Documents which E-X-P-A-N-D our understanding of family history, Part 2

What we can learn from the 1850 U.S. Federal Census

In our case of Isaac Carter (the younger), we begin with the 1850 Census, the first census to enumerate each member of the household, not just the head of household. The 1850 Census asked thirteen questions:

1. Dwelling-house numbered in order of visitation;
2. Families numbered in the order of visitation;
3. The name of every person whose usual place of abode on the first day of June, 1850, was in this family;
4. Age;
5. Sex;
6. Color: White, black, or mulatto;
7. Profession, Occupation, or Trade of each Male Person over 15 years of age;
8. Value of Real Estate owned;
9. Place of Birth, naming State, Territory, or Country;
10. Married within the year;
11. Attended school within the year;
12. Persons over 20 years of age who cannot Read & Write;
13. Whether deaf & dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict.

1850 U.S. Federal Census, Craven, North Carolina;
Roll: M432_626; Pages: 317B and 318A; Images: 197, 198.

Note: There were no relationships to head of household recorded. Sometimes the only indication that a household member was not part of the nuclear family was by a different surname. If all members had the same surname, the enumeration could still include cousins or other close members of the extended family.

To the left is the 1850 Census enumeration for several inter-related families. The family of focus is found on lines 37-42, and then on the following page, lines 1-4. This is the household of Isaac and Rhoda (Braddock) Carter.
Isaac Carter was a 45 year old farmer--a free black man. Note: This schedule is for Free Inhabitants only. According to this document, he does not own any Real Estate; and, neither he nor his wife, Rhoda, can read and write.

Rhoda, a 34 year old free black woman was born in North Carolina, just as her husband and children were.

While Comfort was enumerated as a male child of 18 years of age, we know from our family history and from subsequent documentation (See: 1860 U.S. Federal Census: Goodings, Craven, NC: Roll: M653_894; Page 9; Image 17: Silas Moore and "Comford" Moore) that she was actually female, and married Silas Moore in 1854 (See also: Craven County Marriage Registers, Craven County Register of Deeds, Book No. 1).

William was a 16 year old free black farmer. It is not possible to know if he and his siblings were literate as the question was only asked of citizens age 20 and older.

Mary, age 12, was a free black female child, born in North Carolina as were her parents and all her siblings.

These first three children were not named in the December 1853 apprenticeship records of the Craven County Court of  Pleas and Quarter Sessions.  Comfort was already married and of legal age. William would've been 19, but was already engaged in farming in 1850. At this time I am unable to locate him in the 1860 Census. Mary Ann married Benjamin Martin in 1856, but she would've been 14-15 years old when her parents died. Perhaps she was taken in by other family, and their grandparents, Kelsor and Sarah Braddock, had only taken the four youngest children. At this point, there is no way of determining.


Isaac (9), Nancy (6), Ananias (4), and Zacchaeus (1) were all apprenticed following the death of their parents. The apprenticeship issue will be re-examined later now that I have copies of the actual indentures and related letters to the court. You will notice on Page 317B above that William Temple (lines 6-14), who becomes their master, lives only a short distance away.

And who was Rachael Johnson (21)?

Ministers and preachers of Township 5: 1850: Abraham Taylor & Paul J. Carraway

As I began wading through page by page of each Census for Township 5 from 1850 to 1930, I discovered some interesting things...some of which may serve as subjects for the imagination more than sources of hard facts. Come along with me on this journey and you'll see what I mean...

In 1850, the U.S. Federal Census for Craven County, NC was divided into two sections: New Bern, and Not Stated. Somewhere within "Not Stated" lies Township 5. Within the 145 pages of this enumeration, only two ministers surfaced, both white:

1850 United States Federal Census; Craven, NC;
Roll: M432_626; Page: 321B.

 The first enumeration was for Abraham Taylor, a 51 year old Free Baptist Minister, and his family: a wife and daughter and three sons. Abraham married Mary Civils in Craven County on 5 Aug 1829 (Craven County Marriage Record Index, Marriage Register 3, marriage bond). In 1860 his wife is supposed deceased, and he is living with his children in Richardsons District, Craven County, NC. This places his residence outside of the North Harlowe area, which is enumerated as Goodings Distirict.

1850 United States Federal Census; Craven, NC;
Roll:M432_626; Page: 321B. 

The second enumeration was for Paul J. Carraway, a Methodist Episcopal Minister, age 25, along with his young wife and daughter. The Craven County Marriage Record Index records the marriage of Paul J. Carraway and Julia A. McCotter on 8 Dec 1964 (Marriage Register Book 1: Marriage Bond). In 1860 Rev. Carraway was enumerated in Cumberland, Cumberland, NC with his wife and then five children.

By going back before Emancipation, I find only white ministers. I have read about Master/Slave churches where freedmen also attended (Masters & Slaves in the House of the Lord, ed. by John B. Boles, 1998). I can try to  imagine a time when there were no organized black churches in the rural parts of Craven County. Perhaps my husband's ancestors attended a church such as this...or, perhaps they only worshiped corporately when circuit preachers came through for brush arbor or camp meetings. Possibly they had their own lay preachers...or some may even have traveled the long trek to New Bern. This is what I hope to discover.

Perhaps if I can place these white ministers with churches in the county, I may find their church histories overlap with those of the the freedmen. A cousin told me about Methodist churches in Harlowe and Adams Creek...and since the Rev. Carraway eventually became a Presiding Elder, I plan on contacting Dr. William B. Simpson, historian for the North Carolina General Commission on Archives & History.