, William – 1 –
Kite, John 180 1 –
Kite, George Snr 320 – 2
Kite, William – 1 –
Kite, George Junr 200 1 –
King Andrew 600 1 –
Kenner, Winder 370 1 –
Lawson, Jacob 290 1 1
Lea, Samuel – 1 –
Lawson, Elijah – 1 –
Loudeback, Isaac 124 1 –
Lawson, Isham 100 1 –
Lawson, Peter 100 1 –
Lawson, William 200 – –
Long, Nicholas – 1 –
Loudeback, Henry 166 1 –
Manes, Daniel 50 1 –
Manes, Bartlett 150 1 –
Maples, William – 1 1
Manes, Seth – 1 –
Manes William – 1 –
Manes, George 50 – –
Manes, Ephraim 150 1 –
Pain, William Junr 250 1 –
Paine, Charles – 1 –
Parton, Charles – 1 –
Pope, Adkin – 1 –
—————————-
3300 24 4
Right, Hance 270 24 4
Rork, John – 1 –
Rork, Michael Snr 290 1 –
Rutherford, John – 1 –
Reynolds, Isham 300 – –
Reynolds, William Snr 180 – –
Reynolds, George – 1 –
Reynolds, Henry – 1 –
Robertson, Hezekiah 400 1 –
Smith, Anthony G. 50 1 –
Smith, John – 1 –
Short, Henry – 1 –
Self, Thomas 200 – –
Smith, Samuel – 1 1
Smith, Joshua – 1 1
Stewart, Elisha – 1 –
Smith, Lauther 44 – –
Smith, James – 1 1
Henry & Lindenberger 397 – –
Smith, Robert 100 – –
Willis, John 100 1 –
———————————-
2331 14 3
3300 24 4
3430 20 16
———————————-
9061 58 23 2
Analysis
- Tax rates were set at “100 acres of land 12 1/2 cents. . .on each free poll and male servant 12 1/2 cents; on each slave 25 cents.” 3
- William Henton, no land, no white polls, two black polls. That means William was age 50+, born before 1761, and had two slaves. He was the only William Hinton in Hawkins County. The tax on this would have been 50 cents.
- John Haskins, no land, one white poll, no black polls. John was between 21 and 50, and therefore born between 1761 and 1789. He was the only John Haskins in Hawkins County. The tax on this would have been 12 1/2 cents.
- Jacob Lawson, 290 acres, one white poll, one black poll. Jacob was born between 1761 and 1789 and had one slave. He was the only Jacob Lawson in Hawkins County. The tax on this would have been 73 3/4 cents.
- Elijah Lawson, no land, one white poll, no black polls. Elijah was born between 1761 and 1789. He was the only Elijah Lawson in Hawkins County. The tax on this would have been 12 1/2 cents.
- Isham Lawson, 100 acres, one white poll, no black polls. Isham was born between 1761 and 1789. He was the only Isham Lawson in Hawkins County. The tax on this would have been 25 cents.
- Peter Lawson, 100 acres, one white poll, no black polls. Peter was born between 1761 and 1789. He was the only Peter Lawson in Hawkins County in 1810. The tax on this would have been 25 cents.
- William Lawson, 200 acres no white polls, no black polls. Therefore, he was 50 or older and was born before 1761. He was the only William Lawson in Hawkins County. The tax on this would have been 25 cents.
- Isham Reynolds (husband of William Hinton’s daughter, Anne), 300 acres, no white polls, no black polls. Therefore, he was 50 or older and was born before 1761. He was the only Isham Reynolds in Hawkins County. The tax on this would have been 37.5 cents.
Next Steps
Look for Haskins, Hinton, Lawson, and Reynolds surnames on tax lists for other years in Hawkins County.
- “1810 Census,” brightsolid, CensusRecords.com, (http://www.censusrecords.com : accessed 7 October 2014). ↩
- “Tennessee, Early Tax List Records, 1783-1895,” digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Oct 2014), p. 126, Loudebacks Company, Hawkins County, 1810; citing Early Tax Lists of Tennessee, microfilm, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee. ↩
- “Tennessee, Early Tax List Records,” digital images, Ancestry.com, Hawkins County, 1810, p. 119. ↩