Category Archives: Census

Census Records | Copelands of Dunklin County (1870-1940)

Sometimes census records can be useful for more than just providing information about individual people. They can also show patterns of movement from one place to another, and give us clues about possible relationships. For example, if two families consistently move from place to place together (showing up on census record after census record in close proximity to one another, despite geographical movement), one can assume that there is some kind of connection between the two. Knowing there is a connection doesn’t tell us what the connection is, but it gives us a reason to try and find that out.

George T. Copeland, the father of Tom Copeland (who is, in turn, the father of many of our recent ancestors) is an enigma. I, along with several others, have been trying to figure out who he was for a long time. He left scant records, which makes our task difficult. One of the ideas I had recently was to create a database of all the Copelands living in areas where George might have lived. To do this I used Ancestry.com, did a Soundex search for “Copeland”, and requested the name of a particular location as a keyword (checking the box marked “exact”) — for example, my keyword for this search was “Dunklin.” Then I went to each census year and copied the entries (exactly as they were transcribed) into a spreadsheet. I’ve reproduced my spreadsheet here (leaving out a few miscellaneous catergories), with known ancestors highlighted in yellow.

As you can see, our George T. Copeland (sometimes called “G.T.” and here called “Thomas”) was the first Copeland to arrive on the scene in Dunklin, sometime before 1870. As the decades pass, more Copelands arrive. Some also leave. Some even come back (our Tom and family moved to Arkansas for many years and then came back to Dunklin County in the mid-1930s). The individuals that are not highlighted are all “persons of interest” to the genealogist. Yes, there are some similarities between CSI and genealogy — don’t laugh! While I haven’t yet made any definitive connections, I have been working on figuring out who all of those other Copelands are, where they came from, and where they went if they left Dunklin County. Some of these trails are undoubtedly dead ends but maybe one of them isn’t. Besides, who doesn’t love the thrill of the chase? 😉

Name Home in 1870 Birth Year Birthplace
Thomas Coplin Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1830 Illinois
Sarah Coplin Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1840 Missouri
Mellissa Coplin Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1857 Missouri
Artamissa Coplin Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1860 Missouri
Martha Coplin Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1867 Missouri
Mary Coplin Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1870 Missouri
       
Name Home in 1880 Birth Year Birthplace
G. T. Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1837 Illinois
Sarah Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1843 Missouri
Mary Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1855 Missouri
S. R. Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1856 Missouri
M. J. Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1874 Missouri
Geo. T. Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1876 Missouri
Tom F. Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1876 Missouri
       
Veteran’s Name Home in 1890 Rank Years of Service
Obediah Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Private 1861-1862
George T Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Sgt 1864-1865
       
Name Home in 1900 Birth Date Birthplace
Mrs. Ples Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jan 1845 Ohio
George Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Sep 1852 Missouri
Steve R Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jan 1856 Missouri
Margret Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Oct 1857 Missouri
Bettie Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Nov 1863 Missouri
Ima Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jun 1863 Illinois
George Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jan 1871 Illinois
Minnie Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jan 1871 Missouri 
Thomas Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Mar 1873 Illinois
Bertha Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Mar 1873 Illinois
James M Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Aug 1875 Illinois
Thomas Copeland Independence, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1876 Missouri
Quinton Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri May 1877 Arkansas
Elizabeth Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Dec 1878 Missouri 
Lucy L Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri Dec 1878 Arkansas
Charles Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jun 1879 Missouri
Lilly Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jan 1879 Missouri
Clara Copeland  Independence, Dunklin, Missouri Dec 1880 Illinois
John Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Feb 1882 Missouri
William Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Sep 1883 Missouri
Bessie M Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1884 Missouri 
Archie Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri May 1885 Missouri
Susan Copelund Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jun 1887 Missouri
Elizabeth Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1888 Missouri
Josephine Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Aug 1888 Missouri
Martha L Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1891 Missouri
Cora Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1892 Missouri
Clara Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jun 1894 Missouri
Chalmus H Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jun 1896 Missouri 
Columbus Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jul 1897 Missouri
Herman S Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1897 Missouri 
Gladis L Copeland]  Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Nov 1898 Missouri 
Cecil Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri Dec 1899 Arkansas
Ina Copeland Independence, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1900 Missouri
       
