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
Eden219219RennetJoeIndianmale32
Eden219219RennetSarahIndianfemale47wife
Eden220220LichtDavidIndianmale80farming
Eden220220LichtJaneIndianfemale32daughter
Eden220220LichtSophiaIndianfemale82wife
Eden221221AndersonPeterIndianmale37farming
Eden221221AndersonNancyIndianfemale35wife
Eden221221AndersonNancyIndianfemale10daughter
Eden221221AndersonEvaIndianfemale6daughter
Eden221221AndersonMaryIndianfemale2daughter
Eden223223ElliottDavidIndianmale40farming
Eden223223ElliottElizaIndianfemale36wife
Eden224224Gah ge jre con quaIndianmale44
Eden224224MaryIndianfemale17
Eden224224MargrettIndianfemale7daughter
Eden224224MarthaIndianfemale3daughter
Eden225225Gah goJohnIndianmale35farming
Eden225225Gah goAnnieIndianfemale25wife
Eden225225Gah goMarthaIndianfemale8daughter
Eden225225Gah goWardIndianmale4son
Eden225225Gah goThaddeusIndianmale2son
Eden225225Gah goBig MarshIndianmale70father
Eden226226LichtJosiahIndianmale35Laborer
Eden226226LichtMaryanIndianfemale29wife
Eden226226LichtJosephIndianmale12son
Eden226226LichtHenryIndianmale11son
Eden226226LichtCarolineIndianfemale5daughter
Eden226226LichtDavidIndianmale2son
Eden227227ShambooJohnIndianmale36farming
Eden227227ShambooMaryIndianfemale20wife
Eden227227ShambooJohnIndianmale6son
Eden227227ShambooMaryIndianfemale2daughter
Eden227227ShambooWombiguinquaIndianfemale8 mosdaughter
Eden228228JudsonJamesIndianmale36farming
Eden228228JudsonAngelineIndianfemale27wife
Eden228228JudsonJuliaIndianfemale12daughter
Eden228228JudsonElizabethIndianfemale10daughter
Eden228228JudsonAdaIndianfemale8daughter
Eden228228JudsonSarahIndianfemale1 modaughter
Eden228228JudsonMinervaIndianfemale65mother
Eden229229CamburnMyronIndianmale47
Eden229229CamburnLeviIndianmale14son
Eden229229CamburnWon quaIndianfemale47wife
Eden229229CamburnMargrettIndianfemale55step mother
Eden229229HickeyManarrehIndianfemale70boarder
Eden231231BeckwedstWilliamIndianmale65farming
Eden231231BeckwedstMaryIndianfemale60wife
Eden231231BeckwedstSophiaIndianfemale32daughter
Eden231231BeckwedstOsaleIndianfemale17daughter
Eden231231BeckwedstMarthaIndianfemale15daughter

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.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from Access Genealogy

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading