Indians in Mason County Michigan 1880 Census

The following 355 people were identified as Indians (I) in column 4 (color) of the 1880 census for Mason County Michigan.

The instructions to enumerators for conducting the 1870 census were essentially the same as those for the 1860 census:

Indians not taxed are not to be enumerated. The families of Indians who have renounced tribal rule, and who under state or territory laws exercise the rights of citizens, are to be enumerated. 1

In the 1880 instructions the phrase “Indians not taxes” was expanded to:

By the phrase “Indians not taxed” is meant Indians living on reservations under the care of Government agents, or roaming individually, or in bands, over unsettled tracts of country.

Indians not in tribal relations, whether full-bloods or half-breeds, who are found mingled with the white population, residing in white families, engaged as servants or laborers, or living in huts or wigwams on the outskirts of towns or settlements are to be regarded as a part of the ordinary population of the country for the constitutional purpose of the apportionment of Representatives among the States, and are to be embraced in the enumeration. 2

So the following 355 people identified in the 1880 Mason County Michigan census are believed to either have renounced tribal rule, and under state law, exercised their rights as citizens to be enumerated; or because they mingled with the white population of these Michigan towns were enumerated under the expanded definitions.

I noticed when compiling these results that the population of those being identified as Indians in Mason County increased from 229 in 1860, to only 355 in 1880, but still did not match the 409 who were enumerated in 1860. This follows a recognized statewide pattern of increased Native American population for Michigan from 1870 to 1880.

The records below contains only those in a household who were identified by an I for their color. There may be others in the household who are not identified below and that will be on the actual census images.

TownH#F#SurnameGiveRaceSexAgeRelationOccupation
Branch271271MawbyMargrettIndianf100boarder
Branch272272GoodJohnIndianm72
Branch272272GoodJaneIndianf88wife
Branch272272GoodMaryIndianf30boarder
Branch272272GoodAnnaIndianf24daughter
Branch272272GoodMatildaIndianf3daughter
Branch276276DoneganAnthonyIndianm60
Branch276276DoneganLewisIndianm29son
Branch276276DoneganTinesIndianf18daughter
Branch276276DoneganJoeIndianm36son
Eden138138Mat too quaWilliamIndianmale54
Eden138138Mat too quaOrsharwakIndianfemale40wife
Eden138138Mat too quaCharlieIndianmale22son
Eden138138Mat too quaMaryIndianfemale18daughter
Eden138138Mat too quaElizabethIndianfemale4daughter
Eden159159ChinguashPeterIndianmale33Laborer
Eden207207MahhooMarguttIndianfemale45farming
Eden209209Mash kauPeterIndianmale35farming
Eden209209Mash kauLucyIndianfemale40wife
Eden209209Mash kauSarahIndianfemale9daughter
Eden209209Mash kauAmyIndianfemale5daughter
Eden209209Mash kauJuliaIndianfemale3daughter
Eden209209Mash kauJohnIndianmale2 mosson
Eden210210Mash kauIsaacIndianmale23farming
Eden210210Mash kauJohnIndianmale89father
Eden210210Mash kauWah own quaIndianfemale75mother
Eden210210JakeJohnnieIndianmale5boarder
Eden210210ElliottJosephIndianmale70boarder
Eden210210Shib she quaIndianfemale80boarder
Eden211211Saw WakNewtonIndianmale30
Eden211211Saw WakBenyIndianmale10son
Eden211211Saw WakMarthaIndianfemale7daughter
Eden211211Saw WakJohnnieIndianmale5son
Eden212212ChipewaKelseyIndianmale40
Eden212212ChipewaMa ae quaIndianfemale36wife
Eden212212ChipewaJosephIndianmale17son
Eden212212ChipewaHeel?Indianmale15son
Eden212212ChipewaNancyIndianfemale7daughter
Eden212212ChipewaAliceIndianfemale1daughter
Eden213213CippwaIndianmale60farming
Eden213213Negish qu quaIndianfemale57wife
Eden213213MaryIndianfemale12daughter
Eden216216BlacksmithJakeIndianmale55farming
Eden216216BlacksmithSah kushIndianfemale50wife
Eden216216BlacksmithBenjaminIndianmale3son
Eden217217Shib I SheeJohnIndianmale67farming
Eden217217Shib I SheeAmyIndianfemale50wife
Eden217217Shib I SheeMargrettIndianfemale10daughter
Eden218218Ah she ke shikIndianmale99
Eden218218Ke wah be quaIndianfemale88

Citations:
  1. Eighth Census, United States—1860. Instructions to U.S. Marshals, p. 14.[]
  2. Bureau of the Census, 200 Years of U.S. Census Taking: Population and Housing Questions, 1790–1990, 1989, p. 30.[]

Topics:
1880 Census,

Collection:
Michigan Census Records: A directory of resources providing online access to Michigan Census records. See also United States Census Records for census records on all of the United States.

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