Name Home in 1910 Birth Year Birthplace
Mary Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1840 Ohio
Geo Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1853 Illinois
Steve Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1856 Missouri
Margaret Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1857 Indiana
Belle Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1863 Missouri
Tom Sturberbill [Copeland] Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1867 Tennessee
Carlos Copeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1872 Missouri
Mollie Copeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1880 Missouri
Will Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1882 Indiana
Dora Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1885 Missouri
Cora Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1892 Missouri
Clara Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1894 Missouri
Columbus Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1896 Missouri
MontroseCopeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1896 Missouri
Texie Copeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1897 Missouri
Billey Sturberbill [Copeland] Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1901 Arkansas
Walter Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1902 Missouri
Lonie Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1904 Missouri
Robert Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1906 Missouri
Henry Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1908 Missouri
Valentine Copeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1909 Missouri
Bessie Murphy [Copeland] Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1884 Missouri
Chalmer H Coapland  North Malden, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1897 Missouri
Gladys L Coapland North Malden, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1899 Missouri
Evert L Coopland Malden Ward 2, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1906  Missouri
Irine Coopland Malden Ward 2, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1907 Missouri
Charley W Coupland Malden Ward 2, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1878 Illinois
Rosia L Coupland Malden Ward 2, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1882 Kentucky
Thomas Couplin Independence, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1876 Missouri
Ima Couplin Independence,Dunklin, Missouri abt 1900 Missouri
       
Name Home in 1920 Birth Year Birthplace
Steven R Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1857 Missouri
Sarah B Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1860 Missouri
William F Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1881 Tennessee
Eva Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1885 Tennessee
Irene S Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1895 Missouri
Chalmers H Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1897 Missouri
Burton Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1905 Tennessee
Elizabeth S Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1919 Missouri
       
Name Home in 1930 Birth Year Birthplace
Sarah B Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1862 Missouri
Charley Copeland Malden, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1879 Indiana
Rosia Copeland Malden, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1882 Kentucky
Ray Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1902 Arkansas
Homer D Copeland Malden, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1907 Missouri
Pearl Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1907 Alabama
       
Name Home in 1940 Birth Year Birthplace
Tom Copeland Clay, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1877 Missouri
Charles W Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1879 Indiana
Rosie L Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1882 Kentucky
Myrtle Copeland Clay, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1886 Kentucky
Arthur Copeland Payne, Clay, Arkansas abt 1900 Kentucky
Delvia Copeland Clay, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1925 Missouri
Donnie Copeland Clay, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1928 Missouri
Sid B Capeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1888 Missouri
Bessie M Capeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1896 Tennessee
Dewey Capeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1914 Tennessee
Lockie Capeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1919 Tennessee
Daniel Copelin Kennett, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1898 Kentucky
Irene Copelin Kennett, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1908 Missouri

Census Records | Myrtle M. Crider (1886-1967)

Since my last post focused on the US Federal Census records that we have for Tom Copeland (1876-1948), I thought it might be nice to look at the census records we have for his wife, Myrtle (Crider) Copeland. Myrtle was born in 1886, so she is not on the 1880 US Federal Census. As I mentioned in my post about Tom, there is no US Federal Census for 1890 because most of the records were destroyed by a fire in 1921. Therefore, the first US Federal Census we have for Myrtle is for the year 1900.

In 1900, Myrtle was living in Magesterial District 06, Graves County, Kentucky. The US Federal Census record shows her parents are “William H” (William Herbert “Hub” Crider), age 39; and “Willie J” (Willie J. Killebrew), age 34, both born in Kentucky. Myrtle is called “Myrtie M”, she is 18 years old (born in Kentucky), and the oldest of many siblings: a sister “Ola S”, age 12; another sister (who is actually a brother) “Virgil O”, age 10; a brother “Jewell L”, age 7; another brother “Robby F”, age 5; a sister “Unis P”, age 2; and a baby brother “William C”, age 8 months. According to this record she is “At School” and she can read, write, and speak English. She is still single.

1900UnitedStatesFederalCensusForMurtieMCrider

Ten years pass and the 1910 US Federal Census finds our Myrtle living in Independence, Dunklin County, Missouri. Sound familiar? It should! Tom Copeland was also living in Independence in 1910. In fact, as you can see from this record, his daughter “Ima Couplin” (Imogene) was living just a few houses away from Myrtle and her family at the home of her grandparents, the Buntings (highlighted in blue). Because of his marriage to Clara Bunting (who by 1910 was institutionalized), Tom may have lived with the Buntings when the Criders arrived in town or, at the very least, he would have visited his daughter there occasionally. We can see that his proximity to the Crider household made possible his future marriage to Myrtle, the results of which led to the existence of many of us! Sometimes, when I see connections like this, I realize how lucky I am to be alive. One wrong move by my ancestors and I wouldn’t be here! Back to the record: Myrtle is now 24 years old and has gained some siblings, but lost her mother. Her father, “Hubbard Crider”, age 50, is a widower with many mouths to feed: Myrtle, age 24; “Jewel”, age 18; “Lester”, age 16; “Eunice”, age 12; “Clay”, age 10; and “Cleatus”, age 8. There is also a “Rado Crider” listed, who is Myrtle’s sister-in-law, wife of her brother Virgil. Although she was 24, Myrtle was still single, and not working — she was most likely caring for her younger siblings in the absence of their mother.

1910UnitedStatesFederalCensusForMyrtleCrider

From here on out the census records available for Myrtle Crider are the ones that I covered in my post about Tom Copeland. In 1920 the US Federal Census shows Myrtle is living with her husband, Tom Copeland, in Neal, Mississippi County, Arkansas. She is 34 years old, born in Kentucky (and both parents were born in Kentucky, as well). She is the mother of two children: “Dortha B” (Dorothy), age 8; and “Othar D” (Dewey Otho), age 6. Since Dorothy is her oldest child, we can guess that she met and married Tom Copeland sometime between 1910, when they were listed separately on the census record, and 1912, when Dorothy was born (we know the date of their marriage, but that will have to wait for another post).

1920UnitedStatesFederalCensus

Moving on to 1930, the US Federal Census for that year tells us that Myrtle is 43 years old. She first married at the age of 23 (this is probably true, since she married in 1910). She did not attend school within the last year, but she can read and write. She and both of her parents were born in Kentucky. Myrtle now has four children: “Dorthy” (Dorothy), age 18; “Dewey”, age 16; “Delvie” (William Delvie a.k.a. “Bill”), age 6; and Donnie (“Donna”), age 3 months. I don’t know if you noticed, but I see that there is a big gap between Bill and his next oldest sibling, Dewey (10 years!). From this record we might wonder if there was at least one other child born between them, possibly more. But, what happened to this child(ren)? These are the kinds of things that one can only discover by close examination of the records. Now that we suspect there was another child, we will know to look for him or her in another source. Losing a child (and a sibling) would have been devastating for the Copeland family, though sadly not uncommon during the early 20th Century.

1930UnitedStatesFederalCensus

The last census record we have for Myrtle is the 1940 US Federal Census. As we learned in our analysis of Tom Copeland’s census records, the family returned to Missouri sometime between 1930 and 1935. They now reside in Clay, Dunklin County, Missouri. The census record indicates that Myrtle provided the information to the enumerator, so we can trust it, to some degree (mistakes could still be made!). Myrtle is 54 years old, and a “House Wife” in her “Own Home.” She received 8 years of schooling, which is 5 more than her husband, Tom. She has two of her children still living with her: a son, “Delvie” (William Delvie a.k.a. “Bill”), age 15; and a daughter, “Donnie” (Donna), age 12. Wait a minute — wasn’t Donna 3 months old at the time of the last census? Yes, she was, but we can trust that if anyone was wrong it was the enumerator or the person supplying the information in the last census record, since we would hope that Myrtle knew the ages of her own children (childbirth isn’t something one easily forgets).

1940UnitedStatesFederalCensus

Well, that brings us to the end of the available census records for Myrtle. Since she didn’t pass away until 1967 she is listed on the 1950 and 1960 US Federal Censuses. But, the public won’t have access to those for a long time. If we want to know more about the next few decades of Myrtle’s life, we’ll have to look elsewhere!

Your cousin,
Kelli Signature

Census Records | Thomas Copeland (1876-1948)

Here in the United States, the Federal government usually does a census every 10 years. The first US Federal Census was taken in 1790, when the population of the United States was around 3 million people. The most recent US Federal Census took place in 2010, with a population now over 308 million people. Wow! From 1790 until 1850 the US Federal Census listed only the Head of Household, and the number of people in his or her home. Starting in 1850 all members of the household were included, and over the years additional categories have been added. Right now I’m going to share with you the US Federal Census records that we have for our ancestor, Thomas Copeland (a.k.a. “Tom”). Tom Copeland is the father of Dorothy, Dewey, Delmer, William Delvie, and Donna Copeland. Many of you are descended from one of these siblings. While these records do not comprise the entirety of the information we have about Tom Copeland, they do help us to tell a little about the course of events in his life — a sort of mini-biography based on snapshots taken every 10 years.

Tom was born in 1876, so the first time he appears is on the 1880 US Federal Census for Cotton Hill, Dunklin County, Missouri. From this record we learn that Tom is four years old and was born in Missouri. The names of his parents (he is listed as “son”) are “G.T” and “Sarah”, and he has a sister named “M.J.” We also learn that his father was born in Illinois and his mother in Missouri, which matches the birthplaces of the parents listed for him on this census record. You can click on each image to open a larger version in a new browser window. Tom and his family are highlighted.

1880UnitedStatesFederalCensus

There are no US Federal Census records for 1890 due to a fire that destroyed almost all of them in 1921. So, the next census record we have available for Tom Copeland is the 1900 US Federal Census. Now Tom is living in Independence Township, Dunklin County, Missouri. He is married to Clara Bunting, and living with her parents Phineas and Elizabeth (Skinner) Bunting. From this record we learn that Tom is the “son-in-law” of Phineas Bunting, that he was born in “Apr 1876”. We also learn that he is 24 years old, is married, and has been married for one year. Living with Tom and Clara is their newborn daughter, Imogene. [Note: this marriage is corroborated by their marriage record.]

1900UnitedStatesFederalCensus

The next Federal Census year is 1910, in which we find Tom Copeland still living in Independence, Dunklin County, Missouri, working as a “hired man” at the home of John and Louisa Pool. He is listed as being 34 years old, and “widowed,” although this is a bit inaccurate because we know that Tom’s wife, Clara, was still alive in 1910, though sadly institutionalized. The census also notes that he is able to read and write (good for you, Tom!) and that he and both of his parents were born in Missouri. The interesting thing about census records is that it wasn’t until 1940 that enumerators noted who was providing the information to the census-taker. So, one will often find discrepancies in dates and places of birth, and even names, between one census and another — this can be attributed to many causes, but the number one reason is probably that the person supplying the information was not a member of the family (they could have been a neighbor, or a visitor).

1910UnitedStatesFederalCensus

Zoom ahead 10 years and we find our Tom living in Neal, Mississippi County, Arkansas. Wait a minute, how did he get there? This is a question that census records can’t answer. People move, usually to better their situation. We could speculate that Tom left Dunklin County to pursue an opportunity that he couldn’t refuse, whatever that might have been. From the 1920 US Federal Census, we learn that Tom Copeland has married again, and his wife’s name is “Myrtle M” (we know this is Myrtle Crider from other sources). He also has a daughter named “Dartha B” (Dorothy), age 8; and a son “Othar D” (Dewey Otho), age 6. The Census indicates that Tom is 49 years old, owns his home, and is a farm laborer. His place of birth is listed as Missouri, his father’s as Illinois, and his mother’s as Missouri.

1920UnitedStatesFederalCensus

Another ten years passes for Tom and the 1930 US Federal Census indicates that he is still living in Neal, Mississippi, Arkansas. He is still married to Myrtle, and now has four children: “Dorthy” (Dorothy), age 18; Dewey, age 16; “Delvie” (William Delvie, a.k.a. “Bill”), age 6; and “Donnie” (Donna), age 3 months. This census record indicates that Tom is 53 years old, born in Missouri, and both of his parents were born in Illinois. He lives on a farm and works as a “Farmer” (go figure!).

1930UnitedStatesFederalCensus

Our final census record for Tom is the 1940 US Federal Census. According to this record, Tom is once again living in Dunklin County, this time in the town of Clay. He is still married to Myrtle, and the census indicates that she is the one who has supplied the information about her family to the enumerator. That doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is accurate, but there is a better chance of accuracy. Tom is now 62 years old (born in Missouri), and working as a “Laborer” in “Road Construction.” His highest level of education completed was three years of school (or 3rd grade?). He was living in the “Same House” five years prior (1 Apr 1935) so he must have moved from Neal, Arkansas, back to Dunklin County sometime between 1930 and 1935. He still has two children living with him, “Delvie” (William Delvie a.k.a. “Bill”), age 15; and “Donnie” (Donna), age 12.

1940UnitedStatesFederalCensus

We know from other sources that Tom Copeland died in 1948, so he wouldn’t have appeared on the 1950 US Federal Census even if we had access to it (we’ll have to wait until 2022 for it to be released to the public). I hope you enjoyed my mini-biography of Tom Copeland, which is the result of close analysis of the six US Federal Census records we have for him. Though a brief glimpse every ten years tells us very little about a person’s life, it gives us just enough to keep us interested and coming back for more.

Your cousin,
Kelli Signature